Can I RMA? Will DFI cover this? [Archive]

Judaeus Apella

06-12-2008, 04:44 PM

I don't really remember much about the warrenty of this mobo... and I was hoping you guys could help me. :(

Take a look at the damage first:

http://i26.tinypic.com/ff7rwk.jpg

Model: Lan Party NF3 Ultra-D
PIN: NF3UD1-100
Rev. A00

All I know is I was gaming, the PC froze, and the screen went all pink. If I tried to restart, the screen has all kinds of graphic errors all over it and windows wouldn't fully boot up.

A buddy of mine thinks thats the power regulator for the graphics card in that picture... or rather whats left of it. So the graphics card is probably fried, judging from that and the graphics errors. I just have to get it tested to find out for sure.

So if my graphics card is fried, most likely because of the mobo malfunctioning, will DFI cover any losses from this? (The mobo and the graphics card, or at the very least the mobo?)

I don't really understand how these warranties work.... and I haven't been able to find it so far, but I'll keep looking. :(

This sucks....

SoulsCollective

06-12-2008, 04:53 PM

I had an nF4 SLI go on me last year. Took my Opty 170 with it, DFI wouldn't replace either mobo or CPU as the mobo was out of warranty. As your NF3 board is even older I doubt you'd get warranty on it.

zanzabar

06-12-2008, 05:20 PM

they might fix it, or replace it for cheaper than replacing but u should probly upgrade its telling u

BlueAqua

06-12-2008, 05:20 PM

Looks like a good excuse to upgrade. I really doubt it's under warranty but it's pretty old now and not even worth that much. I'm sure you could buy a similar motherboard for cheap and save the hassle of trying to return it. Send DFI an email and see what they say, they've been pretty responsive to me.

Praz

06-12-2008, 05:37 PM

As has already been posted, most likely the motherboard is out of warranty. And very few manufacturers of any type product cover incidental damages of other items.

Judaeus Apella

06-12-2008, 05:51 PM

I thought the mobo caused it.... Is there any way to be certain?

philbrown23

06-12-2008, 06:08 PM

they will not replace the card, had a dfi board go and take a gpu with it and they said sorry but no. and doubtfull that they will do anything for your board as the warranty is out.

Judaeus Apella

06-12-2008, 10:49 PM

Well that sucks... guess who's never buying DFI, EVER AGAIN... http://e.vampirefreaks.com/emotes/stare.gif

zanzabar

06-12-2008, 10:56 PM

Well that sucks... guess who's never buying DFI, EVER AGAIN... http://e.vampirefreaks.com/emotes/stare.gif

your product outlived its life expectancy dont complain, no1 uses resistors rated over 3 years and dfi uses the best that they can get from what ive seen

Judaeus Apella

06-12-2008, 11:27 PM

SoulsCollective

06-13-2008, 12:59 AM

s939 is obsolete. You'll be very hard-pressed to find boards for sale these days. Just do yourself a favour and upgrade to a newer platform - components are really quite incredibly cheap these days.

Gigabyte GA-MA770-S3 AM2+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128327) - $80
X2 5200+ Brisbane 65W 2.7GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210) - $77
2*1GB A-Data PC-6400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211288) - $42 or 2*2GB Patriot PC-6400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220280) - $78

Either 4GB for $235 or 2GB for just under $200. The above assumes you want to go with AMD, a similar-specced Intel rig would cost you about the same. The mobo being sAM2+ will allow you a quick upgrade when you get the cash next year to a Phenom quadcore, so you still have an upgrade path open.

naokaji

06-13-2008, 01:25 AM

Well still I've got every right to be upset. I just lost about $400 in hardware... and I have worked on and owned systems that have and/or had motherboards that lasted for years and years, so thats why I'm so surprised this happened. I thought a nice DFI would last as long as those. :(

What's a good brand of mobo, known for lasting a long time?

Edit:
CRAP! I decided to do a quick look around some online stores before going to bed, and almost no one has any 939 boards! Anyone know a site with a decent selection of 939 mobos??

I don't think 939 is obsolete... it works really well for everything I use it for including gaming, web browsing, movies, music, multitasking, photo editing, and data crunching... so I don't get that at all...

Ugh... this is not going well. I don't have the money for an entirely new system. I can only afford a new mobo, and maybe a used video card or something until I have the money for a new system in a year or so. :(

just fyi, no mainboard manufacturer will replace your graphicscard if it dies from the mainboard blowing up.
thats something you only get with prebuilt pc's where the system as a whole is under a sinlge warranty and not with self builds.

your best bet for a s939 board is fleabay... they arent produced in big quantities anymore, so supply is limited which leads to inflated prices for new ones.

however, maybe you could also think about replacing the entire system, something along the line of a E7200, Abit ip35 pro, 2GB ddr2, geforce 9600GT or if you want to stick with amd a athlon x2 6000+, 2 GB ddr2, a 780 board and a radeon 3850, both cheapish options for far more performance, just my :2cents:

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 01:30 PM

I think my memory is fine, its DDR.... I THINK, I don't really remember lol

It's actually pretty good stuff:
Mushkin Redline 1GB (2x512) XP4000

Do the newer boards all use DDR2? I really hope I can keep this memory, cause I like it. :(

Also, what's the cheapest graphics card that can handle something like Half Life 2 on the highest settings these days?

Eldonko

06-13-2008, 01:33 PM

ASUS RMAed a blown transistor board for me, but DFI would never do it in a million years.

zanzabar

06-13-2008, 01:42 PM

for the cheapest card its ether the 3850 or 9600gt, but the 8800gt is priced at 140 now affter a $20 or 30 rebate so thats the best card for the price now

just this time stay away from NV chipsets unless u want to go to ddr3

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 05:20 PM

Why stay away from the nv chipsets?

SoulsCollective

06-13-2008, 06:06 PM

Because short of the 790i, all other nVidia boards give slower 2D benching results and generally worse OC potenial at higher temps than equivalent Intel/AMD chipsets.

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 06:13 PM

I don't suppose you can recommend some specs for a amd board with more than 2 pci slots (I'm talking about the pci slots for sound cards, cable modems, etc) My current mobo has 4... or so. Im using two at the moment, but I want some room for upgrades.

I used to know what all these specs meant, but I'm really rusty. I don't remember what FSB is or any of it. ugh... dammit

STEvil

06-13-2008, 06:58 PM

Nanometer

06-13-2008, 07:22 PM

I dont see why that would kill your GPU

Test it in another system.

You can probably solder a new SMR in place of the fried one (or two of double stock value each in parallel) and everything will work fine as well.

I second that. Stuff doesn't usually just go POOF. But if it does, solder a same value resistor in parallel. Nothing to lose.

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 07:43 PM

The only soldiering experience I have is with fixing extention cords. :( I'd probably ruin it. And by the time I buy all the new gear to do it and learn how to do it... I might as well have just bought a new system.

And he thought it was fried because of all the distortions all over the screen when I restart, and the fact that the regulator for the GPU pretty much exploded.

STEvil

06-13-2008, 08:16 PM

The picture you have shown us is not the regulator for the GPU.

It may have to do with controlling the clock cyrstal (the long grey thing near it) which may be causing a bad signal to be sent to your GPU but unless you take your graphics card out and test it in another system you cant just say its dead.

Polizei

06-13-2008, 08:21 PM

The picture is of a blown resistor, not a regulator.

Video is probably funky because it's not getting proper power to it... either wrong voltage or it has ripple/noise in it.

zanzabar

06-13-2008, 09:28 PM

i would get this its the best the price its $135, but if ur salty about dfi then i would look to msi

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136044
DFI LANPARTY DK 790FX-M2RS AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

if u know what resistor u need and get a replacement u can go a jewelery store and ask and they will ushualy resalder stuff for u

and i said stay way from NV becouse 1) they are inferior to amd and intel in reliability and performance, 2) they have terrible reference designs with pwms and restores ext, and 3) they cost way to much just so u can use sli but sli isnt viable for most people (xfire is the same but u can use those slots for anything with xfire but most NV chipsets are grafix in slot 1 sli in slot 2 or no go)

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 09:44 PM

*tries to sound like I know what Im talking about*

Really? Its just a blown resistor? Thats great news! How do I know which one I need and where do I get it?

STEvil

06-13-2008, 09:52 PM

Find someone else with the same board and get a photo of it then look up the markings on top

edit - probably a good place to start is right here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=126970

Judaeus Apella

06-13-2008, 10:28 PM

Isn't that a completely differen't board?

STEvil

06-13-2008, 11:26 PM

Not everyone there uses the same board in that thread and i'd bet most of them own multiple boards.

Bubbaxm2

06-14-2008, 12:22 AM

Post up your rig specs. Maybe someone on here has what you need or can offer even better for less than buying a whole new setup.

STEvil

06-14-2008, 09:39 AM

post #1 has the board.

Judaeus Apella

06-14-2008, 12:47 PM

That's a NF4 PCI-Express board, mine is an NF3 AGP board... don't they have different circuitry?

Judaeus Apella

06-15-2008, 11:36 PM

Hello? :(

Bulldog14

06-16-2008, 12:18 AM

The board is most likely out of warranty as everyone has said. You can check with my American counterparts at our branch office in San Jose, California to be sure.

With regards to the actual blown component I have checked my reference board and the component is actually a fuse and not a resistor. I do not advise attempting to repair it yourself, as you are putting other components at risk. That fuse did exactly what it was supposed to do and blew out when it got to much juice thru it. Basically there was a reason why the fuse blew and to replace it without addressing the root cause of the issue will likely just cause it to burn out again. The next time you might not be so lucky and it could take other components with it. Personally I suspect long term fluctuations from your PSU have caused "electronic wear & tear" to the point of component failure. It's your choice of course to try and attempt a repair, but my advice is to simply dispose of the board and move on.

-DFI Support Europe

Judaeus Apella

06-16-2008, 12:46 PM

You've gotta be kidding... that was a really nice PSU I bought!!! @#$(@#$ It seems like my entire computer is falling apart! What the hell!

Couldn't it be the power strip its plugged into or the electrical system in the house?

Bulldog14

06-16-2008, 11:43 PM

And what would the specs of that PSU be? Indicate brand and model number.

-DFI Support Europe.

Grafton

06-17-2008, 05:36 AM

exactly how old is everything in your rig?
psu ram cpu etc...

Judaeus Apella

06-17-2008, 03:38 PM

Tulatin

06-17-2008, 05:15 PM

http://i26.tinypic.com/1ywl5l.jpg

From what I remember, this PSU had a lot of good reviews from a bunch of trustworthy sites... so I can't beleive that it would be the PSU! I decided to pay the extra money to have a good dependable PSU to avoid problems like this! So if it is the PSU, I'll be really dissapointed. :(

And I think everything is about 4 years old....

Sorry to dispel your illusions, but that's really not that good of a PSU...

As to that part - with it being a fuse, you COULD scrape it off, and simply solder across the gap, problem is, that whatever caused that surge in the first place is bound to cause it again, and when it does, whatever is on the other side will get to eat current.

Here's the thing. Your setup is 3 years old. It uses an obstolete graphics slot, processor, and memory. If you can repair the board and keep going, great. Otherwise you might end up being :banana::banana::banana::banana: out of luck. Just be thankful that a newer rig is pretty cheap to assemble these days...

Judaeus Apella

06-17-2008, 06:34 PM

*bangs head against a wall*

Okay then... whats a good dependable, solid PSU. By that I don't mean fancy and expensive, just good quality and something that will last.

Bulldog14

06-19-2008, 01:51 AM

Yep I would have to say that PSU isn't the best to use on our boards. Take a look at the 3 +12V rails. The ratings are all over the place and in the case of the +12V3 rail, one wonders if it can even be classified as a rail at all. Weak ratings like 10A peak and 6A cont almost seem like they tacked on the rail as an afterthought. Potential for load balance issues galore. In the case of the
+5vsb it is rated at 2.5A peak, and 2.0 cont. DFI boards as we all know are designed for performance, and as such will draw much more power at startup than boards from our competitors. Depending on peripherals you can see surges up to 3.0A+. This is the leading cause of what many people refer to as "Cold Boot Problems". Add all these things up and I see several factors that have likely contributed to a steady degradement of voltage regulating components on the board, that in turn finally resulted in the burn out you have noticed.

Thru the years I have also learned not to blindly trust the ratings that PSU manufacturers paste on the sides of their products. Just because it states that the +5vsb can support 2.5A peak doesn't necessarily mean it will with any reliable consistency. Just to name one issue that plagues the PSU industry is the one where the engineeering sample made in Taiwan is constructed from grade A components, but in order to cut costs in the factory in China, grade B components are used. The values are the same, but the quality is different. I do agree that it is next to impossible for the average consumer to be aware of these things, but they are issues none the less.

DFI Support Europe

Judaeus Apella

06-19-2008, 08:05 AM

I posted that PSU in the forum before I bought it, and no one mentioned any of that until now. :(

So can anyone recommend a good PSU thats actually dependable with good specs?

Kobalt

06-19-2008, 08:25 AM

I posted that PSU in the forum before I bought it, and no one mentioned any of that until now. :(

So can anyone recommend a good PSU thats actually dependable with good specs?

This should help you. (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088)

Judaeus Apella

06-19-2008, 09:36 AM

Wow, I guess I really ****ed up on that one. But why didn't anyone say anything before I bought it? :(

Kobalt

06-19-2008, 09:44 AM

Wow, I guess I really ****ed up on that one. But why didn't anyone say anything before I bought it? :(

Don't worry about it... we all make bad purchases sometimes.

Anyways, if you're on a budget you should look into this power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371001&Tpk=N82E16817371001). Be sure to check out some reviews first because I don't know much about it... just recommending it based on price and the Antec brand, which is usually good.

Judaeus Apella

06-19-2008, 11:30 AM

I'm pretty much broke and trying very hard to get a job... but I would have a little cash to spend if somoene would help me in this thread: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=191638

I'm also thinking about selling some stuff on ebay or something... ugh... this sucks. Its so freakin hard to find a job right now.

Eldonko

06-19-2008, 11:36 AM

I would just bridge the spot where the fuse was for now (until u get sum cash), better than just tossing the board.

Judaeus Apella

06-19-2008, 11:51 AM

what about replacing it with a different fuse? Is there a way to do that? Wouldn't I just need to know the voltage?

naokaji

06-19-2008, 01:43 PM

Wow, I guess I really ****ed up on that one. But why didn't anyone say anything before I bought it? :(

well, to be honest back then the psu was far better than its now, the 3,3v and 5v rails where very important back then, not like now where most of the action happens on the 12v rails.

The 620W corsair or the seasonic m12 700W or a pcp&c 750 silencer would all be very good... but they all share the same downside, they are not exactly what one would consider cheap.

Judaeus Apella

06-20-2008, 12:27 PM

So..... anyway, can't I just somehow add some clips or a plug for the kind of fuse that can be replaced?

[XC] Hicks121

06-20-2008, 12:36 PM

You just need to jumper the spot, your not going to be able to repair it, but you will be able to get it to work possible like others have recommended here.

Soldering iron & a bit of solder to jumper the spot, thats it. If the board dont boot after that, its borked.

Good luck.

p0tter

06-20-2008, 12:39 PM

If the board is 939 and AGP, just swap in another board.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MSI-K8N-Neo2-Platinum-SOCKET-939-nF3-Ultra-Motherboard_W0QQitemZ250259514280QQihZ015QQcategor yZ99245QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Eldonko

06-20-2008, 12:52 PM

Hicks121;3078092']You just need to jumper the spot, your not going to be able to repair it, but you will be able to get it to work possible like others have recommended here.

Soldering iron & a bit of solder to jumper the spot, thats it. If the board dont boot after that, its borked.

Good luck./Agree, that's what I would do as well, worth a try. Better than just tossing it into the parts pile.

Judaeus Apella

06-20-2008, 08:32 PM

$65 for that outdated thing? Thats insane... but it would be better than buying a whole system... ugh... decisions decisions...

And whats the difference between just completely the circuit and adding a different type of fuse that covers the same wattage? I'd think that if it worked, it would be worth the trouble.

Judaeus Apella

06-21-2008, 03:30 PM

Thanks :D If it is a fuse, can't I juse replace it with one of these fuses?

http://i31.tinypic.com/21bndhi.jpg

There's different types of clips that I could use. including individual clips attached to a pcb board, self contained clips built into a small plastic mold that could be attached to something, and Crimp in-line Fuse holders like this one here:

http://www.newmodellersshop.co.uk/images/Fuse-Holder-and-wire-open.jpg

Judaeus Apella

07-01-2008, 03:03 PM

...hello?

STEvil

07-01-2008, 03:39 PM

That's a NF4 PCI-Express board, mine is an NF3 AGP board... don't they have different circuitry?

Your first post has the board which you own is what I meant.

As I have said, please go to the thread I mentioned and ask one the persons there if they own the same board (many of the people in that thread own multiple boards) and can measure what that components value is.

One of them may even have a dead board identical to yours or with a component the same which they can desolder and mail to you.