How to recognize a brand new or a refurbished MB

[madawcisrich]

Hello everyone,

I am a new PC builder and I bought the Asus Maximus V gene as Motherboard.

But something keeps bothering me: each time I unboxed, when I took out the Motherboard to inspect its quality, I always notice something embarassing. Either there is trace of scratch on the Sound Card(I am sure it is not finger print), either some component are crooked. I also noticed that the plastic board which covesr the socket for CPU is always detached from the metalic cover on the MB. Shouldn't it be fixed on the metalic cover? I really think they are already used by someone and are not factory brand new.

Here are some photos for you guys

This is already my third replacement from Amazone and CDiscount. Can someone tell me if it is normal or it was really something refurbished. (by the way, I test all three and they all work, but I just don't feel that they are brand new one). Thank you in advance.

 

[Azn Cracker]

I mean does the mobo work? Thats all that really matters since you get the full warranty on it anyways.

And if its refurbished, its usually has a different box and it says refurbished on it.

Maybe the stuff got knocked loose during shipping

 

[smorizio]

with mb most them are made using wave solider machines. you can have a bent part now and again on the mb. at asus there going to be some pass/fail test and someone that bags the mb. on this end if the company is small they may be checking the mb to see that it not damaged before ships. (finger print). but any mb with the cpu cover bounced off...make a claim with the shipper. asus would know if the mb are new or rma replacments by the ser# of the mb. vendors like new egg have found that you need to use a lot of bubble wrap or the brown packing paper now. vendors like usps/fed-z and usp. all use those long package sorters and have found that a lot of times a box or two will fall off during shipping. the good shippers back the mb well so that if the box is dropped the mb does not bounce.

 

[madawcisrich]

ok thank you for your answer. They all work, that is not the problem. As I said, it is not the finger print, but something that I cannot remove. I just don't feel installing something already used or scratched. Do your guys MB have this trace too ?