which one of AMD's GPU partners allows cooler modification?

[terroralpha]

i'm building a mITX rig with a reference Powercolor RX 480 (already purchased and on the way here). i had plans to retrofit an all in one water cooling unit onto it. but someone pointed out to me that changing cooling, or modifying the card in any way, voids the warranty. i checked their website and it's pretty clear that this is true. i'm use to Zotac and EVGA who allow modding and still cover you.

any ideas who i should go with?

EDIT:
further research shows that powercolor, Sapphire and Asus don't warranty cards with swapped coolers. so looks like i'll be selling or returning my powercolor RX 480

Visiontek's, Diamond's and MSI's websites aren't very clear on this. their wording is very vague. basically say must come back in original condition but make no mention of the warranty sticker on the bracket holding the cooler down.

EDIT 2:
for anyone is pondering about the same thing, XFX and Gigabyte will allow you to keep your warranty even if you disassemble the card and/or use 3rd party cooling solutions, including but not limited to water blocks.

sapphire and powercolor will definitely void your warranty if you disassemble your card.

the other manufacturer's warranty philosophy is still a mystery to me. i stopped researching after i picked up an XFX RX 480.

 

[R00kie]

Gigabyte doesn't void warranty when you remove the cooler, Ive asked their PR rep before I bought a water block for my GPU.

 

[terroralpha]

Gigabyte doesn't void warranty when you remove the cooler, Ive asked their PR rep before I bought a water block for my GPU.

how long ago was this? after failing to find any specific details on their website, i e-mailed them about it. this is the response i got:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting GIGABYTE. Yes, replacing the stock cooler will void the warranty. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Thank you

Customer Service Center GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY TEL: 1-626-854-9338 op. 4 FAX: 1-626-854-9326 EMAIL:services@gigabyteusa.com http://www.gigabyte.us/

http://www.gigabyte.us/

 

[de.das.dude]

just put the cooler back when you RMA. they wont be able to tell.

sapphire allows you to remove the cooler and change the thermal paste. its impossible to keep a card for a year without cleaning it out atleast once!

 

[terroralpha]

just put the cooler back when you RMA. they wont be able to tell.

sapphire allows you to remove the cooler and change the thermal paste. its impossible to keep a card for a year without cleaning it out atleast once!

wrong on every account.

sapphire RMA policy reads, "The limited warranty does not cover products that the user has disassembled." you can see it here http://www.sapphiretech.com/support.asp?lang=eng
so clearly they do not allow it.

and of course they can tell if it's disassembled! there is a sticker on the rear bracket that holds the cooler down. it reads, "warranty void if removed." every reference RX 480 has it. also, you don't need to remove the cooler to clean it. just used some compressed air or a vacuum cleaner to get the dust out. all my cases are equipped with dust filters from head to toe. there is no dust inside any of them. i just clean the filters once every few months.

 

[the54thvoid]

Don't listen to forum posters when seeking reassurance about warranties. You need to contact the company directly. That way, if things go wrong, you have it in black and white.
No company will issue a warranty repair because "wee Jimmy said it was okay!"

No offence to other posts but don't assume you can give the OP warranty advice unless you work for the company in that regard.

 

[terroralpha]

Don't listen to forum posters when seeking reassurance about warranties. You need to contact the company directly. That way, if things go wrong, you have it in black and white.
No company will issue a warranty repair because "wee Jimmy said it was okay!"

No offence to other posts but don't assume you can give the OP warranty advice unless you work for the company in that regard.

yea, i figured so. i am contacting them. i'm getting zero response from powercolor by phone or e-mail. gigabyte replied right away, saying no. asus..... well it's asus, we know their story. sapphire's policy on their website is a pretty clear no.

my PowerColor RX 480 will be here within 12 hours. i was all set to build but now i'm not sure if i should. i was hoping that people could point me to the each of the manufacturer's pages showing specific RMA policies or where to find social media reps. that's all i really needed

 

[gupsterg]

I'd concur with the54thvoid, contact company and get in "black'n'white".

Recently saw someone link this about MSI (note states in the EU (UK inc)), again I would contact them direct and if they say no point them to that and ask again for clarification.

Then XFX says this :-

Installing third party cooling solutions does not void warranty on our products. Just be sure to keep the original cooling solution as it will have to be on the card if it is ever sent in for RMA. Products returned to XFX must be fully assembled with the original thermal solution (heatsink, fansink, etc) that was installed at the time of purchase.

XFX graphics card were designed to perform optimally with our manufacturers thermal solutions, however you may feel the need to push your performance higher than what we have designed it for, so we can only gurantee the performance and quality of the product as it was originally intended so you should keep in mind that over clocking your graphics card and the use of water cooling solutions is at your own risk and that damage to the card via improper use such as unregulated power overages will not be covered. Any physical damage such as burn marks or damaged PCB will void ALL warranties.

This modder friendly policy only applies to the United States and Canada.

 

[terroralpha]

I'd concur with the54thvoid, contact company and get in "black'n'white".

Recently saw someone link this about MSI, again I would contact them direct and if they say no point them to that and ask again for clarification.

Then XFX says this :-

HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?!? this is exactly what i was looking for. thanks a bunch. looks like i'm going hunting for an XFX RX 480.

 

[R00kie]

how long ago was this? after failing to find any specific details on their website, i e-mailed them about it. this is the response i got:

That was 3 weeks ago.

Reply from @Gigabyte-Gaming :

The warranty won't be void if you remove the stock cooler.
But you would have to reinstall it if you ever need to service the card and make sure it wasn't damaged on the process.

 

[gupsterg]

HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?!? this is exactly what i was looking for. thanks a bunch. looks like i'm going hunting for an XFX RX 480.

No worries , you did see the bit that it applies in US / Canada only? (sorry to ask but did not want to later know you weren't from that location).

 

[terroralpha]

No worries , you did see the bit that it applies in US / Canada only? (sorry to ask but did not want to later know you weren't from that location).

yea, i'm in the US, NYC to be exact. i just found reference XFX RX 480 OC w/ back plate on back order at both amazon and fry's. pre ordered at both places. we'll see which gets here first. will refuse the powercolor card that comes in tomorrow. so newegg will have an extra to resell within a few days.

 

[gupsterg]

Sweet .

 

[GLD]

Some times you just have to roll the dice and hope you come out a winner, ie: removing a warranty sticker.

 

[terroralpha]

Some times you just have to roll the dice and hope you come out a winner, ie: removing a warranty sticker.

i had 3 GPUs die on me over the years, 2 of which were ATI/AMD cards. and oddly enough, none of them were OCed or modified in any way. i don't really want to roll any dice.

 

[RejZoR]

Just buy an aftermarket cooled card (avoid reference garbage). I've done my share of card modding in the past and it's not worth it. Just buy a card that already comes with beefy cooler. They not only cool better (this especially applies to VRM segments), they also look better and are quieter. Cost wise, they aren't any more expensive than if you attach some 3rd party cooler on them.

 

[basco]

just take your girlfriends hairdryer or a heatgun on low and get rid of the stickers.
after 50+ graphiccards which i all benched i never had a prob return them-ok only 3 died on me and that was not during bench

 

[terroralpha]

Just buy an aftermarket cooled card (avoid reference garbage). I've done my share of card modding in the past and it's not worth it. Just buy a card that already comes with beefy cooler. They not only cool better (this especially applies to VRM segments), they also look better and are quieter. Cost wise, they aren't any more expensive than if you attach some 3rd party cooler on them.

i'm going to be water cooling it. so it has to be reference.

just take your girlfriends hairdryer or a heatgun on low and get rid of the stickers.
after 50+ graphiccards which i all benched i never had a prob return them-ok only 3 died on me and that was not during bench

lol. i own my own hair dryer. and i have a heat gun too. i'm thinking about doing this.

 

[R00kie]

i'm going to be water cooling it. so it has to be reference.

MSI, EVGA and Gigabyte usually have waterblocks made for them anyway, so its irrelevant.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Wait do you got a rx480, and then decide to water cool it? For as much as you spent on the card plus a block, you could have just gotten a better card.

 

[terroralpha]

Wait do you got a rx480, and then decide to water cool it? For as much as you spent on the card plus a block, you could have just gotten a better card.

custom, properly cooled RX 480s cost between $280-$300. strix being at the higher end. that's IF you can actually find any in stock. i paid $215 for the card and $110 for the water block. so for an extra $30-$40 i get half the temps and zero noise. i'll take it. but thank you kindly for your completely useless feedback. and why do you care about how i spend my money?

MSI, EVGA and Gigabyte usually have waterblocks made for them anyway, so its irrelevant.

the existence of water blocks was never in question. it's whether or not i get to keep my warranty if i use them that i inquired about. the blocks are made by 3rd parties and the existence of said blocks, or any other after market cooling solution for that matter, has no bearing on whether or not the card manufacturers will warranty their products if altered. your comment is irrelevant.

 

[basco]

just keep care some stickers are perforated - but with care there should be no prob

 

[terroralpha]

Power Color replied to my e-mail

Hi,

Please don't upgrade the cooler because it will void the warranty. Anything done to the card will void the warranty. It's company rma policy.

Regards,

Powercolor Customer Service
North American Division,
Tul, Inc.
1216 John Reed Court, City of Industry,
CA, 91745, United States

 

[de.das.dude]

wrong on every account.

sapphire RMA policy reads, "The limited warranty does not cover products that the user has disassembled." you can see it here http://www.sapphiretech.com/support.asp?lang=eng
so clearly they do not allow it.

and of course they can tell if it's disassembled! there is a sticker on the rear bracket that holds the cooler down. it reads, "warranty void if removed." every reference RX 480 has it. also, you don't need to remove the cooler to clean it. just used some compressed air or a vacuum cleaner to get the dust out. all my cases are equipped with dust filters from head to toe. there is no dust inside any of them. i just clean the filters once every few months.

well if you are so paranoid then you should just stick with the stock cooler. as for the coolers, i never had that sticker. even if it did, a bit of acetone would make short work of that.

anyway, i spoke to the people who accept RMAs directly. same for asrock. only when things are clearly burnt do they not accept anything.