Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Support

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tima
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Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Support

Post by tima » Fri Jun 03, 2005 6:53 am

I have an Intel D865PERL motherboard. I replaced my stock P4 2.8c HSF with a Zalman CPNS7000b, and I noticed a defect in the retention mechanism. One of the corner slots is missing about 2-3mm of its top "bar". There's still enough left to secure the Zalman clip supports, and it has been secure for the last year with the stock HSF, but I'm still thinking about replacing it, now that I recognize it as a defect and not some imaginary "keying" feature. So, two questions.

1. Is it possible to replace the retention mechanism without removing the motherboard from the case? I believe you remove the pushpins by prying them loose with a screwdriver, but what about the black fasteners? It looks like they may have to be released from underneath. :(

2. What is the deal with Intel support? The only toll-free number they advertise is "pay per incident", and after I filled out their email form, tried to condense my problem into its single-line field and submitted it, received their utterly redundant and useless search results email, and clicked its "escalate" link, an apparent human replied to give me a 916 number. A three year Intel warranty ain't what it used to be, I guess.

m0002a
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by m0002a » Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:15 am

tima wrote:2. What is the deal with Intel support? The only toll-free number they advertise is "pay per incident", and after I filled out their email form, tried to condense my problem into its single-line field and submitted it, received their utterly redundant and useless search results email, and clicked its "escalate" link, an apparent human replied to give me a 916 number. A three year Intel warranty ain't what it used to be, I guess.
Warranty is not the same as support. They sell 98% of their processors and motherboards to system builders who don't need support, so they are not really set up to provide it.

tima
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by tima » Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:55 am

m0002a wrote: Warranty is not the same as support. They sell 98% of their processors and motherboards to system builders who don't need support, so they are not really set up to provide it.
Then what's the procedure to speak to someone who can provide warranty service? The Intel manual says to consult "Intel Customer Support". You seem to be drawing a distinction all your own.

The thing is, several years ago when I had CPU fan troubles, I called an Intel 800 number that wasn't an offensive "pay per incident" number, and they promptly sent me a replacement. It was all very simple and straightforward. I expected the same treatment for my retail Intel mobo that I got for my old retail Intel CPU, and AFAICT, if I were to develop trouble with my current retail Intel CPU, the support experience would be just as dismal at it is for my mobo. So the question stands, what happened to Intel support?

Ralf Hutter
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by Ralf Hutter » Fri Jun 03, 2005 4:02 pm

tima wrote:
1. Is it possible to replace the retention mechanism without removing the motherboard from the case? I believe you remove the pushpins by prying them loose with a screwdriver, but what about the black fasteners? It looks like they may have to be released from underneath. :(
Yes, it's certainly possible, but sometimes it's a bit easier if you can get access from the back side to pinch the expanded studs together.

m0002a
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by m0002a » Fri Jun 03, 2005 4:27 pm

tima wrote:Then what's the procedure to speak to someone who can provide warranty service? The Intel manual says to consult "Intel Customer Support". You seem to be drawing a distinction all your own.
Here is the web page for warranty service:
http://support.intel.com/support/mother ... 009050.htm

It appears that you can contact any authorized distributor to obtain warranty service (but I am not sure about that). There is a search function to find an authorized distributor near you.

It also appears that you can call the Customer Support phone number for motherboards that is listed as a pay per incident support only. However, I would call the listed number anyway to see if you can talk to them about a warranty issue without having pay per incident. Maybe I am wrong, but I suspect that only support issues require payment, and warranty claims are handled without charge, but I am just speculating.

tima
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by tima » Sun Jun 05, 2005 12:20 pm

m0002a wrote: Here is the web page for warranty service:
http://support.intel.com/support/mother ... 009050.htm

It appears that you can contact any authorized distributor to obtain warranty service (but I am not sure about that). There is a search function to find an authorized distributor near you.

It also appears that you can call the Customer Support phone number for motherboards that is listed as a pay per incident support only. However, I would call the listed number anyway to see if you can talk to them about a warranty issue without having pay per incident. Maybe I am wrong, but I suspect that only support issues require payment, and warranty claims are handled without charge, but I am just speculating.
I have no trouble finding the pages on the Intel web site; I had already done that, verified Newegg would be no help, and started my Intel support incident before I started this thread. After I "escalated" my problem through a button in the email Intel's version of "Eliza" sent to me, a human replied and gave me a (916) number. When I wrote back asking why I have to call a toll number concerning a defective Intel product, he wrote back, saying, "The phone number available for warranty replacement is (916) 377 7000. Please contact that following Intel(R) office, and make reference to the Case #". Intel support ain't what it used to be. IIRC, they even used to publish (800) numbers in their physical documentation; at least, I don't recall having to do a web search to find a number to call six years ago for my boxed CPUs, which developed noisy fans.

tima
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by tima » Sun Jun 05, 2005 12:29 pm

Ralf Hutter wrote: Yes, it's certainly possible, but sometimes it's a bit easier if you can get access from the back side to pinch the expanded studs together.
Are they like the heatsink fasteners often found on video cards? If so, I'll expect to have to remove the motherboard. :) Ah well, I'm thinking about not doing it at all. The 1-2mm lips on the bottom right slot seem to be doing an adequate job of securing the Zalman clip support. The defect doesn't appear to cause the HSF to tilt, either. The stock HSF was fine for the last year this way, but still, the Zalman is heavier...

Ralf Hutter
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by Ralf Hutter » Sun Jun 05, 2005 1:42 pm

tima wrote:
Ralf Hutter wrote: Yes, it's certainly possible, but sometimes it's a bit easier if you can get access from the back side to pinch the expanded studs together.
Are they like the heatsink fasteners often found on video cards?
Couldn't tell you, I've never messed with any vidcards that haven't had glued-on heatsinks.

They consist of a white plastic "thumb-tack" sort of pin that is pushed through the board where it expands a split pin to lock it onto the board. They work like this connector. More pics near the bottom of this page.

tima
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Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:18 am

Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by tima » Sun Jun 05, 2005 1:54 pm

Ralf Hutter wrote:They consist of a white plastic "thumb-tack" sort of pin that is pushed through the board where it expands a split pin to lock it onto the board. They work like this connector. More pics near the bottom of this page.
Thanks for those pics. As long as they don't have an overt lip that causes them to snap into place, it just might be possible to pull them through without having access to the underside of the board.

Ralf Hutter
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Re: Replacing socket 478 retention mechanism and Intel Suppo

Post by Ralf Hutter » Sun Jun 05, 2005 2:09 pm

tima wrote:
Ralf Hutter wrote:They consist of a white plastic "thumb-tack" sort of pin that is pushed through the board where it expands a split pin to lock it onto the board. They work like this connector. More pics near the bottom of this page.
Thanks for those pics. As long as they don't have an overt lip that causes them to snap into place, it just might be possible to pull them through without having access to the underside of the board.
They do have a bit of remaining "swelling" even after the white plugs have been pulled out, but I've always been able to coax the bracket off.

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