Let me give you guys a bit of history here before I explain my situation:
I've purchased three Arctic Cooling products within the last couple of years. All of them have had fan bearing problems that developed about a year after use. The first was the ATI Silencer, don't remember which model but it was for a 9800 Pro. It was purchased from SVC, they gave me a bit of a hassle but they replaced it for me under the manufacturer's warranty. I sold the card to a friend but he hasn't even used it so I don't know the working status of that VGA cooler.
The second item I purchased was another VGA cooler, this time an Accelero X1 for my 6800GT, purchased from Newegg over a year ago. For the past few months, the fan has been making a buzzing noise which is remedied by gently tapping it. On a cold boot it is pretty loud, a sign that the bearings are bad. I contacted Newegg but haven't heard back yet (weekend).
The third and final item is an Alpine 64, which is cooling a Sempron 2800+, purchased from SVC just over a year ago. The computer is generally ran 24/7 but shut down about once a week or so. For the past month, on a cold boot, the fan is really loud but quiets down as everything heats up. I contacted SVC and they said they cannot replace the fan for me, the same crap they told me the last time (with the ATI Silencer).
I sent an email to Arctic Cooling telling them about my problem with SVC. You see, Arctic Cooling does not do direct RMAs, they even have a freaking flowchart on their website.
I'm pretty pissed at the moment, for what good is a 6-year warranty if everyone gives me the runaround? I really should have gone with Zalman stuff since I've never had a problem with their products. Have any of you experienced the same problems as I?
I've purchased three Arctic Cooling products within the last couple of years. All of them have had fan bearing problems that developed about a year after use. The first was the ATI Silencer, don't remember which model but it was for a 9800 Pro. It was purchased from SVC, they gave me a bit of a hassle but they replaced it for me under the manufacturer's warranty. I sold the card to a friend but he hasn't even used it so I don't know the working status of that VGA cooler.
The second item I purchased was another VGA cooler, this time an Accelero X1 for my 6800GT, purchased from Newegg over a year ago. For the past few months, the fan has been making a buzzing noise which is remedied by gently tapping it. On a cold boot it is pretty loud, a sign that the bearings are bad. I contacted Newegg but haven't heard back yet (weekend).
The third and final item is an Alpine 64, which is cooling a Sempron 2800+, purchased from SVC just over a year ago. The computer is generally ran 24/7 but shut down about once a week or so. For the past month, on a cold boot, the fan is really loud but quiets down as everything heats up. I contacted SVC and they said they cannot replace the fan for me, the same crap they told me the last time (with the ATI Silencer).
I sent an email to Arctic Cooling telling them about my problem with SVC. You see, Arctic Cooling does not do direct RMAs, they even have a freaking flowchart on their website.
I'm pretty pissed at the moment, for what good is a 6-year warranty if everyone gives me the runaround? I really should have gone with Zalman stuff since I've never had a problem with their products. Have any of you experienced the same problems as I?