Usually, we only remember the warranty of the products when they are damaged and need to use it, and we often find ourselves in serious trouble to be able to handle an RMA even though the product is in the warranty period because we do meet some of the conditions. In order to clarify the policy of the main motherboard manufacturers in this regard, we are going to synthesize a summary below so that you can have it more clear and thus be able to buy your next motherboard knowing how the manufacturer is going to act on it. in case you have any problems.
The warranty of the Asus motherboard
Asus does not specify the warranty for its motherboards on its website, so it should be understood that it adheres to what the law says: its products have a 2-year warranty unless otherwise specified, the first year must be managed by the store where the product is located was purchased and the second year should be handled directly by the manufacturer.
Likewise, Asus generally says that improper handling of the product will void its warranty, so it should be understood that if, for example, you bend the socket pins when trying to place the CPU, the warranty will not cover it. not, just as it won’t cover the issues you had due to overclocking or physical improper handling while mounting the motherboard to the PC.
The great advantage of the Asus RMA service and which places it among the most interesting is its ARS (Advance Replacement RMA Service) program, which implies that when you manage and accept an RMA, they send you the new product first in advance. and, Once received, you should send the faulty one, so you never get “thrown” without your device.
Worst ASRock motherboard warranty ever
The warranty policy for motherboards from manufacturer ASRock does not differ much from that of Asus, except that they state that the warranty is 2 years unless otherwise stated, with the first year being the responsibility of the store. where the device was purchased. and the second year directly from the manufacturer. They also state that all costs of sending the products for repair will be the responsibility of the user, i.e. if you want to send an ASRock product for repair, you will have to pay the costs yourself. round trip shipping.
Oddly enough, this manufacturer also specifies that if you want to return a product because it is not compatible with your material, you will be charged 15% of the invoiced price of the same, that is to say that you will not get all your money but only 85% from what you will have to subtract the price of the shipment, this as long as you decide to manage it directly with them (in Europe there is a right of withdrawal, by which when buying a product online, you are entitled to 15 calendar days to return it without giving an explanation, although yes, paying you the shipping cost).
Beware of MSI cards
According to the MSI website, if you want to know the exact warranty details for your products, you should contact MSI Europe directly. On their website, they state that the warranty period for their motherboards and other hardware products is 12 months, which does not apply in Europe because the law requires them to give all their products a 2 year warranty. and, therefore, we understand that they follow the law as in the previous cases: the first year you would manage the warranty with the store where you bought the plate, and the following year you would have to fight with the manufacturer to make assert your right.
What MSI states on its website are the exclusions of the warranty, that is, the situations in which it is voided:
- Product damage caused by disasters, thunderclaps, power supply (pay attention to this) and environmental factors.
- Degradation of product labeling (i.e. removal or damage to the label voids your warranty).
- Unauthorized modifications to non-MSI parts, modifications and alterations (this means that you cannot change any component of the product or that you will void the warranty, although we understand that as prescribed in the general policy, it will instead be of pre-assembled laptop and PC products).
- Damage caused by user error.
- Internal or external consumable items, such as battery, headphones, etc.
- Accessories and packaging are not covered by the warranty.
Gigabyte / AORUS and its policy
Gigabyte and AORUS are the only manufacturers that clearly express their warranty policy, and they are also the best warranty among the top 4 manufacturers with a 3 year limited local warranty. This means that the first year, as the law states, you will be able to manage the warranty with the store where you bought the motherboard and the following 2 years you will have to manage it with the manufacturer.
There is not much more to say on this subject, since the requirements are the same as in any warranty management: present a valid purchase invoice and of course that the plate has not been damaged by a improper handling of the product. Gigabyte / AORUS also specify the cases in which the warranty will be void:
- Failure caused by improper handling or even lack of cleaning and maintenance of the product.
- Damaged, altered, erased or removed label on the product.
- Damage caused by accidents or extreme environmental factors.
- Damage caused by not using the supplied AC adapter (that’s more for laptops and monitors, of course).
- BIOS updates are not covered by warranty, beware of this.
EVGA, NZXT, Biostar and others
Although Asus, ASRock, MSI and Gigabyte / AORUS are the major motherboard manufacturers in terms of market volume, there are many other manufacturers who also sell motherboards such as NZXT, EVGA or Biostar, so we must also define what they say about the warranty of their products.
As for NZXT, the warranty policy section exists on their website but it’s empty and they only take you to open a ticket with tech support or request an RMA, but they don’t spell out their terms so we have to understand that they adhere to the law: 2 years of guarantee, the first with the store and the second with them.
EVGA, for its part, specifies a three-year warranty on motherboards with the suffix -K1, -K2, -K3, -KB, -KF and -KR in the product name, while the others have the 2 years usual, with the particularity that EVGA allows the transfer of the warranty of its products to other users in the event of second-hand sales, and this is clearly specified on their website. In addition, they have the extended warranty program through which by registering on their website and registering the product, you will get an additional year of warranty. Otherwise, the warranty policy is the same as the others.
Biostar and other manufacturers with more marginal market shares also do not specify a warranty policy, so we understand that as we have seen several times before in this article, they adhere to the 2 years that the law establishes as a minimum.
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