My motherboard killed my 5960x recently and I sent the processor for warranty replacement to Intel's depot in Netherlands. The TIM was liquid metal and that's why there is some residue and it is hard to read the batch code but it is visible if look from the right angle. Intel Customer Support said that the processor is sanded which is not true.

 

Here are the photos from Intel and I'll attach mine later:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is their statement:

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Dear Mr.,

 

After further inspection the CPU is being rejected as the unit has substantial impact by some means which appear to be sanding marks and is being shipped back to you under DHL XXXXXXXXXX.

 

Please see attached 5 photos provided by our depot.

 

For any questions please do not hesitate to contact Intel® Customer Support.

Best regards,

Intel Customer Support

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Anyone else disappointed from Intel Customer Support?

This is a truely bad surprise. I thought they would handle things more generously, they must know that liquid metal on the heatspreader leaves marks and as long as FPO and APO are still readable, I see no reason to reject an rma claim. Disappointing from my point of view, good cooling for a highend product should be in their interest to avoid rmas, and when you use best TIM, they reject the claim, weird

What was the CPU rma'd for?

And how many Intel CPU's have you rma'd before?

I've never RMA'd a processor till now. This is my first dead CPU. It died after regular restart to update my video card drivers. Very unexpected and sudden death. No extreme overclocking. I have friends who experienced the same problem but their processors were bought from a local retailer and their processors were replaced by the retailer despite the liquid metal marks. I bought mine from ebay.co.uk new in retail box. It was new unopened box from a regular ebay member (not store). That is the reason to send the processor directly to Intel.

Thank you. That being disclosed, I'm surprised and disappointed in Intel.

I know for a fact that there are people here that are frequent flyers in the Intel RMA program for damage at their own hands, and they've not been turned down ever.

Maybe contact Xtreme Addict

Maybe contact Xtreme Addict

 

Dunno he still has my AFR

Here are my photos taken with 3 different devices (DSLR, mirorless and mobile phone):

 

 

 

 

 

So think twice when you are intending to apply liquid metal TIM on your $1700+ CPU. I lost $1000 but it could be worse if that processor was 6950X.

Edited July 5, 20168 yr by OLDcomer

Dunno he still has my AFR

 

Give me your address ^^

liquid metal is very known for voiding the warranty of CPU's especially given you are meant to lap the CPU and Coollaboratory do nothing to hide that fact plus your CPU looks pretty stuffed

 

So it sucks you didn't get a RMA but you shouldn't be surprised

Intel delivers the new HEDT CPUs without cooling solution, I see no warning advice that you should not use lm for TIM on the package. It is quite easy to read the FPO even on the pictures that were added by oldcomer, and a lapped cpu looks different. So, we usually agree but this time not, Ben. If I pay 1k for a highend cpu I should be allowed to apply the best thermal interface solution retail market offers unless Intel rules this out explicitly. There was no physical damage applied imho, and also no "modding". Might depend on how you see this personally, maybe you are right, maybe I am, but in the end I personally do not approve on the decision made my Intel

I'm not full disagreeing but with liquid metal TIMs what it does to IHS is pretty extreme as it soaks it a few nm and can't be cleaned away without a light lapping but Coollaboratory has said in the past using liquid pro/ultra is likely going to void your warranty

 

And I fully understand the argument about price but most company's are know to be jerks about RMA's at some point

bs they should replace it.

Well I am not the lawyer of big companies who can easily afford the replacement, but in the case of THIS CPU - Serial Number (which on the picture I posted from WEB starts from 2W...) is totally removed by fault of user and that's the reason it is out of warranty. Any other vendor will remove warranty when SN sticker is destroyed, Intel also has it in their warranty policy rulebook. Sad but true.

 

Edited July 5, 20168 yr by Xtreme Addict

sad that people can glue ihs back on skylakes and rma them but this legit user is being hassled for the TIM he used

But he didn't use anything close to a normal TIM and glueing the Ihs on and getting a rma is hit and miss just like when you use a liquid metal product which should be known before you use it

If it was me, I'd just start a new RMA and see if you get a different intel contact.

This was my second RMA attempt and again they refuse to replace the processor with the same excuse. The drama in this case is that actually the motherboard killed the processor. It is a common problem as you can see in this thread:

 

https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?59257-5960X-dead-on-Rampage-V-Extreme

 

If you run a google search you will find at least 5 threads with the same issue on all major forums.

At least the result was different but seems stupid to blame on the mb

 

If it's the boards fault in Australia at least it's on Asus to replace the cpu but you'd have to be able to prove without a doubt that the board did in fact kill it

Edited July 6, 20168 yr by newlife

Did you try to use acethone to clean it? I had 3930k after CLU and only acethone worked, nothing else.

Yes, I tried acetone nail polish remover without success.

I used rough acetone which you can buy in home depot.

But he didn't use anything close to a normal TIM and glueing the Ihs on and getting a rma is hit and miss just like when you use a liquid metal product which should be known before you use it

 

Correct he used a better than normal TIM but what does intel care, what are we going to do start using AMD yeah right lol

Same thing as I don't understand why vendors don't carve SNs somehow on PCB, or something like Lightscribe, those tiny stickers are bs...

it is bs, because intel can scan the little bar on the PCB and get all the information about the CPU