Shortly after I bought a generic PC from Mofidi Technology, I noticed something wasn't right with the AMD Athlon XP 1800+ processor. After a couple of weeks, the PC wouldn't boot. I called Mofidi for help but instead got the runaround for weeks--until the company went out of business. Then I sent the chip to AMD, thinking a tech would verify that it was defective and send a replacement. But AMD said it honors warranties only on chips purchased directly from AMD. Is this right?
William E. Blasic, Union City, Pennsylvania
On Your Side responds: I contacted AMD on Blasic's behalf. Company spokesperson Damon Muzny explains that if you buy a computer with a preinstalled AMD chip, the PC maker should support the entire system, including the CPU.
(If you buy an AMD chip through a retailer, such as CompUSA, the chip comes with a warranty. You should return any defective chip to the retailer.)
In Blasic's case, fixing the system was Mofidi's responsibility. But because Mofidi has gone belly-up, AMD promises to help Blasic get his PC up and running.
Grace Aquino is a senior associate editor for PC World. E-mail her at consumerwatch@pcworld.com. Click here to view past On Your Side columns.Would you recommend this story? YES NO
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