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I'm a long time lurker on these forums and looking for a little advice.
back in June last year I purchased a graphics card from Scan, the graphics card has worked fine since purchase when running on my system at the time. However in December I purchased a new monitor capable of running at a higher resolution, as soon as I started using this monitor my computer started crashing when playing games at the higher resolution.
So I opened a support call with the card manufacturer, went through some fault finding with them, the result of which is that they told me that the card is potentially faulty and that I should return it to Scan.
I raised an RMA with Scan and returned the card (at my own cost), Scan received the card and tested it and confirmed that the card was faulty. The then returned it to the manufacturer. The manufacturer received the card, reported 'No Fault Found', returned it back to Scan, who returned it back to me.
I received the card back yesterday (3 1/2 weeks have passed since I sent it off), put it back in my computer and as soon as I try to play any games at the higher resolution my computer instantly crashes. If I drop back down to a lower resolution my computer is rock solid.
I have contacted Scan, they tell me that all I can do is go through the whole process again i.e. return it to them (at my own cost), they will return it to the manufacturer etc. etc.
Can anyone advise where I stand on this? Due to the period of time from me buying the card to identifying the fault am I being reasonable in expecting them to fix it? Potentially the card was faulty from day 1, but I only identified the fault once I had a monitor capable of running at higher resolutions.
When I bought the card it was quite expensive (approx £200), but due to advancing technologies etc. it can now be bought for less than £100, is it worth me even arguing the point? Should I just give up and buy a new card?
I deliberately de-tech'd the description because I am more interested in my rights as a consumer.
I am confident there is a fault with the card and that I have exhausted technical resolutions to the problem. I don't really want this to turn into a techie thread.
However for all the techie readers, there's some more detail below.
The card is an XFX 9600GT 512MB Alpha Dog edition, this is a so-called "factory overclocked" card, the factory set speeds are 740MHz/1000MHz/1850MHz for the GPU/RAM/Shader respctively (as opposed to the nVidia reference speeds of 650MHz/900MHz/1625MHz) - (see more detail here).
My system spec is:
CPU: AMD X2 6400+
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS2 DHX (CAS 4-4-4-12)
Motherboard: Was originally an ASUS M2N-E, but has recently been changed to a Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4 (I changed the motherboard as at one time I suspected this to be the cause) - latest BIOS version on both boards.
PSU: Was original a Jeantech Artic 650W, but has recently been changed to a NorthQ Black Magic 850W Flex (again changed as at one time I suspected this to be the cause).
Hard Disks 4 x 146GB 15Krpm SAS running through a LSISAS3442E-R SAS HBA
I am currently running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 edition and Nvidia 181.22 reference drivers but have tried multiple previous versions (including the latest beta drivers).
I have performed multiple re-installations of the OS (I have literally lost count) during the fault finding, each time completely wiping my system and re-installing. This includes trying 32 bit Vista and XP.
I have also tried my card in a friends PC with the same results (also remember Scan replicated the problem on their test system).
Some other points to note:
The fault only occurs when I am running 1600x1200 res
The fault only occurs in full screen 3D gaming (i.e. perfectly stable in normal Windows use)
I am using World of Warcraft and Fallout 3 as my reference games and can reliably re-produce the fault in both games
Dropping the resolution to something like 1450x950 or 1280x1024 results in the card running perfectly stable
Manually under-clocking the card both to the nVidia reference speeds (650MHz/900MHz/1625MHz) also results in the card running perfectly stable
I am fairly confident there is a fault with the card and that I have exhausted technical resolutions to the problem.
I have since found that the XFX/Scan combination has a pretty bad history when it comes to warranty repairs / replacements (although I have no problems with Scan as a retailer):
Hi i4000. Everything there but the colour of you underpants, (I don't wish to know ).
I know the card well and certainly the other components exceed it, so no not a fault with any of that. I am like you, any fault, try a clean reinstall first.
During the first six months after purchase, the obligation is on the seller to prove that it is not faulty, after the six months, it is up to you to prove that it is faulty.
You can do this by getting a local pc shop to install it and running your game and then give you a report to send with the card. You will be entitled to any fee the pc shop may charge refunded.
Once armed with the report, you can demand they repair or replace it.
Your claim is with the seller, Scan, and not the manufacturer, so that is where you will send the card and report, as you did before.
Scan seem to be ok about it according to your original posting, but did they send the test report they obtained from the manufacturer to you when they returned the card? Just wondering if the card was return to Nvidia for testing.
Thanks for the info Connif, I'll give Scan another ring in the morning, but at the moment they are asking me to go through the process again i.e. send the card back, potentially for another 3 1/2 weeks, after which time XFX may or may not repair the card.
I will also ask them about whether the test report, or even a description of the fault at all, was forwarded onto XFX.
call nvidia, explain the situation. they might help you out and get it replaced. not the ideal situation, but worth a go, especially considering the controversy over the last year with faulty nvidia cards.
Faulty computer hardware
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