This morning I turned on my main PC and smelt burning at about the point the machine was booting, surely enough I got a system failure. Quickly I turned the machine off and feared the burning might be my Q9550.... on disassembling everything it was clear that the smell was coming from the mosfets parallel to the back of the board(where all the connectors are, USB, network, etc).
I have done remarkable things with this mobo, I get an easy 4Ghz overclock on my Q9550 at just over stock voltage. I know that as problems with this mobo go, this is a common one(saying that, it is known as a VERY reliable board, IMHO the best 775 mobo ever made). Ironically I was running stock speeds when this happened.
My question with the RMA is this. As I recall, Gigabyte provide a 3 year warranty HOWEVER this warranty is effective from date of manufacture NOT date of purchase which is a problem if that is the case as if I am reading the serial number correctly it was manufactured September 07 so I am a year out, date of purchase I am still trying to find out exactly.
Although at this time I am disabled, I used to be a partner in a company that produced basic devices and have experience of working on PCB's/all electronics at component level, to make a few extra beer tokens I still do repair TV's, DVD players, satellite receivers, whatever people trust me to 'have a go at'. I am sure I could repair a faulty mosfet(I have tested the PSU/Corsair TX650W and it's fine). I am not in a position to upgrade to I7 or really buy another EP45-UD3P, I squander my income(such as it is) on food, electric, heat that kind of thing. So, if Gigabye cannot repair it under the RMA conditions, can they repair it, if so how much? I have worked on mobo's YEARS ago.... I really hate working with surface mount components(need to take extra beta blockers!) but maybe Gigabyte could supply me with parts or even maybe enlighten me on the nature of the Mosfet issue as I said it is something(I hear) that these mobo's do suffer from.... basically I guess I am asking what my options are, At this time I have everything(components) on a G41-ES2L and while I am posting, the northbridge on this mobo gets VERY hot, I have 2 of these mobo's and it happens with both.... as much of a fan of Gigabyte I am, I would like to question the wisdom of putting the onboard graphics hardware on the same die as the Northbridge(maybe I'm wrong?) I just hope I am not pushing that poor little mobo, the Saphire 5850 Vapor X is nearly as big as the mobo, the Q9550 is the E0 stepping version(75 watt) but I don't think this essentially budget mobo was designed to work with the definetly non budget components that now sit in it while my EP45 sits barren, I wish it supported RAID(the G41)! Anyway, I think I can repair it if the other options are un-affordable, any advice?
