J
John
I forgot that Newegg charges you to ship defective item replacements.
Ive ordered two refurbs in the past and they were great my Asus a7n8x
deluxe and a Leadtek nforce with builtin video.
I keep seeing these posts about instability and problems with some of
these boards with built in video. I assumed they were referring to
using FSB 200 which many dont even list in their ads because of
supposed problems when using it and onboard video. The solution is
either start experimenting with various sticks of mem or use a
graphics card if you want FSB 200 or just stick with a lower setting.
However I just got a refurb Biostar M7ncg 400 with Geforce MX 400
built in video the usual thing similar to the Leadtek but a Micro ATX
layout. Massive massive problem.
Now for people who have super high shipping costs - $30 for me for
this and two other items im looking at sending this back via USPS for
$12-15 , PLUS they charge me maybe $25 or so to ship me another refurb
replacement.
Thats $30+45 or so total shipping costs 75 to get one MB , power
supply and CPU. And thats IF the replacement refurb is OK. If iwere
unlucky to get ANOTHER defective board that would over $100 extra in
shipping costs in total. Mindboggling.
So the possiblity of getting a defective item has to figure into any
cost savings in ordering from any place if you have even moderate
shipping costs.
Anyone know of any place thats good that doesnt charge you shipping
costs to replace a defective item? Not sure if anyplace does. Im ight
stick to local places if this turns out to be a major disaster with
shipping costs.
Meanwhile - anyone know of any problems with this board? Ive seen a
thread about the usual - incredibly picky memory at another site. I
was fooled by the positive review at Newegg and my super easy
experiences with the last two refurbs. This one I can get at the bios
ONCE. I set up the basic settings for the CPU XP 2000 athlon and after
that it goes dead . I get massive beeping from errors and get no
video. After that it stays like that unless i clear the CMOS.
I then get to the bios that has reverted to default safety settings
and set the settings agan and the samething happnes. Dead unless I
clear the CMOS. I then started to choose various settings in the CMOS
but the samething happens, Even the "safety settings" it reverts to
after I clear the CMOS will cause it to go dead if I dont change them
and try to reboot again.
My initial thought was picky memory. Ive tried 4 different sticks
including Kingston mem which some posters claimed works great with
this board. Then I tried a video card thinking it was defective
onboard video. Nope. I then took it out of the case and ran it outside
the case. nope. I then tried to find something shorting the board a
small piece of metal or something stuck on the Mb OR an obvious bad
cap or wrong setting on a jumper. Nope.
After hours and hours and hours resetting the CMOS over and over and
over again Im sick of this board.
Might try to send it back to Biostar instead hopefully they cover this
refurb - ASus claimed to cover their refurbs wth warranties. I might
have to wait a month but at least they wont charge me shipping and Ill
only end up in the hole $12-15 shipping each time the cost me sending
the defective boards back to them through USPS.
Another strange thing with Biostar - this model at least I gather even
the new retail units dont come with backplates. Weird . I keep reading
about it in website reviews. My refurb thankfully came complete retail
packaging but with no backplate too. I had to send an hour trying to
cut out extra holes in a backplate I had to make work with this.
Ive ordered two refurbs in the past and they were great my Asus a7n8x
deluxe and a Leadtek nforce with builtin video.
I keep seeing these posts about instability and problems with some of
these boards with built in video. I assumed they were referring to
using FSB 200 which many dont even list in their ads because of
supposed problems when using it and onboard video. The solution is
either start experimenting with various sticks of mem or use a
graphics card if you want FSB 200 or just stick with a lower setting.
However I just got a refurb Biostar M7ncg 400 with Geforce MX 400
built in video the usual thing similar to the Leadtek but a Micro ATX
layout. Massive massive problem.
Now for people who have super high shipping costs - $30 for me for
this and two other items im looking at sending this back via USPS for
$12-15 , PLUS they charge me maybe $25 or so to ship me another refurb
replacement.
Thats $30+45 or so total shipping costs 75 to get one MB , power
supply and CPU. And thats IF the replacement refurb is OK. If iwere
unlucky to get ANOTHER defective board that would over $100 extra in
shipping costs in total. Mindboggling.
So the possiblity of getting a defective item has to figure into any
cost savings in ordering from any place if you have even moderate
shipping costs.
Anyone know of any place thats good that doesnt charge you shipping
costs to replace a defective item? Not sure if anyplace does. Im ight
stick to local places if this turns out to be a major disaster with
shipping costs.
Meanwhile - anyone know of any problems with this board? Ive seen a
thread about the usual - incredibly picky memory at another site. I
was fooled by the positive review at Newegg and my super easy
experiences with the last two refurbs. This one I can get at the bios
ONCE. I set up the basic settings for the CPU XP 2000 athlon and after
that it goes dead . I get massive beeping from errors and get no
video. After that it stays like that unless i clear the CMOS.
I then get to the bios that has reverted to default safety settings
and set the settings agan and the samething happnes. Dead unless I
clear the CMOS. I then started to choose various settings in the CMOS
but the samething happens, Even the "safety settings" it reverts to
after I clear the CMOS will cause it to go dead if I dont change them
and try to reboot again.
My initial thought was picky memory. Ive tried 4 different sticks
including Kingston mem which some posters claimed works great with
this board. Then I tried a video card thinking it was defective
onboard video. Nope. I then took it out of the case and ran it outside
the case. nope. I then tried to find something shorting the board a
small piece of metal or something stuck on the Mb OR an obvious bad
cap or wrong setting on a jumper. Nope.
After hours and hours and hours resetting the CMOS over and over and
over again Im sick of this board.
Might try to send it back to Biostar instead hopefully they cover this
refurb - ASus claimed to cover their refurbs wth warranties. I might
have to wait a month but at least they wont charge me shipping and Ill
only end up in the hole $12-15 shipping each time the cost me sending
the defective boards back to them through USPS.
Another strange thing with Biostar - this model at least I gather even
the new retail units dont come with backplates. Weird . I keep reading
about it in website reviews. My refurb thankfully came complete retail
packaging but with no backplate too. I had to send an hour trying to
cut out extra holes in a backplate I had to make work with this.