GeForce GTS 250 Roundup (ASUS, Gigabyte, Sparkle, EVGA)

Meet the Manufacturers and their Warranties cont.

Note, that in order to compile the warranty information below, we sent each manufacturer a questionnaire to fill out regarding their Customer / RMA support in Canada and in USA. Remember, anything written in the warranty sections comes direct from the manufacturers and your experiences may vary.




Literally everyone knows ASUS and their products; from hard-core overclockers to those of you who are just starting out in the wide world of DIY computer systems. While these days the general public’s perception of ASUS may be limited to the diminutive Eee PC, we DIYers know them for their wide selection of motherboards and graphics cards. Much like Gigabyte, ASUS has massive distribution chains and their products can be found everywhere; from the smallest mom and pop shop to giant online retailers like Newegg and NCIX. Their attention to quality and reasonable pricing means they are usually at the forefront of people’s minds when upgrading components.

In this roundup we will be looking at their GTS 250 1GB Dark Knight which features a completely custom heatsink but is clocked slightly below reference speeds.


Warranty and Support Info

Like almost all of the other companies in this roundup, ASUS guarantees their GPUs for a period of 3 years with or without registration. Shipping to their facility in California is paid by the person RMAing the card but luckily return shipping is covered by ASUS. Customers returning a physically damaged card will be charged for the repair but standard returns (manufacturer defects) will not normally be charged any additional fees. ASUS also ensures that any cards being shipped back into Canada will have the necessary customs documents detailing the shipment as an in-warranty replacement.

Customer Support URL: ASUS - North American Live Support
Customer Support Tel. #: 510-739-3777
Customer Support hours of operation: 7AM – 7PM PST (Mon – Fri)




EVGA. This is the company we have come to know and love here in North America for having some of the most competitively-priced products while offering some of the best customer support service around. They also have their famous Step Up program which allows you to trade in your card (plus cash) for a better product within the 90 days after the original purchase date. The Step Up program, their lifetime warranty, the way they personally manage their online community and the widespread availability of their products have made EVGA a household name among enthusiasts for years now. This Nvidia-exclusive company also has their fair share of overclocked cards in the Superclocked, SSC and FTW product ranges.

EVGA has sent us an overclocked GTS 250 1GB Superclocked Edition for this review.


Warranty and Support Info

By a long shot, EVGA has the best warranty out of all the manufacturers represented here today. If you register within 30 days of your purchase date you will receive their Lifetime Warranty on certain products and without registration this diminishes to one year. Edit: This card in particular has a 1+1 year warranty if you register within 30 days.

In addition, EVGA has begun offering what they call the EAR or EVGA Advanced RMA that can be purchased upon registration to accelerate any RMA you send by providing cross-shipping for your new card. Both Canadian and US RMAs are processed through EVGA’s California facility with the customer being responsible for paying shipping to EVGA but return shipping is covered. Since EVGA labels all RMA shipments as such, customs charges for Canadians should be minimal but one way or another, they not paid by EVGA.

Customer Support URL: EVGA | Support | Home
Customer Support Tel. #: 888-880-3842
Customer Support hours of operation: 24/7 365 days a year