This post is to serve as a place for me to keep track of how different graphics card manufacturers handle warranty – in the US, that is, I’m not tracking Europe at all. Next time a graphics card fails on me, I’d like that to be an easy process.
After compiling this, it’s a pretty dismal picture. There are a lot of “original owner only” or “registration required” clauses. Be aware of what warranty is being offered and register if that’s required.
Asus:
3-year from date of manufacture
Asus’ website states that a customer would need to go through the reseller to get any kind of warranty service.
BFG:
Limited lifetime if registered within 30 days, or 1 year from date of purchase if not registered
Registration within 30 days of purchase required
Original owner only, warranty does not transfer
Diamond:
3-year warranty according to NewEgg
I had a hard time finding warranty information on their site – take a look around before deciding.
ECS:
3-year NVidia cards, 1-year all other chipsets
Original invoice required as per web site. My experience is that S/N can be sufficient.
Warranty processing process is slow in my experience.
EVGA:
1-year, 2-year, 3-year and lifetime agreements depending on model
Product needs to be registered 30 days from purchase
Warranty only extends to original purchaser
Gainward:
1-year, 2-year, 3-year depending on model. Likely from date of manufacture or date of sale to distributor.
No direct warranty to end users, only to distributors, unless the card was bought directly from Gainward, say through their web shop.
Warranty will be voided if S/N sticker falls off, and for the usual technical “tampering” reasons.
Gigabyte:
3-year from date of manufacture
Direct RMA available
Very speedy response from RMA dept. in my experience
HIS:
2-year, presumably from date of invoice.
Original invoice required.
Direct RMA available.
MSI:
2-year parts & labor, 3rd year parts only, from date of manufacture.
Direct RMA available.
Return shipping and handling paid by end user for 3rd-year warranty: US-$ 45.
PNY:
3-year or lifetime, depending on model; 1-year if not registered
Registration required
Original invoice required, original owner only.
PowerColor:
2-year from date of invoice
Original invoice required
Original owner only, warranty cannot be transferred.
Sapphire:
2-year from date of invoice
Original invoice required
Sapphire’s website states that a customer would need to go through the reseller to get any kind of warranty service.
XFX:
Limited lifetime warranty on graphics cards, or 3-year, depending on model
Warranty period starts from the date of invoice or packing slip
Direct RMA available
Original owner or one subsequent owner only. Subsequent owner needs to register product within 90 days of buying used, using the same ID that original owner used to register the product.