Vega 64 Stopped Working Only Months after Purchase

fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 09:30
Last edited 11/08/2019 - 12:27 by 1 other user

I bought a Vega 64 off MSY in Perth around December last year. I removed the cooler and mounted Morpheus to it to keep temps in check. It worked perfectly for months until it just randomly died yesterday (I ran it undervolted and underclocked). I have tested it in multiple computers with a control card (spare RX 480 I had lying around) to validate that it was dead.

I'm in Sydney now and was wondering how I go about this. I have remounted the stock cooler and the PCB looks fine (no blown/burnt areas) and it still doesn't work.

Can I get a replacement/refund at a Sydney store or do I have to post it to Perth? Also will I run into any trouble regarding the warranty sticker on the GPU? Apparently they don't mean anything and it's illegal to enforce them but I don't know for sure.

Under the ACCC, shouldn't I be entitled to refund/replacement? It's a major fault in an unreasonably short amount of time.

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Comments

  • thatonethere on 11/08/2019 - 09:34

    Got nothing to lose by sending it in. Check the manufacturer warranty process as they might be easier than msy.

    Note that as an example Asus do an extensive check on gpu s that are returned as a warranty claim including checking for physical damage and modifications. And will happily reject a claim for that. They are not like Apple and just flick out a new one.

    • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 09:35
      -5

      I've done no modifications to it; all the stock screws/thermal pads are back in the original places and there is no physical damage.

      • HighAndDry on 11/08/2019 - 12:05
        +2

        Just because you've put them back doesn't mean you didn't make modifications to it.

        And yeah, modifications to cooling can lead to damage.

  • rompastompa on 11/08/2019 - 09:39
    +2

    WHAT WILL THIS LIMITED WARRANTY NOT COVER?
    AMD WILL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IF ITS TESTING AND EXAMINATION DISCLOSE IN AMD'S REASONABLE OPINION THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT, NON-CONFORMANCE, MALFUNCTION IN OR DAMAGE TO THE PRODUCT DOES NOT EXIST OR WAS CAUSED BY MISUSE, NEGLECT, IMPROPER USE, INSTALLATION OR TESTING, UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPTS TO OPEN, ALTER, REPAIR OR MODIFY THE PRODUCT OR SOFTWARE, UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPTS TO REMOVE, ALTER OR OBLITERATE ORIGINAL IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS, OPERATION OUTSIDE OF THE SPECIFICATIONS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WHERE CLOCK FREQUENCIES OR VOLTAGES HAVE BEEN ALTERED), COMBINATIONS WITH INCOMPATIBLE THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS, THIRD PARTY VIRUS, INFECTION, WORM OR SIMILAR MALICIOUS CODE OR ANY OTHER CAUSE BEYOND THE RANGE OF THE INTENDED USE OF THE PRODUCT, OR BY ACCIDENT, FIRE, LIGHTNING, FLOOD, OTHER HAZARDS, OR ACTS OF GOD. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY WILL NOT APPLY TO PRODUCTS USED FOR NUCLEAR RELATED, WEAPONS RELATED, MEDICAL OR LIFE SAVING PURPOSES, OR ANY OTHER SITUATION WHERE THE FAILURE OF SUCH PRODUCTS MIGHT BE REASONABLY EXPECTED TO CAUSE INJURY TO PERSON OR PROPERTY. - Source

    Saying that, contact MSY.

    They'd likely accept the warranty process from any store, but you might be waiting a few weeks until it's sent to wholesaler -> manufacturer to be reviewed. Unless there is physical damage, there would be a relative high chance that it'll be accepted.

    • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 09:44

      Yeah I guess I'll have to contact them and see what they say. Do you think they will care about the warranty sticker?

      • rompastompa on 11/08/2019 - 09:51

        I wouldn't have said so. I did find this while looking for a solution for you:

        “This Limited Warranty shall be null and void if the AMD microprocessor which is the subject of this Limited Warranty is used with any heatsink/fan (HSF) that does not support operation of the AMD processor in conformance with AMD’s publicly available specifications. Use of HSF solutions determined by AMD as incapable of such performance or which are determined to have contributed to the failure of the processor shall invalidate the warranty.” Source

        So, warranty will like be accepted providing your heatsink was installed properly and did not do physical or thermal damage.

        I'd suggest you read the terms and conditions/warranty documentation and find the reference above to support your RMA claim.

        • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 09:54
          +1

          Thank you rompastoma. I will have a proper read of it.

      • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 11/08/2019 - 13:41

        Unless the card has been physically damaged? Probably not.

  • altomic on 11/08/2019 - 09:41

    ask them

    • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 09:41
      -5

      Bought it last year, not 5 years ago.

  • p1 ama on 11/08/2019 - 10:24
    +2

    I removed the cooler and mounted Morpheus to it to keep temps in check.

    That's probably your issue - these aftermarket coolers that are designed to fit a whole host of cards don't do a very good job of cooling the VRM and memory chips and given how power hungry the Vega architecture is, it's likely that you've blown part of your power delivery circuit.

    Can I get a replacement/refund at a Sydney store or do I have to post it to Perth?

    I'd just go to MSY in Sydney. If you have to post it to Perth then so be it. Another option would be to skip MSY altogether and go straight to the manufacturer. Many manufacturers offer better warranty service than the retailers.

    Apparently they don't mean anything and it's illegal to enforce them but I don't know for sure.

    Saying that it's "illegal to enforce" is not quite true. The reason why these stickers are there is to prevent user modification that can void the warranty. As with anything warranty related, it's best to not say anything.

    • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 11:47

      Yep, I'm fully aware of the VRM cooling issue; I put pads and heatsinks on the required mosfets/inductors. The card did work fine for months and the temperatures were very good.

      I will contact the manufacturer and see what they say.

      Are you saying that I should just tell them I never opened the card?

      • p1 ama on 12/08/2019 - 20:15

        Are you saying that I should just tell them I never opened the card?

        No, I'm just saying it's best not to say anything. Just return it as it came out of the box and say that it stopped working.

  • AdosHouse on 11/08/2019 - 11:28
    +1

    Why did you install an aftermarket cool, and then undervolt and underclock the card? Makes no sense. Just leave it as is.

    Anyway, you have modified the card away from factory specs, in a way that CAN cause the card to die. Now you can send it in for a warranty, but if the manufacturer finds that your modification has caused any sort of damage, they can deny your warranty claim.

    Had a look at some install videos of the Morpheus cooler on Youtube, and I really don't like it. Only has contact on the main chip, and requires small heatsinks for the chokes and inductors. Whereas something like the EK water cooling plates, cools all of them.

    • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 11:48

      It's an incredibly loud card at stock. I actually had a look at EK's manual for the Vega 64 block as well to ensure I was cooling the right things.

      • AdosHouse on 11/08/2019 - 11:49

        Did you get a Reference Card?

        • fishychair on 11/08/2019 - 12:58

          Yes it's a reference card

          • AdosHouse on 11/08/2019 - 13:01

            @fishychair: Well than yes I could understand the loud part, AMD and their stupid reference card blower fans are annoying. A good reason as to why I went with a 2080 and not a 5700XT.

            Look, you can try and return it, but don't be surprised if the warranty claim is denied. But I guess it is worth a shot.

    • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 11/08/2019 - 13:38
      +1

      Vega cards benefited a lot from a UV specifically (lower temps, higher performance), but TMK that couldn't harm the card.

      Cooler swap makes perfect sense if it was reference.

  • HighAndDry on 11/08/2019 - 12:04

    I removed the cooler and

    Voided all manufacturer warranties and consumer guarantees.

    • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 11/08/2019 - 13:34
      +1

      I'm dead certain those stickers aren't valid in Aus. The only valid case for removal of warranty with removing the cooler would be if the card was damaged by the cooler swap.

      • HighAndDry on 11/08/2019 - 21:18

        It's not the sticker, it's the fact OP messed with the cooling parts of a piece of relatively fragile tech that easily overheats…

  • Cave Fire on 11/08/2019 - 12:26

    The VRM issue was with the first couple batches of cards. They fixed it, but some versions have bad temp management unrelated to that issue. I bought the Strix vega 64 and the fans are always late to come on. At the headquarters of these companies in Taiwan, they can fix your card while you wait basically. Sure there must be someone in Sydney with that knowledge but finding them is an issue.

  • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 11/08/2019 - 13:33

    Assuming your mount hasn't damaged the card you should be fine - tmk those "warranty void if removed" stickers are BS here (Sony got in trouble for them iirc).

    Make sure the stock cooler's on and try an RMA.

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