advice needed

[chaotic_russ]

i sold my triplex hd3870 xt on ebay , i test it fully and found it was working ok . now the person who bought it says the following

Hello,

I bought new TRUST 520W power supply but it made no difference and graphics card is still causing the whole system freezing and restarting. As I mentioned before, everything is fine when working in 2D applications, but it fails to work properly as soon as I run 3D Mark 2006 or want to play games. I made a fresh installation of Windows XP and tried various versions of Catalyst drivers including the last 8.3 one. Also I tried to downgrade it to 8.1 version but to no avail. So finally I decided to try the card on my mate`s computer and swapped my Triplex card for his PowerColor ATI Radeon HD3870 one powered with Casecom 500W power supply, but the result was exactly the same. After running the first demo in 3D Mark 2006 it freezed and restarted the system. All components in my computer comply with requirements of the graphics card so I am sure there is something wrong with the card. I am sorry but I have to ask you to return me my money back.

Regards.

it was working fine when i sent it , what should i do ?

[Lucio]

This is the danger of selling PC parts, what works fine in your setup isn't guarenteed to work fine in someone elses computer.

Personally, I'd check with Ebay and see what you're legally obliged to do because this could be a scam, he could have had a duff card of the same type as yours and is simply swapping it around.

[peterb]

You could ask for it back - test it and see if it is working - you then have the choice of refunding his purchase price or sending it back to him. If there was a serial number onthe one you sent, you can tell if it was the same one that he sent back.

If it is duff when you get it back, its a bit trickier as it is then his word against yours - he sys it was duff on receipt - you say he damaged it. Impossible to resolve. If he paid by paypal, he may well raise a dispute with Paypal. At best you will get negative feedback. At worst (and he is a scam artist) he may raise a dispute anyway before returning the card, and you risk losing card and the payment

[chaotic_russ]

i have just got a reply from him >

Hi,

I fitted plenty of cards into motherboards so I know what to do. My 520W Trust PSU has high-end graphics card PCIE connector able to supply up to 150W in that PCIE branch. My friend`s 500W low-end PSU powers his HD3870 with flying colors, so there is no reason for better PSU at all. My system works fine back with my ATI X1950 PRO 512MB graphics card now, so I deny that card could be damaged by my PC. Also if it was damaged by a static electricity it would not work at all, not only in demanding 3D applications. I don`t want to suspect you of not telling me the truth about the card prior sending it, but I deny your suspicion that my system damaged the card on the other hand. I am going to contact OC UK for a replacement, hopefully they`ll solve the problem. I will keep you informed about the progress and ask you for assistance when needed.

With regards

he has yet to respond to the psu question etc (amps on the 12v rails etc), i hope they sort it out so i dont have to refund him the money (spent it already lol)

[shadowmaster]

Whats his feedback like?

[chaotic_russ]

17 feedback now , anyways here is the psu i think he is using (ssems a little low on the amps to me )

CQout Online Auctions - Closed Auction Lot # 3579936

[RyanP13]

Never heard of that make of PSU.

I would get him to make a video of the card installation to verify it is not working.

Then post on youtube.

Sounds dodgy to me.

[MSIC]

i sold my triplex hd3870 xt on ebay

I just did a google search for the Triplex 3870 as i have never heard of them, and this thread was number 1 in the list
I wanted to check, it's not that new Asus 3 GPU's on one board is it?

Back to the topic, it sounds to me like the buyer is being quite reasonable so far, and sounds like neither of you are being misled as such. Could it simply be something that was damaged in transit?
Did it get sent recorded delivery? If so, (i can never remember how Royal Mail stuff works) could it be insured by them?

[chaotic_russ]

I just did a google search for the Triplex 3870 as i have never heard of them, and this thread was number 1 in the list
I wanted to check, it's not that new Asus 3 GPU's on one board is it?

Back to the topic, it sounds to me like the buyer is being quite reasonable so far, and sounds like neither of you are being misled as such. Could it simply be something that was damaged in transit?
Did it get sent recorded delivery? If so, (i can never remember how Royal Mail stuff works) could it be insured by them?

here is the makers site
Triplex-Graphic Card Manufacturer , it was sent via royal mail special delivery and valued for £100

[MSIC]

Upon reflection i doubt it would be damaged in transit if it's working in 2d mode.
It's a tough call, but if it were me i'd accept it back and test it myself again.

[s_kinton]

Sounds like his PSU isn't up to job to me.

[d3fiant]

I agree, ask for it back to test before u refund. Personally I always mark hardware that I sell with a UV pen, paranoid I know but it saved me at least twice

[arthurleung]

520W PSU that cost 24 quids?
Casecom is even worse, selling for 15 quids.

There is one possible way, try underclock the video card
like 775 / 2250 -> 465 / 1350
That should reduce the power usage, may be low enough that his PSU can run it, that way you can proof that it is his PSU that is the problem.

But then it is down to him if he want to test it, or claim that it still didn't work.

Does he not have a friend that use decent PSU

[chaotic_russ]

i just got a message from him saying he want a refund of £29 for postage costs/ phone calls as it was confirmed to be faulty and replaced , it was fine when it was sent and i sent it special sat delivery instead of normal recorded delivery at no extra cost to him . i think he has a nerve for asking this , how do i stand with this ?

[peterb]

How would you feel if you were in his shoes?


However if you have retested it and it is working, you can

a.) explain and do nothing - and take the inevitable negative feedback

b.) Make him an offer - perhaps his return postage - and risk some negative feedback

c.) Refund him the £29 and hope you don't get negative feedback.


Your call.

[iranu]

12A and 16A on the 12V rails. It's the PSU not being upto the job.