Third time lucky or: How I RMA'd my PC twice and ended up with nothing

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

tl;dr
So I'm giving it another go.
After two failed builds and 2 years of RMA'ing and stress, I'm trying to salvage something usable from the wreckage. You can skip to the other tl;dr mark if you like now, it's down below near the part list.
I've put this in because I write a lot and don't get too many answers and I think it's because I write far too much and people get bored. I like writing.****

A bit of backstory, in short (as possible), I had my first custom build fail in almost every way on me two years ago. It started with the GPU and then the motherboard and hard drives went later.
In ended up going through 5 GPU's from EVGA, I spoke personally to their European Sales Manager on a private incoming call, it got that bad.
In the end I went from a failed 580 to a 770 SC thanks to EVGA support. Which wouldn't be a bad deal at all if it wasn't for the nervous breakdown it caused.

I ended up RMA'ing and then selling the entirety of the computer or handing down the parts that still worked. And then from that money I built a new rig, started afresh, even called it Black Phoenix (the case was black).
Unfortunately, the motherboard on this build (an ASUS Maximus VII Hero no less!) was "faulty". The front USB 3.0 connector on the motherboard came away when I unplugged the lead. Also, I was constantly plagued with USB issues. Now these may not have been due to the motherboard, but every reboot all my USB devices would be recognised as new devices and reinstall themselves. This wreaked havoc with my mouse, which either had issues itself or this USB problem caused the sensor to act as if it were broken which made online FPS games like CSGO unplayable. It was the Razer Deathadder and that has been RMA'd now anyway. Considering selling the new one when I get that and downgrading. Razer support is great but reliability is awful.

I've spent 3 years of my life RMA'ing goods. I could and should just review companies support and RMA processes I'm that proficient in them. Alas, the stress is not worth it. I barely play games any longer due to all of this. I've kinda given up.

However, I still enjoy building rigs, I want to play games more and I'll always need a PC anyway. For other stuff... you know?

****
tl;dr
So here's my predicament, I've had to RMA my motherboard and am now left without. I've decided to try and get a refund for as many parts as I can from my most recent build and "downgrade" (READ: be smarter with my money).
I have an i5 2500k from my original build and an i5 4690k from my most recent build. I was considering, if I can get a refund for the 4690k, going back to the 2500k. A lot of comparisons/reviews/threads have said that it's not a worthwhile upgrade if you overclock (I know I should have read this at the time).
That leaves me with the 2500k overclocked and the need for a Z77 board. The issue there is, they aren't any cheaper than Z97 and are really rare here in the UK. However I've narrowed one down that I can get from the US on Newegg. And I've got an alternative replacement Z97.

I also got a refund on my Corsair H100i, which IMO was not worth the money. The rad had bubbles so it made weird clicking noises and the fans whined/whirred noticeably. Instead I'll go back to my old trusty Hyper 212 EVO or, even more likely, upgrade to a Noctua NH-D14.

So here's my part list for the two builds. Some of which I already have (RAM, PSU, Hyper 212 EVO and 2500K) or can sell other parts/get refunds from to bankroll (Ignore the total cost's, as there are two CPU coolers in each build).

What do you all think? Which route should I go?

Build 1 - 2500K Version
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.90 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£114.05 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case (£36.95 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £638.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-12 15:49 GMT+0000

Build 2 - 4690K Version
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£168.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.90 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£109.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£114.05 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case (£36.95 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £916.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-12 15:50 GMT+0000

Let me know if I missed anything. And thank you to anyone that reads and/or responds <3

chilly2468 · Nov 12, 2015

If you have then money then I see no reason not to get the second build. If you get the first build and the motherboard is faulty are you 100% sure you will be able to get a new z77 mobo?

martinch · Nov 12, 2015

Hmm ... that experience is highly unfortunate - I can imagine your frustration.

Left-field suggestion - have you thought about buying a pre-built system from someone like Chillblast? They're UK-based, get great reviews for customer service, offer customisation, and up to 6 year warranties - if something goes wrong, fixing it becomes their problem, which, given your recent experience, may be a more enticing option? You can get a similar spec to your second option for a similar price, e.g. http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Krypton-Skylake-Gaming-PC.html

chilly2468 · Nov 12, 2015

martinch :

With your horribly bad luck I suggest taking this root as well.

andy_Man · Nov 12, 2015

With all your problems I would go pre-built. I hardly ever recommend pre-built. Maybe it's something you do during installation that is leading to parts going bad. Do you use anti-static work area and work strap? Is everything connected properly? Maybe your house has sketchy power? Do you use a surge protector? Etc... It could be a lot of things.
It could be a string of bad luck, but most of us go quite a few builds without having to RMA anything. Personally iv done at least 10 without an RMA.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

chilly2468 :

That's very true. Hmm. Damn you xD That's a really clever thing to think of. I don't really have the money. The refunds and a tax rebate recently are affording it, but I am very far from being able to afford much of anything let alone this otherwise. Hence, saving money is a concern for me.
Thank you for making me think about the Z77 issue. I never would have myself!

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

martinch :

I haven't thought about prebuilt since my first PC. It cost £1200 and could've either easily cost £1000 or bean beaten by a budget/clever build. On top of that the customer service (overclockers.co.uk) was the worst I ever experienced (besides OnePlus but that's a different story and device entirely).
I just think they going the prebuilt route is like taking your car to Halfords. They'll charge you through the roof for labour and will make things wrong with your car so they can fix them... for a charge.

It's an option but not one I'm willing to go for unfortunately.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

chilly2468 :

This is only my PC we're talking about. Don't get me started on my phone, my debt issues due to being overpaid by jobs and them asking for it back... after I've quit (seriously, 3 jobs now) and my health problems.
When I said I feel like giving up, I wasn't kidding

chilly2468 · Nov 12, 2015

jamiewhite :

Not to play doctor or debt counselor but maybe you should hold off on a new rig until all of your debt is payed off and your luck has turned around. I really do hope things get better for you.

If you still plan on building a rig then perhaps a lower end console killer would suit you better for the time being.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

andy_Man :

Trust me, I don't think even that would solve my problems. I have the worst luck. I do honestly think I'm cursed. I pissed off a very angry, crazy person before all this began (because I said I couldn't deal with their version of angry/crazy and they didn't like that) and I do seriously think sometimes they might have hexed me. I'm the least superstitious person, but it's too coincidental. Some wiccan magic or something xD

I do have an anti-static wrist strap and work on the cardboard casing on my wood desk and try to ground myself every now and again just in case.
I'm pretty cautious and meticulous and have been taking PC's apart and putting them together for 10 years. It's been a learning curve, I'm no expert and as prone to mistakes but I've built four PC's now and only two (my two) have broken :/
My house is just a standard UK one. Not sure where you are but the power is pretty standard across the board here. I remember when I went to New York, amenities like the electricity felt like a third world. I don't have surge protection though, or anymore than the extension lead I use offers anyway.
It's undoubtedly partly my fault. Some of the GPU's I pushed too much and didn't monitor temps at that time (I do now, obsessive compulsively >_<). A large part seems to be this string of bad luck though. Two PC's have been faulty, my smartphone is and I'm ina legal dispute with the manufacturer, I've lost friends, I've been in a terrible relationship, I'm in debt due to previous employment overpayment, I was assaulted by a bailiff. And all I got was this nervous breakdown.
This is why this is important. I want a PC that's minimal, fairly budget orientated so that I can not feel guilty and regret it if anything breaks, go with Amazon in case anything does break (they are superb) so that I can just play games and find the fun in life again.

This is coming out much more serious and heartfelt than I meant. I only intended to answer your questions >_<

Thank you for all responses.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

chilly2468 :

I don't mind at all. I need all the help I can get ^_^ I'm currently in a dispute with my previous employers regarding the debt in question, I'm liaising with the Citizens Advice Bureau who've basically filed injunctions and things for me. It's a long story but the way the company overpaid me was very underhand and the way they have chased me has been very heavyhanded. I put it off for the longest time, I don't deal well with things anymore, but now I'm trying to get my life on track and I'm dealing with it. They won't be getting any money till they admit wrongdoing.

It's good advice though. I don't spend money anymore, I buy food and drink and bought this PC with pay from my last job. Other than that I don't buy things anymore. I lost interest in things having so little for so long. But a PC is essential. I need the distraction and I need a work station. Or I will legitimately go stir crazy.

A console killer is an excellent suggestion. Unfortunately, custom or self-build, small form factor PC's are majorly expensive right now. Price-to-performance they don't work out that well. Did you have any in particular in mind?

Sorry if this is all TMI '-_-
Thank you for you help!

chilly2468 · Nov 12, 2015

How about this: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/PmyKwP

Not that refined as I have to go in 30min but not a half bad build for taking 5min.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

chilly2468 :

That's a pretty nice build! My nephew want's a PC and I might have to take some ideas from this build ;D
The problem is, I currently have and probably will be keeping my Hyper X Fury 16GB ram, EVGA Supernova G2 750w, Hyper 212 EVO and I have cases lying around that I can use in the meantime also. So I already have a lot of components and given that I have two CPU's lying round, with only one that I can possibly return, I was looking to use one of them and sell/return the other. I just don't know which to go with.

I think a cheap, console killer build should've been what I did in the beginning. And I would love to do a Mini ITX build. But I've got to make do with the situation I've got. Every part I get a refund on, I'm trying to replace with a smarter, budget-minded/better P-to-P part. Hence the half price (in comparison) mobo, case, cooler, graphics card.

This is what I have/had and am trying to return parts of:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.98 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB ACX Video Card
Case: Corsair 330R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 OEM (64-bit)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka G-Unit Wired Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse (£60.41 @ Amazon UK)
Headphones: Plantronics GameCom 780 7.1 Channel Headset
Total: £515.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-12 17:42 GMT+0000

Thank you for taking this time! Don't let me keep you though

chilly2468 · Nov 12, 2015

Do you think you have the components to Frankenstein a build? If your content with internet browsing for a while you could use the integrated graphics.

jamiewhite · Nov 12, 2015

chilly2468 :

All I need right now to make a functioning build is a motherboard. Hence, why I'm so torn between choosing the platform 2500K and Z77 or 4690K and Z97. I've been researching for three days straight and managed to narrow the mobo selection down. But I'm no closer to deciding which platform/generation to go for.
Once I have though, I can totally put together all the random stuff I've got and sell bit's and replace them bit by bit. If that's what you mean by Frankensteining it.
I would be fine with web browsing and watching tv/films for a while. I had to pretty much all year when I've had problems and had no GPU because it was being RMA'd. As long as it was on the road to getting a good GPU down the line.

martinch · Nov 12, 2015

As the others have said, it's probably best to concentrate on sorting the important stuff out before shelling out on something that isn't a necessity (as nice as PCs are, I'm guessing it's probably you could survive without one

).

jamiewhite :

Yes, normally a pre-built system will be more expensive - they have to make their money somewhere (ignoring bulk-purchase discounts), although the operating margins are really minimal (< 10%) these days. The system I linked to was £45 cheaper than option 2, and is the same or higher spec - it has an over-clocked Skylake i5 CPU, 16GB RAM, GTX970, M.2 SSD, 2TB HDD, and Windows and a 5 yr warranty (only 2 yr parts - the rest is labour only), so isn't exactly poor value.

jamiewhite :

I know people who've got Chillblast PCs, and they've been very happy with them, and they always do well in customer satisfaction surveys - they kinda rely on their reputation. Just sayin'

jamiewhite :

That would be your prerogative - I only suggested it because I thought it might be a more stress-free route.

jamiewhite · Nov 13, 2015

As the others have said, it's probably best to concentrate on sorting the important stuff out before shelling out on something that isn't a necessity (as nice as PCs are, I'm guessing it's probably you could survive without one ).

Well the issue is, that I already have most of the parts from my old build. I have two CPU's right now. The 2500K and 4690K and need to decide if I want to get a refund for the 4690K and buy a Z77 motherboard with the money and overclock the 2500K or stick with the 4690K, get a Z97 board with the money from the other refunds (my water cooler and motherboard) and stick with stock on that.
So really I won't be paying out any more money than I'll be getting back. In fact, the motherboards I'm looking at would only cost half what the motherboard I've just been refunded for cost in the first place.

And if I don't have a PC I have nothing. My phone doesn't work, I don't have any consoles, I don't have TV or cable, I even sold most of my books >_< So I will literally just sit there or go for lots of walks. Which isn't a bad thing. But with my anxiety problems I need a distraction to help calm me down.

Yes, normally a pre-built system will be more expensive - they have to make their money somewhere (ignoring bulk-purchase discounts), although the operating margins are really minimal (< 10%) these days. The system I linked to was £45 cheaper than option 2, and is the same or higher spec - it has an over-clocked Skylake i5 CPU, 16GB RAM, GTX970, M.2 SSD, 2TB HDD, and Windows and a 5 yr warranty (only 2 yr parts - the rest is labour only), so isn't exactly poor value.

It's a great system, but then I'd be left with having to refund every single bit of my current PC and selling my old PC parts to make enough money and then some to actually be able to buy that one.

I know people who've got Chillblast PCs, and they've been very happy with them, and they always do well in customer satisfaction surveys - they kinda rely on their reputation. Just sayin'

I'll take a look at their stock to see if my nephew who wants a PC for Christmas can find one he likes

That would be your prerogative - I only suggested it because I thought it might be a more stress-free route.

If I went with a reliable company with good customer service it's a good idea. But when I have the time and knowledge to self-build, why not save that money and buy better components? Or save that money for more important stuff as you've said.

Like I said, my issue is I have parts on hand and a very small window and chance for a lot of refunds on parts. So I'm trying to Frankenstein it as chilly2468 put it

I just don't know whether to downgrade to the 2500K (OC'd) or get a cheaper replacement board for the RMA'd Asus Maximus VII Hero for my 4690K.
I've narrowed down the MSI Z97 Gaming 5 as a replacement for the Asus Hero mobo, or I can get an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 and stay with the 2500K :/

This is the PC I had/have and am currently in the process of getting refunds for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.48 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.08 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB ACX Video Card
Case: Corsair 330R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 OEM (64-bit)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka G-Unit Wired Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse (£60.41 @ Amazon UK)
Headphones: Plantronics GameCom 780 7.1 Channel Headset
Total: £514.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 10:06 GMT+0000

chilly2468 · Nov 16, 2015

Personally I would suggest getting the z97 option because if it breaks it will be much easier to RMA again.

Third time lucky or: How I RMA'd my PC twice and ended up with nothing

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