Best/longest ATI AIB warranty(s)???

[MasterKromm]

I am seriously weighing my options and am undecided ATM(ie 8800gts rev2 vs 8800gt vs HD3870). One of the main things I am unsure of is the length of time ATI cards are warrantied by the various makers. Do any offer lifetime warranties or at least 3 yrs? That's the one thing that still has me a little hesitant. [:mousemonkey:2]

 

[vkaraoke]

HIS and Sapphire both offer 2 years warranty.
ASUS offers 3 years warranty.
As for Diamond, I'm not too sure.

 

[MasterKromm]

Yeah, thats the one thing I have to give nVidia partners credit for...

XFX, EVGA, BFG all lifetime warranties; XFX is a "double lifetime" warranty even.

Its good to know at least Asus offers 3yrs, thats about how long I try to make my cards last me anyway. Thanks 4 the input

 

[aadamszc]

Sorry to side-track the discussion, but does anyone know about the warranties of MSI. I was reading around and I believe that they only offer a 1 year.

 

[MasterKromm]

In accordance with original manufacturer's products serial number/barcode, graphics card products manufactured from July 01 2003 onwards are warranted for 3 years by original manufacturer, whereas Graphics Card products purchased before July 01 2003, are warranted for 1 year.

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=html&name=warranty_policy

Apparently MSI offers a 3yr warranty as well!

Limited Lifetime Warranty

Products Covered:
ATI Based Retail Packaged “VisionTek” or “VisionTek Xtasy” Brand 3D Graphics Accelerators

http://www.visiontek.com/teksupport/warranty/warranty.html

Visiontek offers a lifetime warranty but I don't think I have really heard of them before. Can anyone comment on the quality of their GFX cards?

 

[vkaraoke]

Well at my work, we only carry HIS, Sapphire, and ASUS brand for ATI cards. So far the most common returns have seen is with the HIS and Sappshire brand. I haven't seen someone return an ASUS card as of late.

 

[MasterKromm]

Thanks vkaraoke... I think I will either go with the asus hd 3870 or wait to see what the 8800gts rev. 2 has to offer.

http://support.asus.com/repair/repair.aspx?no=201&SLanguage=en-us

^asus is definitely a 3 yr.

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/G92_GeForce_8800_GTS_512_Card_Pics_%26_Specs/5405.html

We have heard about a 128SP GeForce 8800 GTS 512 card in December a while back and this time round, a China website IT168.com has managed to get hold of the card photos and specs. The 8800GTS 512 card uses the same G92 core but has 128 shader processors instead of 112 on the 8800GT. It is clocked slightly higher at 650MHz for core,1940MHz for the GDDR3 1ns memories and 1625Mhz for the shaders. The card takes up 2 slots due to a beefier cooling solution. The card is expected to be priced between US$299-349 and launch on Dec 3rd.

After reading that I have to wait till Dec. 3 to see if these new cards PWN... Though if its >$100 difference I may still go with the HD3870. Thanks for the help.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Limited Lifetime Warranty

Products Covered:
ATI Based Retail Packaged “VisionTek” or “VisionTek Xtasy” Brand 3D Graphics Accelerators

http://www.visiontek.com/teksupport/warranty/warranty.html

Visiontek offers a lifetime warranty but I don't think I have really heard of them before. Can anyone comment on the quality of their GFX cards?

Visiontek is a pretty old company name. They went bankrupt though after being exclusively nVidia, then came back exclusively ATi. They used to be a big name for the high end niche graphics market, like Hercules was.

As for warranties, Powercolor/Colourpower offered a lifetime warranty for their X19xx products, but my last communication with them said they were not going to extend that to the HD2K series and would return to the industry standard 2+1. I don't know if they'll change back for the HD3800, but I'd contact them directly first if I were concerned (they replied back pretty fast last time).

Personally I think 3 years is enough for my needs (heck 2 years really), but it's nice just having the added protection in case you want to move it to an HTPC or something.

 

[Harrisson]

Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Sparkle - 3 years warranty.
Sapphire, Palit, XFX, Club3D, Gainward - 2 years.

At least in Lithuania

 

[MasterKromm]

Visiontek is a pretty old company name. They went bankrupt though after being exclusively nVidia, then came back exclusively ATi. They used to be a big name for the high end niche graphics market, like Hercules was.

As for warranties, Powercolor/Colourpower offered a lifetime warranty for their X19xx products, but my last communication with them said they were not going to extend that to the HD2K series and would return to the industry standard 2+1. I don't know if they'll change back for the HD3800, but I'd contact them directly first if I were concerned (they replied back pretty fast last time).

Personally I think 3 years is enough for my needs (heck 2 years really), but it's nice just having the added protection in case you want to move it to an HTPC or something.

Yeah I like my warranties at least 3yrs or more... As I usually wind up donating my old PCs or building entirely new PCs from old and saved parts to give to family members that need a new computer(or in the case of my grandma giving her her first comp ever).

BTW thanks for responding TGGA! Out of curiosity which is your favorite brand?

-OT- Its been a long while since frequenting TG's forums, I used to enjoy reading JumpingJacks posts/threads, is he no longer an active member?

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Yeah that's the strategy I used to use, when it gets old it becomes a donation to my friends. I had a bunch of laptops with 3 year warranties and that usually meant 2 years for the friends, this last laptop is the first one I've had to last more than a year with me, the current one maybe less.

Anywho, my favourite brand is HIS, but I have to admit it's for the added features, because their customer service and replies to questions have become progressively worse. I even know their Canadian dist, and I find they have difficulty getting info. I love their feature, I like the usual build quality, but if customer supoprt is at all on your radar then it's a consideration. For quality and service I have found that ASUS has been the best from my close experiences. I found Sapphire suprisingly mixed with Wicked and Crap service, to me usually things work within the 30-90days I get from the retail location, but when I recommend things to friends I often hear back afterwards, and if the service really sucks they come to me of course.

I have to say though, the two comapnies that impress me the most for customer service are eVGA and BFG, people of course have their issues, but consistently I have found them to have quality products, and good support. And it's really hard to argue against lietime warranty (or double lifetime) and a solid step-up program (even if it's utility is usually a limited window of best fit).

I'm not sure about JJ, people come and go, and unfortunately I mostly notice people as gone when others mention it.

 

[MasterKromm]

Thanks for the very impartial suggestions. I'm definitely all about quality and service, so Asus it is. Which being an Abit loyalist is a tough pill to swallow. I plan on waiting to see how the 8800 GTS rev 2 performs, however given the obscene price gouging that has taken place with the 8800gt I wouldn't be surprised to see the 128SP G92 costing in excess of 400USD. Not that it really matter as I have yet to locate any e-tailer offering an Asus HD 3870(in stock). So I'll continue the waiting game.

Thanks to all who dropped by and contributed [:mousemonkey:3]

 

[techgeek]

If your retailer offers an extended warranty it maybe worthwhile. Now before anyone flames me, hear me out. I work in the electronics industry (industrial, not consumer) and in most cases I would agree that extended warranties on electronics are a waste of money. In nearly every case if a piece of electronics makes it past it's warranty date (heck past the first 30 days), it will usually last for years. That all said, just two months ago, my ATI branded X1900XTX started acting up. I purchased it September 7, 2006 and it started acting up September 21, 2007. ATI only has a 1 year warranty (****) and I thought I was screwed. When I looked at my receipt from Memory Express, I had purchased their IPR (for all the components of a new system I built). I returned the card to them, they checked it out, pronounced it faulty and gave me a new X2900XT. It saved me having to buy a new card. I would have preferred a 8800GTS 640MB (it would have been cheaper for them too), but I didn't get a say. I still ended up with a better card overall. I will probably sell it and get something a bit better down the road. Also got the Orange Box as a bonus since I would have bought it anyway.

So the moral of the story, if you can't get the card you want with the warranty length you want, see if the retailer offers an extended warranty.

My failed card got me to thinking something else. Why is it that no ATI equipped cards come with a lifetime warranty? Not one ATI partner offers a warranty longer than three years. Why is this do you think? Are nVidia GPU's that much more reliable? Is there a thinner profit margin on ATI parts? Is it that ATI has allied itself with crappy / cheap partners? Or is there some statistic that says the people who buy ATI products are too cheap to pay the premium required to offer a lifetime warranty? Most people would be willing to pay a little extra to have that lifetime warranty. Just food for thought and/or discussion.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I agree, extended warranties can be good on some computer hardware items. It's not for all buyers, but it is for others. Always double check and re-think one, but if it's reasonably priced, it might not be a bad deal.
For me it's usually a great deal because by the time I hit the 3rd year on my DVD-burner or whatever by then there is no replacement, so it's a free upgrade.

Sometimes it's good, sometimes not, but if it matters to you it's definitely worth checking.

BTW, love Memory Express they're usually great, I am surprised they provided you with an HD2900, but that just improves my positive view of them.

 

[trooper1947]

Maybe I'm darn lucky but I have never had a video card blow . Have alot of old antiques in a box .... think of it this way ... do you really want an old 3-10 year old card replaced with the same one ? The shipping won't be worth the trouble . If you think they're going to give you the newest top of the line card to replace your old outdated fried one .... you're living in a fantasy world usually . techgeek must be the luckiest guy in the world .... have never seen that done ! Think I'll sort through the box and try to get a new G92 for one of those old cards after I fry it ... LOL I'll bet the card was'nt 3 years old though ..... huh ?