Thinking of buying an EVGA 680i MB...read this first

[Scratch]

wow so you'll love this story especially anyone thinking of buying an EVGA 680i MB...

On February 13th 2007 I decided to build my new Intel system. I have a friend who also needed a new pc and as I've built more than a few, she asked if I could build her the exact same one I was building except she wanted the Antec P180 case.

I ordered all the components from DirectCanada.com and I have to say they really do have the fastest shipping anywhere as well as the best prices.
I built both systems after testing the PSU's and turned mine on...worked like a dream...then I tried to boot up my friends.

The board was DOA double dash led post. I removed all the components individually and tested them in my working system and discovered a bad stick of ram, however the system still wouldn't boot with a single stick regardless of anything I tried so i rma'd the board and memory.

I received the new board and memory and installed the board...DOA...WTF I'm getting a little upset. I phone DC and EVGA, explain the situation and I'm just unlucky enough to get 2 DOA MB's so I rma.

I get the 3rd board and am like not going to even install I set bare minimum in the board outside the case and attempt to boot OMFG WTF DOA again. I don't even bother with DC I immediately phone EVGA and the tech is like OMG man I'm sooo sorry. I tell him everything I have done up to that point and he assures me they will pretest a board and send it when I rma. So...I rma the board directly to EVGA.

I receive the board on March 13th (anyone keeping track of the time here? lol) I decide that since it has been so long I am going to give my friend my stable Vista OS system installed in her P180 and sneak it over there while she's at work...she is now extremely happy.

I do a bootup outside the case and the MB works. I install XP and am running the system for less than a week until I come home Saturday night after work and the MB is DEAD.

Words fail me at this point as I am so mad I could seriously do someone physical harm. I didn't even have the thing OC'd thats why I haven't been running FaH lol

I send the nastiest email off to EVGA and get a response in 2 hours (a record me thinks) with rma approval and am set Monday morning. I mail the board off without insurance snailmail as I no longer care. It has cost me $300.00 for the original MB and another $100.00 in shipping/insurance costs

I placed my order with DC for the Asus P5W DH and it should be here tomorrow. EVGA may have the best warranty in the business but I can no longer test their products. I will continue to buy their graphics cards but I would not recommend anyone purchasing the 680i.

For those not counting we are talking over two months in time, 1 > 5 MB's that worked, and a cost of $400.00+ CND

I am not an idiot...there is nothing that anyone could recommend that hadn't been tried, the 4 MB's were all crap, I think I've been pwned lol

anywho dancing bananas for everyone
keep on folding

[sswilson]

Wow!!!!!!!

That's got to be the worst batch of luck/Quality Assurance I've heard of in a long time for a known brand.

Are you still getting another board or are you getting a credit?

I wonder if it's one particular batch of boards, and if we'll soon be seeing more reports like yours?

This is the first I've heard of anything like this for these boards, I hope for both users and manufacturer alike that it's a one-of incident.

[r00tman]

I stopped reading after "...stable Vista OS system..."

[r00tman]

What part number was the motherboard? TR, T1, AR or A1?

I just got my EVGA 680i mobo in the mail, straight from NCIX. It's the A1 revision, so I'll see how that goes once my CPU and video cards arrive.

Love the bananas BTW.

[Scratch]

Originally Posted by r00tman

What part number was the motherboard? TR, T1, AR or A1?

I just got my EVGA 680i mobo in the mail, straight from NCIX. It's the A1 revision, so I'll see how that goes once my CPU and video cards arrive.

Love the bananas BTW.

twas the A1 my friend and DirectCanada is the reseller for NCIX so...I wish you the best of luck

the only option I have is to get a replacement board, however, I will be selling it immediately upon arrival...someone else can deal with it

[Shadowed]

I had a similar experience with 3 MSI MBs 2 years ago.
Nothing as painful as your experience though.
I bought them at a local shop so there wasn't the shipping and waiting involved.
I havn't used MSI since.

[r00tman]

Originally Posted by Scratch

twas the A1 my friend and DirectCanada is the reseller for NCIX so...I wish you the best of luck

the only option I have is to get a replacement board, however, I will be selling it immediately upon arrival...someone else can deal with it

Man, I hope that shit doens't happen to me. Regardless, I've already registered my mobo on EVGA's website and with my invoice...just in case.

[sswilson]

Unfortunately bad batches can happen to just about every manufacturer from time to time.

My bad luck seems to be with Sapphire cards.

I've had problems both with my 9600XT and my 1950pro with regards to "minor" overheating.

On the 9600 I just replaced the stock cooling with something better... with the second I saw the way things were going and had the card replaced with a newer version once it became obvious that there were problems with the VRMs on the earliest batch of cards to hit the shelves.

[r00tman]

Originally Posted by sswilson

On the 9600 I just replaced the stock cooling with something better... with the second I saw the way things were going and had the card replaced with a newer version once it became obvious that there were problems with the VRMs on the earliest batch of cards to hit the shelves.

Yeah, I tend to not purchase the first version of any electronic hardware and instead wait for the revised version or second generation.

[Shadowed]

Originally Posted by sswilson

Unfortunately bad batches can happen to just about every manufacturer from time to time.

True. When I had the MSI experience there was a boat load of bad capacitors that ended up in a few different manufacturers motherboards.

There was a website started about it.

Holy... it's still active, I just found it again. Here is link:

Welcome to Badcaps.net!

Nice to see MSI is still on the list :(