Use AMD? Use AS3?

[Stinger 0]

If you use AS3 on your AMD CPU then your warranty is voided http://www.xtremetek.com/info/index.php?id=14

[RooK 0]

#1: According to who gives the warranty. If it's oem and the purchaser offers a 1-3yr warranty themselves, then you're fine.

#2: If your cpu legitimatly fails, and you did nothing wrong, I see no reason why you can't use a thermal paste of your choice. Here's how to cheat the system: Before installing the heatsink/thermal paste of choice, install the cpu with the stock hsf getting a good impression in the thermal pad on the heatsink. Then remove and store for later warranty use, and install your heatsink/thermal pad of choice. Chances are, they will accept the dead chip back with the 'used' stock heatsink for warranty request.

The real reason AMD does this is to see if you might have abused the chip by overclocking/overheating and thus the pad turns a white (not pink) color. Needless to say, my warranty is pretty much voided by actions

[Urban_Tiger 0]

Indeedy......Furthermore too......

It's always gonna be a complete grey area as even if you don't overclock, mass production techniques often results in some inconsistencies in the millions of CPU's sold anyway......Not to mention the vastly different configurations of any given individuals system, all of which have a direct effect in some way on these scenarios too!!

Regardless of what paste is actually used or even what Heatsink is used too, whether an all singing all dancing Volcano for example, right down to the stock H/S & Fan supplied with an AMD itself (as long as it's obviously rated for the CPU if you choose not to use the OEM issue). These inconsistencies and the vast diversity of the configuration of one persons system as a whole to the next is going to see some people's CPU's running warmer than others which could also lead to different colourations over time as well as per the above example!!!

Some are fortunate to have super cooled systems, can vastly overclock and still their CPU's won't actually get significantly warm. Others may not ever dream of overclocking and may not have an amazing array of cooling equipment installed either, and there's could well run a lot warmer!!!

So where do you draw the line?? Someone could follow their instructions to the letter and just have the very basic cooling recommended and not one bit more, and to all intents and purposes their CPU could run warm if they also don't have the facility of "Super Cooling" like some others!!

It is more than possible that under that circumstance that an individuals CPU could show the signs of being overclocked when it hasn't ever been and they could argue it had lol!!!

They'd have to go a fair way to prove outright that a processor had been even slightly abused if it went "Tilt", and to do that for each individual case (SHOULD it happen which is rare anyway) it would cost them a fair amount of resources, time and money should they contest any such cases, ultimately more than it would cost them a direct replacement.

They could try and wiggle, but essentially if you give a warranty on any product YOU MUST supply these "Rumoured" details and/or little small print get out clauses with the CPU itself clearly and concisely so that it cannot be misunderstood from the moment you purchase any equipment, whatever it may be. These details are not supplied with AMD's CPU's unfortunately and they'd have a damn hard time if they started refusing refunds or replacements on those grounds alone too!!

Until they issue this information clearly with the CPU's themselves and not rely on end users to have to read or hear about it elsewhere then basically they will never have the grounds to refuse to honour any warranty on such products !