XSPC Pump Failed - Now what ?

[siqueirah]

I've always heard good comments concerning XSPC products so I decided to go for XSPC as my new WC kit. January 2011, I bought from FrozenCPU (US) the Rasa 750 RS360 kit that had an outstanding value. I had the impression that pump was a little bit weak, but the temperatures were good, everything worked as it should so I think it was just a impression ( I only wanted to mention). The big problem that worries me was what happened to me yesterday 13/09/2011. I was playing a game as usual when I got a blue screen. After that the pc wouldn't boot. I tried again and it started booting when I received the CPU OVERHEAT warning. I quickly turned it off but when I looked at the cpu block I noticed that the water wasn't flowing. The pump had completely stopped. My i7 was super hot and so was the first DRAM module, the closest to the cpu (I think it was damaged). The tubbing that comes in and out of the cpu block seemed to have melt a lttle bit. Today I tested the pump with other power supplies and it won't start. As a result, I'll have to change the tubbing, the pump, the i7 may be damaged as may one of my memory modules. What should I do? Buy everything again from my own money ? Should I contact XSPC or FrozenCPU first?
I have no experience on these matters so I need some advice.

Att,

Gabriel Siqueira

 

[newtekie1]

Contact XSPC. I believe tehy have a 1 year warranty, so at the very least they should replace the pump and anything else in the kit that was damaged. I'm not sure if they will do anything about the damaged components though, if there are any. But the RAM can probably be RMA'd to the manufacturer as well.

 

[siqueirah]

I forgot to mention a very important fact: I live in Brazil and I bought it when I was in the US on vacation.

 

[EarthDog]

Im not sure this will be terribly helpful but what does the first DRAM slot/RAM have to do with your CPU pump dieing? I doubt they will claim any responsiblity for that...

 

[erocker]

You need to contact their customer service. There is no XSPC representative here as far as I know. They know their policies better than we do.

 

[LordJummy]

First thing is you should get as much evidence as possible. Did you take pics/video of everything? Make sure you record and document everything!

Then as erocker said, contact their customer service and start from the top. Be polite and go through the proper channels of communication, and if you don't get your problem resolved keep documenting the process and go down the line.

Always document everything, make backups, and be logical.

They should take care of everything covered by warranty assuming you are still in warranty and didn't do anything to violate the terms.

Good luck, and post any updates here to help document the process.

 

[siqueirah]

Im not sure this will be terribly helpful but what does the first DRAM slot/RAM have to do with your CPU pump dieing? I doubt they will claim any responsiblity for that...

I'm not actually blaming them for the memory, I just tried to report the whole situation. The first module was closer to the cpu and (touching) felt a lot hotter than the others. Once again, I'm not saying its related to the pump issue, I'm just trying to tell you the whole story.

You need to contact their customer service. There is no XSPC representative here as far as I know. They know their policies better than we do.

I've already contacted XSPC and I'm waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, I wanted to hear your opinions. That's why I opened this thread and it helps me already.

First thing is you should get as much evidence as possible. Did you take pics/video of everything? Make sure you record and document everything!

Then as erocker said, contact their customer service and start from the top. Be polite and go through the proper channels of communication, and if you don't get your problem resolved keep documenting the process and go down the line.

Always document everything, make backups, and be logical.

They should take care of everything covered by warranty assuming you are still in warranty and didn't do anything to violate the terms.

Good luck, and post any updates here to help document the process.

Thank you for the advice. I always try to document everything. Partially because I was once a casemodder (hobbist) so I have this addiction of taking pics of every single modification in my pc, including the problems =P
I'll keep you updated !

 

[siqueirah]

UPDATE:
The e-mail I sent was very close to what I wrote in the first post. Now, their answer (precisely):
"We can send a new pump as a replacement to you if you offer an Amercia address. Since you bought it from US."

And that's it. Well, at least I'll be given a new pump.

 

[LordJummy]

wow, so they won't let you just pay shipping for out of US? that's silly. i'm guessing you have a relative in the US or something?

 

[siqueirah]

wow, so they won't let you just pay shipping for out of US? that's silly. i'm guessing you have a relative in the US or something?

Actually, yes, I have a friend in the US but I didn't mention it in the e-mail. I guess I have no other choice. I will take their offer, buy new tubbing, new RAM and that should be it. My i7 920 seems to be working. I just don't know if it still overclocks as well as it did before.

 

[siqueirah]

UPDATE:
They sent the pump to my friend.
Appearently, the memories are ok but the i7's memory controller is damaged so the processor is dead =x
I'll have to buy another one.
When I try to turn it on, the CPU led blinks once and the DRAM led stays on and it doesn't beep. =x

 

[LordJummy]

I'm sorry to hear that bro. Do you know exactly how the pump failed? Seems like they should be responsible for the CPU dying when the pump was under warranty. Although you are out of country so maybe warranty is invalid.

 

[siqueirah]

I don't really know. I was playing some games when I got a blue screen. When I looked inside the PC I noticed that the pump wasn't working anymore and the water was still. I can't say what exactly was the problem but I need to ask you: do you think they should be responsible for the problem I had? (besides the pump) Could you help me finding it out ? I mean, don't have much experience so a little help would be appreciated. I don't know who to ask or to turn to.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Hmm this is a tough one. I don't know if you have any legal recourse or not but it won't be easy either way. Have you been dealing with a dude at XSPC named Dazhong?

I just got a replacement X20 750 pump/res unit from them for one that I just bought from PPCs as it was a few millimeters too wide and didn't fit my bays. Can you believe that shit? Well they shipped me a diff one that does fit in two days from Hong Kong and it's a newer revision too so I'm happy now. Though I gotta pay to ship the original back to Texas. :/

 

[LordJummy]

I don't really know. I was playing some games when I got a blue screen. When I looked inside the PC I noticed that the pump wasn't working anymore and the water was still. I can't say what exactly was the problem but I need to ask you: do you think they should be responsible for the problem I had? (besides the pump) Could you help me finding it out ? I mean, don't have much experience so a little help would be appreciated. I don't know who to ask or to turn to.

I personally don't have much free time to help you with it. It all depends on the stipulations of their warranty. You need to read over the xspc documents. Is the warranty valid for you? Does it cover any damage or failure? I don't know these things, but you should be able to get copies of all this info from the company. Request their warranty documents and any disclaimers etc etc.

I highly doubt you can hold them responsible as you do not live in the same country that it's manufactured. All you can do is read up on their docs and start a request to get you new stuff.

You will never learn how to do this kind of stuff unless you start now.

 

[newtekie1]

I don't really know. I was playing some games when I got a blue screen. When I looked inside the PC I noticed that the pump wasn't working anymore and the water was still. I can't say what exactly was the problem but I need to ask you: do you think they should be responsible for the problem I had? (besides the pump) Could you help me finding it out ? I mean, don't have much experience so a little help would be appreciated. I don't know who to ask or to turn to.

Should they be responsible? Probably. Legally are they? Probably not.

I'd just RMA the processor to Intel.

 

[siqueirah]

Hmm this is a tough one. I don't know if you have any legal recourse or not but it won't be easy either way. Have you been dealing with a dude at XSPC named Dazhong?

I just got a replacement X20 750 pump/res unit from them for one that I just bought from PPCs as it was a few millimeters too wide and didn't fit my bays. Can you believe that shit? Well they shipped me a diff one that does fit in two days from Hong Kong and it's a newer revision too so I'm happy now. Though I gotta pay to ship the original back to Texas. :/

Yes, it's exactly who I'm dealing with. I know it's going to be though and I'm not expecting to get anything. I just felt I had to ask you that see everyday the problems of other people. (Like you, Wrigleyvillain, that had also problems with this pump)

I personally don't have much free time to help you with it. It all depends on the stipulations of their warranty. You need to read over the xspc documents. Is the warranty valid for you? Does it cover any damage or failure? I don't know these things, but you should be able to get copies of all this info from the company. Request their warranty documents and any disclaimers etc etc.

I highly doubt you can hold them responsible as you do not live in the same country that it's manufactured. All you can do is read up on their docs and start a request to get you new stuff.

You will never learn how to do this kind of stuff unless you start now.

I sent them another e-mail asking for the documents. Let's see...

Should they be responsible? Probably. Legally are they? Probably not.

I'd just RMA the processor to Intel.

I could try if I still had the box. Besides, I use the Liquid Pro thermal compound that is really good (ok, you may know it but I'll say it anyway) but it totally erases what is written in the processor.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

To be fair and clear, I did not have problems with the pump at all (and hope I never do of course; it's only been two days) but rather the reservoir (the plastic enclosure) was out of spec and slightly too big too slide in my 5.25" bays.

FWIW, this seems to be a pretty decent and reliable pump according to reviews on the net especially for the present price of $50 (as it's also a nice-looking, space-saving bay res as well). But I specifically speak of the later revision(s) and do not know which one came with your kit.

But, regardless of basic quality, like any mechanical and or electronic component it can experience failure. That's why there is a warranty. But I think newtekie is probably right on in his statement (excpet for teh part about Intel tho you'd probably have better luck there). The fact you don't live in the country of purchase pretty much totally hoses you as also pointed out.

 

[SpeedwayNative]

The OP already said he has a friend in the US, that he can use his address to get replacements. So unless I'm missing something, he has a way around that and where he lives is a moot point. OP, I would try to RMA anything that isn't working properly. Even the i7 with the specs rubbed off, not lapped right? An RMA is always worth a try with a defective product!

 

[siqueirah]

The OP already said he has a friend in the US, that he can use his address to get replacements. So unless I'm missing something, he has a way around that and where he lives is a moot point. OP, I would try to RMA anything that isn't working properly. Even the i7 with the specs rubbed off, not lapped right? An RMA is always worth a try with a defective product!

Yes, this friend of mine can receive the replacements for me. No, I didn't lap the processor. The only problem is the Liquid PRO that removes the specs. I contacted intel (North America) and they said I had to talk to Intel Latin America, since I am brazilian. Also they said (not directly but you could perfectly understand what they meant) that if I used memory above 1333mhz it can be considered improper usage and void the warranty. As a conclusion, I don`t have much hope of getting anything from Intel (at least on my own)

 

[LordJummy]

The OP already said he has a friend in the US, that he can use his address to get replacements. So unless I'm missing something, he has a way around that and where he lives is a moot point. OP, I would try to RMA anything that isn't working properly. Even the i7 with the specs rubbed off, not lapped right? An RMA is always worth a try with a defective product!

That is true, although it would legally invalidate any warranty. Morally wrong in this case? Not really.

However, he should be careful how he handles the situation. If they found out what was going on they could probably cancel the RMA altogether.

Also, RMA'ing the i7 to intel would basically be a complete lie as it wasn't defective. The XSPC pump is the only thing at fault here as far as we know. However, it wouldn't hurt to try and RMA it anyways

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Hurt? No. Be unethical? Yes.

Just sayin'.

 

[LordJummy]

Hurt? No. Be unethical? Yes.

Just sayin'.

I agree.

However, in this case I think I would be OK with him going through his friend. He deserves the RMA and replacements of his hardware. He's obviously a pretty honest guy who just wants what's right.

 

[siqueirah]

I agree with everything you said and I wanted to tell you something.
Actually, you might think I'm a little silly(?? don't know if it's the correct word) after that.
Everytime when I travel (or my friends travel) I order something from amazon.com and bring back to brazil. (Here in brazil there are taxes for imported products = 60% ) It has always worked great this way. Until now, a couple of things have had problems. When I contacted Amazon for the two times they said they understood my situation, that I didn't have to prove anything, I didn't have to send anything back, and they would just give my money back as I wasn't satisfied with what I received.
It's already happened twice and of course the products were actually defective. Here in brazil it's not like that: the companies won't trust you that easily and it will be extremely hard to get RMA or refund.
All in all, I feel that if I report the processor problem to Amazon they would promptly replace the item but I'm not sure if I SHOULD do it. It feels almost like dishonesty.
Well, that's it.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Please, don't mind the English mistakes as I'm not a native-speaker.

 

[LordJummy]

I agree with everything you said and I wanted to tell you something.
Actually, you might think I'm a little silly(?? don't know if it's the correct word) after that.
Everytime when I travel (or my friends travel) I order something from amazon.com and bring back to brazil. (Here in brazil there are taxes for imported products = 60% ) It has always worked great this way. Until now, a couple of things have had problems. When I contacted Amazon for the two times they said they understood my situation, that I didn't have to prove anything, I didn't have to send anything back, and they would just give my money back as I wasn't satisfied with what I received.
It's already happened twice and of course the products were actually defective. Here in brazil it's not like that: the companies won't trust you that easily and it will be extremely hard to get RMA or refund.
All in all, I feel that if I report the processor problem to Amazon they would promptly replace the item but I'm not sure if I SHOULD do it. It feels almost like dishonesty.
Well, that's it.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Please, don't mind the English mistakes as I'm not a native-speaker.

I often find myself in the same position, trying to make the honest and right choice.

Sometimes, like in your case, what is technically dishonest is not necessarily wrong. I think you should go ahead and request a replacement. If XSPC won't give you the money to replace it Amazon is going to have to bite the bullet. They won't lose any money over it as they have agreements with intel and other vendors. Everything will work out and no one will be hurt.

In this case you are justified in returning it. I say go for it!