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May 18th, 2018 07:00

Dell will not cover my processor in the international warranty

I live in Costa Rica.
I purchased this model in amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076129H9F/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_12?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1U9HDFCZO1A84

I've been a Dell advocate since early 2000's. I've experienced the benefits of extended warranties many times, and it's the main reason why I'm loyal to the brand.

I've had many desktop models during that time, and always workstations, and even though I work in Graphic Design, contrary to most of my peers who swear by Apple computers, I've always been very happy with my Dell Workstations.

This time around however, I'm deeply disappointed with the results of my most recent purchase.

I bought the computer back in December, and it worked fine for about a month.
Then all of the sudden, it started sounding like a jet engine. The fans at full blast right on start up.
I called up Dell support, and they put me through the motions of testing. Until it was determined, it was a fan error. So I got a visit from a technician, who replaced the case fan and upon replacing it, the BIOS continued to give a fan error. So it was determined it was the CPU fan.
So I got another visit from another technician, who replaced both fans, and the BIOS continued to give a fan error. So it was determined it was the motherboard.
So... another visit. This time, motherboard and both fans where replaced, and the error remained. And this is when the story comes to an end.
I was told, that it was an error on the actual CPU, that it was not communicating properly with the fan (regarding temperature), so the fan would go on full blast, thinking the CPU was overheating (the technician confided that this seems to be a common issue with Ryzen CPU's, and my wife who is a Sales Manager for LA with one of the largest wholesale providers in the world for computer electronics,  told me that Ryzen cpu's are being discontinued).

I was then told by Dell support, that because that CPU is NOT sold to Latin America, even though the rest of the computer is covered by the International Extended Warranty the computer has, the CPU is not. So... they where very sorry, but the problem would not be solved.
So now, I have a desktop computer that sounds like a jet engine all the time. Every time I start it up, I get a BIOS error for the fan, which is very annoying, since it also takes quite a while to do the test before the error...
The computer works fine, but I can't think that a mechanical piece working at full capacity ALL THE TIME, will have a normal life span, and that it will not fail sooner than later, which in turn, is not good news for the actual CPU which needs the cooling.

So. I get to my questions:

1- Should I go ahead and BUY another CPU (maybe an upgrade to the Ryzen 7 1700X, which will put me back around $320 + tax + shipping to my country + my country's import tax) and replace it? Which in turn will void the computer's warranty (I asume)?
2- Can this motherboard take an upgrade to a Ryzen 7 2700X ( I would think it can).
3- Is it worth the trouble? 
4- Am I right to feel **bleep** and let down with what happened regarding the CPU not being covered by an International Extended Warranty?

4 Operator

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2.3K Posts

May 18th, 2018 10:00

Hello! So a couple of things. First off Ryzen CPU's are not going anywhere. They are AMD's latest CPUs and seem to be doing quite well on the market. I will admit that in my opinion AMD cpus tend to run a tad hotter then Intel. As for the thermal problem, from what I read it seems the heat sensor maybe built into the fan or the cpu itself. I'd try the CPU fan again as I could have sworn the thermal sensor is at the bottom of the heat sink. As for the CPU replacement, if your warranty is valid they should do what is covered in the warranty. I did look and they DO NOT sell the model you purchased in Costa Rica which may be half the problem. It is my understanding Dell doesn't warranty computers transferred from one country to another in which they do not sell a model in the destination country. Or you have to upgrade to On-site premium warranty. I'd check your warranty and see if you just need to upgrade for better support.

10 Elder

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44.3K Posts

May 18th, 2018 12:00

When they swapped motherboards, did they apply fresh thermal paste to the heat sink?

Sure it's the cpu or case fan and not a video card fan?

What version of BIOS is running on the motherboard? The latest is here. And do you have the latest chipset driver?

And sometimes a corrupted video card driver can cause the fans to go crazy. So you might want to update that too. Which one you need depends on whether you have AMD or NVidia video, so check your system specs before updating the video driver and be sure to get the right one.

10 Elder

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44.3K Posts

May 18th, 2018 12:00

BTW: The Ryzen chips appear to run hot and there is a liquid cooling option, though I don't know if it can be retrofitted on an existing system.

And read the post by wecelliott49 here.

9 Legend

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47K Posts

May 18th, 2018 16:00

December to May is more than a month.

11 Posts

May 19th, 2018 13:00

He needed to wait for support to take a look 3 times though.

13 Posts

May 19th, 2018 13:00

Thanks.

I doubt applying for a local warranty will fix this.
The problem is, with that specific processor not being sold by Dell in my region.
That's why the answer was final, telling me "tough luck".

Or... I would have to ship my CPU to the USA, and have it serviced there.
Meaning, my workstation, which I use in my home office, would be away during all that time. AND the costs involved in shipping offshore, and back. And what ever taxes I have to pay in both countries.

13 Posts

May 19th, 2018 13:00

The process from support started Feb 1st.
Spread that out over three programmed visits and waiting for parts to arrive.
The final negative answer to my problem was given (FINAL as in, no options, no matter who I talk to about unresolved issues), was given by mid March).

So I'm basically venting, not looking for a "change of heart" from Dell.
And asking if it's worth it to buy a new processor on my own.

13 Posts

May 19th, 2018 13:00

BIOS and all drivers are up to date.
New paste was applied to the back of the processor.
Error only lists fan.

10 Elder

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44.3K Posts

May 19th, 2018 17:00

Did you read the post by wecelliott49 here?

Did you reinstall the video driver, even if you already have the current version? If the video driver is corrupted (up-to-date or not) that could affect the fan speed. So download a fresh copy of the latest video driver from Dell's site. Then uninstall the video card in Device Manager, reboot and install the new copy of the driver.

Aside from the CPU and video card, the major hardware has been replaced. Assuming you have an on-board HDMI port (only on PCs with AMD Quad-Core APU processor), physically remove any add-in video card from the PC and revert to on-board video. See if that solves the fan problem.

It's even possible you have some Windows software issue that resides on the hard drive, meaning no matter how many times the mobo and fan are replaced, it won't fix the problem. Perhaps backing up personal files on external media, then wiping the HDD and doing a clean OS install using the latest version of Win 10 (build 1803, free update from Microsoft) will help...

 

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