Intel CPU Warranty Invalid w/o CPU Fan? 100
saberint asks: "Recently, I had a good argument with Intel as I had a 3.2G P4 chip die on me within 6 months. I sent the CPU back to Intel only to be told that they will NOT honour the warranty because I did not send the fan back with it. Apparently the fan and the CPU's serial must match or else there is no warranty. This 'policy' is not listed on the warranty card or on their website. So for all you network admin or IT support people out there, keep the fan and the CPU together. Has anyone else experienced this with Intel?"
Stupid Question... (Score:2, Interesting)
somehow... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Stupid Question... (Score:2)
Re:Stupid Question... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Stupid Question... (Score:1)
On an open test bench, at room temperature, a Prescott core P4 runs at least 70 degrees C under load [legitreviews.com] using the Intel-bundled heatsink/fan.
Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:4, Insightful)
Holy shit, the 3.2 Ghz Processor blew up when I ran it at 4.0 Ghz. Let me try and get a new one. Oops, I glued on a custom industrial-quality fan to cool the damn thing.
I mean why would a person NOT use the fan provided by Intel in the retail package? The complete package is warranted, if something happens -- it is Intel's problem. So, don't put monster fans when the retail package will do.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:4, Insightful)
All the Intel retail kits come with fans and heatsinks. That's probably the easy way they can tell if you're sending an OEM or Retail part back.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
Having or not having the fan doesn't make it any easier or harder for them, anymore than it does for western digital hard drives. Hell WD even has a util on the website that will determine not only if it's oem or retail but the date the warranty started and if the drive is in warranty (which is bunk, they go by the date of manufacture rather than the date of sale).
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
Intel Retail (boxed): 3 years direct with Intel
AMD Retail (boxed): 3 years direct with AMD
AMD OEM (chip only): 1 year through reseller (us)
Intel OEM (chip only): dunno, the boss didn't bother buying them because they were almost as expensive as the retail versions
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
These are "tray product" and are not warranted by Intel. If your processor-sans-fan dies on you, your beef is with the people you bought it from -- not Intel. There is no wiggle on that policy.
Why do you think the bare processors are so much cheaper? You're not paying for the warranty, that's why! Don't kid yourself that warranties are "free" because they aren't.
Much cheaper? (Score:1)
You'd be dumb not to do it. The fans just sit on the shelf, if the box comes with built-in cooling (like my Shuttle SK43G) but I've had no problem with the two AMD heatsinks I got with the other two. (2400+ and 2600+)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:5, Insightful)
You obviously haven't heard them. They're loud. Much nicer to replace them with a Vantec stealth fan or somesuch.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
The Dell boxes that use retail Intel processors and fans are generally very quite. Rated below 30db.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
On a related note, don't buy your case from Intel. They use a Delta 120mm fan, which is famous for being the loudest fan in production. (Sounds like a vacuum cleaner.) Once I replaced the rear 120mm fan, and the front 90mm fan, the two CPU fans became quite noticable. Replaced those, and now it sounds like a normal system.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
You've obviously never heard a Vantec Tornado in action. I can only use it for a couple hours at a time because it drives me nuts.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
eg, the fans in a Powermac G5
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
That may very well be the reason that Dell doesn't use those fans. If you've ever looked inside an optiplex, they have a big green hood that folds in over the CPU heatsink which leads to a fan mounted to the case. Looks like this [silentpcreview.com]. A year into their lifetime, they get pretty loud. I'm about to go purchase a second one because this one is keeping me up at night. And the air quality in my place is pretty clean, I'm a non
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Has a pair of 92mm fans in it, not something I normally carry in my toolbox.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Interesting)
Because the stock Intel HSF is too damned loud? And because this has varied over time, the Intel fans used to be quiet but recent ones are noisy. Yes, you can buy an OEM CPU without a fan if you want, but the price difference is often only a couple of bucks--which is more than what the Intel HSF is worth. I buy whatever is in stock, and lately have been throwing out a lot of those noisy pieces of junk.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
I'll tell you why. I don't overclock (I've been known to underclock though) and I like quiet systems. The stock fan/heatsink combo doesn't cut it. I tend to use a larger sink than necessary and run a larger fan at a low voltage. I enjoy silence. You don't know what you're missing out on.
With that said, if it's a retail CPU then I keep the old sink and fan so I could send it all back if needed. I rarely buy retail pack
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:5, Interesting)
The fan that comes with the processor is garbage. It may be warranted, but I'm not worried about getting a replacement fan. I *am* worried about keeping the heat and noise levels of my computer to a minimum, and stability to a maximum. The horrifically noisy and weak AMD fans (and their associated undersized heatsinks) may be 'good enough' for people who are used to Windows crashing every couple of days, but it's not good enough for me.
No, I don't overclock. I've been known to underclock, though. That probably voids my warranty as well. Oh well.
But if you think the stock HSF is suitable for everyone (or even most, in my opinion) you're absolutely wrong. Do you void your warranty on your car when you replace the all-season tires with Blizzaks? Why should you need to anyway, those tires that came with your car work fine in all seasons, don't they?
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
Agreed. We had 80% of our AMD CPU fans die on our new systems (about 15 systems in all failed) within 9 months. We replaced them with Zalman copper flower coolers and have been happy ever since. I don't know who AMD outsourced fans to, but they are HORRIBLE.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, my brother is a mechanic at a Ford dealer. He says that they will not honor the warranty if a wheel bearing fails prematurely and the car does not have the stock tires on it. Putting wide or offset tires on a car causes the weight of the car to not be supported directly beneath the bearing and can lead to premature bearing failure.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
There's laws about this stuff, yaknow - you can use whatever replacement car parts you feel like without warranty concerns, as long as they fall reasonably within factory specifications. You can even do the work yourself.
It's not like he's trying to turn that Ford into a pimp wagon with 12" whitewalls protruding 4" past the fender -- the par
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
And it reads so much easier than in an EULA. Too bad they can't do that with the loan contract.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
that's either stuck inside the glovebox, or on near the drivers door hinge (so you see it when you open the door). Manufacturers are quite specific about what tyres you should put on your car. Of course, one of the main reasons is safety - for example if you put a lower speed rating tyre on your car than what the tyre placard says, it's illegal (for obvious reasons).
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
In
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Now I kind of misspoke when I said that H was the lowest rating. There are passenger tires which are unrated and all are supposed to conform to minimum DOT specs, then they give tread life and traction ratings. But here there is no legal requirement for any particular tire on any particular vehicle.
I've had vehicles with H (my curren
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Plus, you're never, ever going to get wheels with a dish that deep and three studs - the centre of the tyre is directly in line with the balljoints in the hub, so the wheel has fairly odd geometry. The apparent lack of front brake discs freaks out the spotty youth in the local tyre-fitting cent
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Aw crap, three lug? There's a renault dauphin that's been in the auto body shop at school for a couple years now that we always laugh at as we go by - especially the wheels.
You would think that the tire guys over there would have seen inboard brakes before, though. Heck even the parking brake on my 1960 Dodge Phoenix (2dr. Dart) was a disc brake at the back of the transmission. :)
Re:Overclockers... (massively offtopic) (Score:2)
As for the the inboard brakes, Jags have inboard rear discs, as do some Alfa-Romeos, but inboard front discs are pretty uncommon. Old 2CVs had inboard front drums, which were a bear to work on...
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
*shrug*
There's Federal laws in the United States which supercede such corporate verbiage. (Ford warranty != act of Congress.)
And they say I can use whatever 215/R15 tires I want to, as long that's what the car came with and they fall within factory specifications (including runout and roundness and tread depth and a slew of other parameters, I'm sure, if there's a lawyer in the mix). The automobile manufacturer will have no
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
OTOH if you put on 240/80R12 instead of the 185/60R14 stock size, then you can expect the dealer to scoff at you... perhaps audibly, perhaps under his breath.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
FWIW, I'm perfectly happy with the stock AMD-supplied HSF on my 2400+. It's not noisy (and no, I wasn't partly deaf before getting the fan). Haven't had stability problems yet. I do have decent (but not obscene) case ventilation.
I have a hard time believing that AMD would not test the HSFs they supply,
wtf? (Score:1)
What the fuck are you talking about? My main workstation/gaming box runs WXP on a Barton 2500+ with stock cooler, doesn't make a racket (OK, it's not an 80mm 'silent' fan, big deal), and never crashes.
Stock cooling is fine for most people (that don't live in the middle of the desert).
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Insightful)
The AMD heatsink and fan that came with my boxed Athlon Barton 2500+ XP is much quieter (hairdryer in another room with a thick closed door), but doesn't appear to cool as well. It's in my room 24/7.
The PC with the Palomino seems to pump out a lot more heat - leave the computer on and the room warms up a lot.
That said, I live in the tropics and I have no problems with my CPUs not get
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
I don't overclock it either - I've even considered underclocking to make it quieter. Does this mean I no longer deserve a warranty??
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
"
No it's not. It's 'obviously' a scheme to make sure they only do the warranty stuff on factors they can actually control. If a 3rd party fan failed, why would that be Intel's fault?
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
The difference is that Intel can only guarantee the products they make.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
CPU requires fan. Intel provides fan. 3rd party also provides fan. Bad 3rd party fan == bad processor. Bad processor != manufacturing defect from Intel.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
I'm sorry, I didn't catch that you meant that it's already supposed to be 'defective fan proof'. I was thinking in a more general sense. Hope I wasn't too frustarting.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:4, Insightful)
And when I say incorrectly, there really isn't much to it, the fan goes on and it clips on and it's done, but "incorrectly" means a whole different thing in warranty legalese.
Step 3 for intel: Profit.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
And besides, if you end up using some less than adequate HSF instead of the one that comes with it, doesn't the P4 have some special thermal protection to start scaling back the CPU speed to prevent damage? If you turn on the
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:1, Flamebait)
however.. get your consumer protection up a notch! the consumer shouldn't need to deal with intel directly at all in a normal situation, they should be able to go to the shop they bought it(retail cpu) from and have the warranty issues dealt wi
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:3, Interesting)
I've assembled many Shuttle-based systems like that (for myself and clients), and each of them have a pretty nifty heatpipe and ventilation fan [shuttle.com] -- but no room whatsoever to install the massive fan that ships with Intel chips these days.
So, I've got a stack of 'em in the closet. Up to about 25 at last count, give or take.
I've personally had Intel warranty replace a defective 2.4 P4 -- it took several hours on hold
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Because it won't fit in a 1U case? Which happens to have 4 fans and completely cycles the air in the case about every 2 seconds. There are vent slots in the case so that cool air is pulled across a heatsink that just barely fits under the top cover.
The CPU seems to run cool as long as the top cover is on. The HD is another story... I'll be drilling some vent holes near the HD before these installed in the rack.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
Take a look at the squirrel-cage ducted blower in an HP/Compaq 1RU DL380 sometime... that's what you want in a 1RU case. Those cheesy-assed 1" high fans will bite you -- soon.
Re:Overclockers and their "huge mamma" fans (Score:2)
May I reccomend (Score:1, Interesting)
That you send the fan that you used with this cpu to them. If they complain that it is not the right fan (and it works), since the necessity of a particular fan is not mentioned on your warranty materials, I would promptly contact my attorney general and your state's division of consumer affairs (if it has one).
Sue them (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:Sue them (Score:2)
I recommend this guy send the fan in if he can. Maybe demand intel pays for shipping since it's not in the warrenty. I don't see how this is a big deal really.
Totally legit. (Score:5, Informative)
If I remember right the OEM have something like a 15 day warranty from Intel, after that you need to take it up with your reseller.
The retail CPUs have a three year warranty but they come with a fan designed for the processor right from Intel. It comes as a package and you are only supposed to use the Intel fan, any other will void your warranty.
I imagine getting the fan serves multiple purposes. Did the CPU die because the fan was weak/dead. Did the user swap it out for another unapproved fan, etc.
devil's advocate (Score:5, Insightful)
Can you read? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Can you read? (Score:2)
Re:Can you read? (Score:2, Funny)
$403.00 for a Intel P4.
$40.00 for the really cool fan with LEDs.
The look on your face when you smoke your processor improperly over clocking it and find out you really shouldn't have been cocky and tossed that Intel fan in the rubbish bin.
(wait for it...) PRICELESS!
Re:Can you read? (Score:2, Informative)
Of course, a 2.8GHz P4 is grossly obsolete. Perhaps Intel has subsequently changed their packaging.
not on the warranty card? (Score:3, Interesting)
what do the instructions say concerning the fan? do they say, "use this fan"?
Re:not on the warranty card? (Score:3, Informative)
I'd say either
usage not in accordance with product instructions
or
improper installation
are the clauses that Intel are using to get out of the warranty.
The question is, in the installation instructions, I'd be sure they specify to use a fan, however, do they specify to use the supplied fan ?
Hmm.... Dual cpu's? (Score:3, Interesting)
I built a dual xeon system today using two boxed intel chips... I took the parts out and put them on the bench then installed them in the machine. I have no idea if I paired the fans or heatsinks or baffles or mounts or whatever correctly with the processors. There were two of everything. Maybe they are around backwards; who knows?!?
I hope if one dies they will honor the warranty even if I send them back the wrong fan!
Make a call to your lawyer. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Make a call to your lawyer. (Score:5, Interesting)
Or you'll get a letter back saying "We cannot guarantee processors that use unapproved fans." Not trying to side with Intel here, but they would have a point. If the processor burned because the fan sucked (or didnt suck?) then you'd be approaching the wrong place about warranty.
Re:Make a call to your lawyer. (Score:1, Insightful)
AMD seems to have the same policy (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyway, I had an AMD return (using the "home"/retail) support department and they requested that I send the original cooling fan and heatsink.
Since I had the heatsink, and the CPU was over two years old I did not push the issue, BUT they did seem to have the same policy...
-MS2k
Intel 101 (Score:2)
update on the fan type etc (Score:3, Informative)
Re:update on the fan type etc (Score:3, Interesting)
You must be somewhere in the NT if you get up to 50C, or somewhere in the Kimberley. In which case you would surely have A/C?
Re:update on the fan type etc (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:update on the fan type etc (Score:2)
not everyone CAN use the intel fan (Score:1)
Cpu Redundancy? (Score:2)
I suppose if you blasted 900$ on a CPU it might matter if it died but it's silly otherwise.
You can get comparable performace for $200 and a those prices the chance of a cpu failing are simply a non issue.
Couple that with the fact that all CPU's are tested before shipping, not crappy testing like Mobo's or HD but quality testing.
And the chances of damaging a CPU are infintessimal it simply doesn't matter anymore.
Also cpu's are completely interchangeable
See this? (Score:2)
electrical power, usage not in accordance with product instructions, misuse, neglect, alteration, repair,
improper installation, or improper testing.
I'll wager somewhere in the installation instructions it says "Use a genuine Intel fan".
Intel Sales Rep: Ohhhh, you used a different fan than the one that came with the unit? Sorry , no warranty! Thank you for shopping with Intel!
Sort of Makes Sense . . . (Score:2)
However, I'm sure that the rarely-if-ever used stock fan will betray its lack of use to the company (Intel or AMD as they both seem to have the same requirement). So, then they can say, "sorry, we cannot honor the warranty because
why do you think? (Score:2)
the $99 fan no doubt (Score:2)
Anyone actually read the Intel Warranty? (Score:1)
Standard procedure. (Score:2)
What did they ask you to send? (Score:2)
If they asked for the fan and CPU, obviously you must use both.
If they supplied a fan with the CPU, they can have a condition in the warranty that you must use that fan.
I think this is reasonable, they tested and determined that the fan they supply is adequate. They didn't test the others, so why would they put their money behind them?
With cars they can not demand specific brands of motor oil to use, unles
Morons anonymous. (Score:1)