Dell says they can send a tech to do the install of a new CPU I bought from E bay but they will void my warranty...help please!!!

Hi guys, I need your advice on this one...I bought a core2 duo T7600 processor from EBay in order to upgrade from my dual core T2500. I called up Dell and asked if they could send over a technician to do the install for me for a fee (since I did not purchase the part from Dell), which they said they could do. As I was about to book the appointment for the tech to come over the Dell agent mentions that as soon as they install the new CPU in my system the remaining 1 year Complete Care warranty that I have will be voided with them. I was taken a bit off guard because I remembered reading in a thread on this site that if you upgraded the CPU (especially if a Dell tech does the install for you) then the warranty on your system would not be affected except of course for the CPU itself which is not Dell's responsibility since I bought it elsewhere.


So now I am stuck not sure what to do at this point. I cancelled the Dell tech from coming over in order to think things through here. What are my options here? If I get a tech from elsewhere to do the install for me and run into problems with the processor and swap back in my original CPU, will Dell ever know? Is there a seal that is on the CPU that would show that somebody did a swap or tampered with it at some point?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

It is very likely that they have a seal that protects the CPU heatsink. If you take that seal out, they will void your warranty no matter which processor you have in your machine.

It is your choice: Slow CPU+warranty or fast CPU + no warranty. I would get the latter.

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I upgraded my T5450 1.66 Ghz CPU to a T8300 2.4 Ghz CPU. I kept my original CPU and always swapped it back in before sending my m1330 in for warranty work. They have never given me problems because of this. There was no 'seal' on my m1330 CPU.

Just swap it in and out yourself....

 

Also, one more thing that I forgot to mention in my post, is that when I purchased this laptop back in February of 2006, the dual core processor had just hit the market and at the time these processors were only 32 bit. So, I even asked the agent, does that mean Dell expects me to just stick with a 32bit processor and never be able to upgrade to a 64 bit processor as long as I am on warranty with Dell? It makes no sense. Especially, this being a processor that was available and was sold with my system later on during its lifecycle.

 

If you're going to lose warranty, I wouldn't do it. If you can hold out for another year, then maybe it will be worth it since your warranty will be over anyways. Are you comfortable with installing the CPU yourself? Read up on the user guide and if anyone has installed a CPU into your specific model.

 

Nope, what it means is that because you bought the CPU from someone other than Dell, that installing it into your machine could cause things to fail. Dells warranties normally state something that means if you install something that was not bought from Dell, that any damage caused by that part is no longer covered by the warranty.

I'd personally fight them on it a little. For example, if your display goes bang; well that's not going to be due to the upgraded processor; so why should it void your warranty.

However, I do find myself agreeing more with sgogeta4. I guess it's a case of which matters more, your warranty or the speed of your notebook?

 

What doesn't make sense? Manufacturers always want you to stick with what they give you. Upgrading RAM and HDD is normal and won't void your warranty, but upgrading CPU or GPU or anything else will void your warranty. 32bit and 64bit stuff are just results of using the capable CPU.
Most manufacturers don't have any seal around CPU, so it's possible to upgrade the CPU and swap it back when sending it to warranty. However, by calling a technician over, they'll have a record of you swapping CPU and voiding your warranty right then and there. Given your questions, I don't suppose you're comfortable with swapping CPU's, so it's better to keep what you have.

 

It actually makes no diff whereyou bought the CPU. If for example you bought a cpu that they normally use, and something happened, they would most probably cover everything but the cpu unless it can be shown that something was improper with the installation....note I said that they normally use with that system.

It comes down to the CPU in use which is why they would have said that. For example, initially with the M1330, they could not get a 2.4Gcpu to work in the system and they had to pull them after the first few systems kept konking out. This may be why they may not warrant a systsm as you state.

EDIT: I went through this extensively with respect to ssds when they first came out as well as running my system with 64bit architecture... The end result of our conversations was always, "if they can show that the hardware I used caused other damage".

 

Agree 100% with Les. Sorry, I wasn't being clear - if you'd have bought it from Dell then they would have only sold you processors that originally shipped with that model. Unless they were being sneaky.....

 

That was exactly my line of thinking which is why I called for a Dell tech, I figured as long as Dell did the install I would be able to keep the warranty on my system except for the CPU. As well, the core2 duo T7600 processor was offered later on for the Inspiron 9400 with no issues that I am aware of, so I did not think that there would be any problems in having Dell do the install for me.

 

Ask them why it would invalidate your warranty then. Challenge them. I would - I mean it's not going to hurt your case any.

 

Actually the Dell agent on the phone told me that it's because (and I quote) "the CPU is interconnected with everything else in the system and that it can result in damaging other parts of the system.” Have you ever heard of a CPU causing damage to other "parts" of the system?

 

Call up dell again and speak to a different agent, i bet they will say its okay to do the CPU upgrade this time.

They wont even notice if you swapped the CPU, unless there is a void sticker, which there isnt for dells.

 

Here's a link to DIY instructions:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins9400/en/sm/cpu.htm#wp1084976

 

Sounds like a good idea, I'll probably go that route. If Dell still says that my entre system warranty will be voided, I'll just find soembody else to do the install for me, Thanks

 

Thanks!!!!!

 

If the work is done by a Dell-certified technician on Dell hardware, then there is no reason for the warranty to be voided. You can try arguing this point with a representative, or you can take the long road and install the CPU yourself (the latter option is more self-beneficial, I think). If I'm not making any sense, just disregard my post; concussions have a way of voiding the warranty on my brain.

 

I would just swap the CPU myself and if I ever needed to do warranty work, swap it back. That's what most users here do, and as previously mentioned, Dell doesn't really have any way of knowing you did it.

 

I agree with pretty much everything said in this thread. I've swapped processors on plenty of Dell's, and even when I had a technician come over to do other repair work, they never noticed a thing. There are no warranty seal stickers on the CPU. And most reps I've spoken to agree that as long as any damage is not caused specifically by the CPU, warranty coverage should not be affected.

Hell, the last time I had a technician over, he helped me swap a T6400 for a P8600 that I owned. He told me that Dell doesn't really care about this kind of thing as long as the user doesn't cause any damage during the installation process, or forgetting thermal paste, or something.

If I were you, I would read up and perform the swap yourself. Then, if you ever need to send the system to Dell for anything else, just swap it back with the original processor. They won't notice a damn thing, and if they do, 99% of Dell techs won't care.

 

Dont worry man!
You can let 3rd party change the processor. There is very less chance that your CPU will go bad. If any other parts go bad then the technician comes and changes those and doesnot care if you changed the CPU or whatever( Since they are 3rd party persons and dont care ). Just offer him/her a coffee or a soda and he/she will be in ur side. One more thing, I changed my CPU and there was no any seal or whatever. They are just like fairy tales. Just change ur CPU. But remember if you have depot service then swap the old processor but if you have Inhome service then no need to worry about anything.

 

LOL Thanks dude!

 

No problem at all!