P67 Extreme 6 [perplexity]

[ivGr]

Hello,

Last year this time (don't know the exact date) SATA bug was found on this platform. Shortly after, I noticed that they were released B3 versions, which were replacements for the affected ones. However, as I know, the necessary and sufficient contition to replace the mainboard is to have the warranty documents. Unfortulately, this mobo was bought direct from the manufacturer, without warranty documents.
I have one question: do I have any chances to change the mainboard with a new one?

Thanks in advance!

[profJim]

You might be able to RMA your motherboard as long you have the original invoice or sales receipt. Consumer rights laws differ in locations around the world. Start the RMA process online with ASRock online: ASRock > Support Request Form
You should be able to deal directly with ASRock in Europe.
Did your motherboard come in a factory sealed box? Do you sill have the motherboard box?

Spend some time in the library and also see if the government has a consumer rights department where you can get more information.
I've owned several Gigabyte motherboards and none of them came with separate warranty papers.

[ivGr]

I sent an e-mail to Asrock support division. Thanks for your help. I will return as soon as I receive new information.

[ivGr]

Exactly as I expected, I haven't reveived any answer from them. I guess it would be a good idea to take my mind off of warranty. Hopefully it will work perfectly until the next upgrade. It seems that the support division is not as nice as I expected. Anyway, thanks for your support.
Have a good night!

[profJim]

Be patient, in some cases tech support responded quickly, but in many cases their support took a long time to respond.
In some forum threads, European owners called ASRock tech support directly and seemed to get fast support.
Send a private message (PM) to ASRock TSD - Emily, include a link to this thread and ask for her help.
Do you have the invoice for your motherboard?
When you say "this mobo was bought direct from the manufacturer", do you mean that you bought it directly from ASRock, rather than buying it from a retail business or web based business? Have you checked to see what your consumer rights are in Romania?

[ivGr]

There is a problem with the invoice; the motherboard was sent for some tests/reviews before the official launch date and it came with the complete pachage, except the buying acts. This means, I have no proof that I brought the motherboard, although I think there is a database which certifies that the board is still in warranty period. Fortunately, the mobo works fine. I should stop dreaming to a new one because this procedure is too complicated and the chances of success are very low.

If you have any idea about how should I do to change the motherboard, please reply.

Have a good day!

[profJim]

First of all, this isn't a warranty issue.
There was an industry wide recall of all the potentially defective motherboards.
Contact ASRock and tell them you need to exchange the motherboard based on the recall.
Hopefully there isn't a time limit for the free motherboard exchange.
You might be able to exchange the motherboard with the company that sold you the complete package.

As I recall, there was a problem with the chips used for the sata ports, not including ports 0 and 1.
Search the web to find out exactly what the potential problem was with the original motherboards from all mobo manufacturers.

[ivGr]

Finnaly, they responded to my e-mail and told me the next thing:

Dear Valentin,
Thank you forcontacting ASRock.

Please kindly contact your dealer to start RMA process.

Thanks for your e-mail.

Good Day,
ASRock TSD

What is the point to contact my dealer if none of us has any evidence or any invoice? How can I explain to them that this motherboard was sent for a preview, before the official launch date. In another train of thoughts, i brought the mobo from the preview's author. Since the motherboard was sent a few time before the launch date, do I have the right to request a replacement?

Thanks for your time!

[profJim]

The potential sata port problem is NOT with the first two ports, #0 and #1.
The problem might occur with higher numbered sata ports, due to faulty engineering with the early versions of the Intel sata chip.
Unless ASRock in Europe is willing to help, you are probably out of luck.

Read the articles on the web. It sounds like a small portion of the original Sandy Bridge motherboards will eventually have problems with the higher numbered sata ports on the motherboard. If your board has sata port problems in the future, you can buy sata add-in cards that plug in to vacant pci or pci-e motherboard slots. Buying used computer parts is a great way to save some money, but in the long run, you'll win some and lose some because private sellers don't have warranties. The sata problem has nothing to do with Sandy Bridge processors.

Good luck!!
Glad to help out.