Ok, I've never done aftermarket cooling before, because I've always wanted to keep my warranties intact, and replaced parts way before warranties ran out, to keep up to date.
However, aftermarket cooling really can improve PC parts and actually help them, with the Zalman VF900 CU, I know my X1900XT would drop a lot of heat, and my CPU could probably do the same with an Arctic Freezer 7, CNPS9500, or Big Typhoon. Obviously regardless of warranty voiding, the aftermarket parts are just better at taking care of the expensive parts inside a computer.
However, I still like to be conservative and not lose money incase I get sold a bad part that stops working 3 months after buying it, having it be blamed on aftermarket cooling and/or thermal grease, or at least having the warranty voided because of that, even if the chip was bad to begin with.
What I really want to know is, if you use thermal grease and aftermarket cooling, how could it even be noticed? If you send in a part during your warranty, obviously if you don't include the aftermarket cooler in the package and use some pure isopropyl alcohol to clean off any thermal grease, it shouldn't be easy to spot, and to my knowledge, not possible. However, my knowledge is (admittedly) limited, so I just want to know how manufacturers can (or if they can) tell if you use aftermarket cooling/thermal grease. I definitely want to take better care of my CPU and GPU, however if they have a problem during warranty time, I definitely don't want to be without a warranty. I'm not an overclocker, however I want my parts to stay cool to last longer, and aftermarket cooling provides quieter cooling as well.
So, is there a way to "get away" with doing this and keep your warranty intact?
However, aftermarket cooling really can improve PC parts and actually help them, with the Zalman VF900 CU, I know my X1900XT would drop a lot of heat, and my CPU could probably do the same with an Arctic Freezer 7, CNPS9500, or Big Typhoon. Obviously regardless of warranty voiding, the aftermarket parts are just better at taking care of the expensive parts inside a computer.
However, I still like to be conservative and not lose money incase I get sold a bad part that stops working 3 months after buying it, having it be blamed on aftermarket cooling and/or thermal grease, or at least having the warranty voided because of that, even if the chip was bad to begin with.
What I really want to know is, if you use thermal grease and aftermarket cooling, how could it even be noticed? If you send in a part during your warranty, obviously if you don't include the aftermarket cooler in the package and use some pure isopropyl alcohol to clean off any thermal grease, it shouldn't be easy to spot, and to my knowledge, not possible. However, my knowledge is (admittedly) limited, so I just want to know how manufacturers can (or if they can) tell if you use aftermarket cooling/thermal grease. I definitely want to take better care of my CPU and GPU, however if they have a problem during warranty time, I definitely don't want to be without a warranty. I'm not an overclocker, however I want my parts to stay cool to last longer, and aftermarket cooling provides quieter cooling as well.
So, is there a way to "get away" with doing this and keep your warranty intact?