Artic Silver, CoolPC and uter mind blowing arogant stupidity

[Sol]

(I apologise for the formating of this post - I've never been big on paragraphs and recent experiences havn't helped)



I'm typing this on my parents K62-400, Where now is my AthlonXP1700+ overclocked to 1900+? It sits silent. Crippled by the loss of its RAM. How did this tragity occur you ask? Well it started inocently enough (NOT) with me wanting to put heat sinks on my RAM. This seemed like a good idea, cheap(not anymore), athetic, and possibly even performance enhancing- pump up the voltage drop it down to CL2 from CL2.5. But thats where everything started going wrong. I got the Heat sinks from CoolPC an online cooling supplier based in Queensland. I actually ordered a whole lot of stuff for water cooling in about October last year. It arrived some time last month (So much for the leave 3 to 7 working days) but was missing quite a bit of stuff (temperature monitors, fan power cables etc.). So after many calls to them (I love STD calls) They finally promised to ship the remainder via express post that day along with some Arctic Silver epoxy for which I would not be charged. So exactly one week later an express package arrives (So much for 1 to 2 buisness days) containing: an invoice for 3 thermal sensors all paid for and some Arctic silver epoxy free. So far so good. The actual contents of the package was one thermal sensor and the thermal epoxy. I do pan to call them about this (Obviously)but so far havnt had a chance. Anyway tonight was the first chance I got to test out the epoxy, so I got out my RAM and the glue and a bit of cardboard and proceded to mix some up - equal portions from each tube. The instructions for the glue(not included) which I got off the net tell me that I should cover any exposed pins on the RAM with silicone but at 7:00 at night its not somthing that you can just go out and buy. So I figure I'll be fine without it as long as I don't use too much. So I apply the glue to the RAM (carefully) and whack the heat sinks on top then set it down and wait for it to dry. Being 5 minute epoxy this shouldn't take to long. About an hour and a half passed before I really began to suspect somthing was wrong, and a vauge , stupid idea began to form in my head. A quick check confirmed what I had at first failed to notice. I had two little tubes of Artic Silver Epoxy Part A this was never going to dry. The next few hours was spent cleaning the silvery gunk off my RAM, and it was this part which was in all liklyness the killer. Because I had been carful putting it on and examination showed that I hadn't got any on the pins, but the stuff just wasn't meant to be unapplied, and inevidably I managed to get quite a lot of tiny silver particles stuck between the pins on the RAM chips.
Its hard to say what the most annoying part of all this is. Is it the fact that had CoolPC sent me the right tubes I probably would have been fine?
Is it that had I just followed the instructions I probably would have been fine anyway. Or maybe the most annoying thing is that I actually nearly resurected my RAM or at least half of it. An acetone bath and a peice of blu tac had me actually starting to write a post about how my RAM nearly died. But now my machine won't even post.
So here I sit at a quater to one in the morning, with the realisation of just how much money I have lost due to Arctic Silver, CoolPC and my own uter mind blowing arogant stupidity.

PS:Tony if you read this before I talk to you you may as well have a half a gig of DDR ready for me. And if you could somhow manage 333 then perhaps my RAM won't have died for nothing.

PPS: Man this is bad, very very very bad.

 

[Tannin]

Ouch!

 

[Tannin]

A few other choice details I can add to that tale of woe. Sol didn't mention that CoolPC shipped his original order from Brisbane to Perth, instead of Ballarat. Now "Perth" not only doesn't sound anything like "Ballarat", and certainly doesn't look like it, it's 2000 bloody miles away!

They charged it to the credit card of some poor Perth-based computer dealer with the same name as me. Then he sent it back and said it wasn't his, and please could they reverse the charge on his credit card. That was November, I think. An email or three from me, and God only knows how many phone calls from Sol later .... oh, and another couple of months .... they finally managed to remember that here was a guy only too pleased to spend five or six hundred dollars who put his order in sometime in October and maybe they should send some stuff out.

Sigh.

Come grab some RAM Sol.

I guess this isn't the time to tell you that it's gone up again?

Sob.

 

[Buck]

They sent it to Perth? I could have sent you the RAM in a much shorter time. Did they at least apologize with The Australian Prospector Coin and Nugget Set from the Perth Mint?

BR

 

[Tannin]

On the 333, Sol, it might not be such a good idea in the light of Corvair's remarks: http://www.storageforum.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=294

 

[Sol]

Well at least my machines running now although the RAM is still very dead. Now its time to call and abuse the guys at CoolPC.
As a note to this does anyone have a good way to clean RAM DIMMs without causing even more damage to them, and does anyone know another place in Australia to get performance cooling gear, other than CoolPC of course.
Any help would be apreciated as it looks like new RAM will be arround the $350-$400 mark, or in another way, between 1 and 2 weeks of my working life, closer to 2.

 

[Tannin]

I should have thought of this before. I'll call Legend tech support on Tuesday. They have always been really good when I've needed them in the past. It's Legend RAM after all, and though I think pouring epoxy over it will void even a Legend lifetime warranty, the tech support guys might be able to suggest the best way to treat the sticks.

 

[Sol]

Well Tannin assuming I manage to post this message then the only thing you might need to call Legend about is to congratulate them on thier indestructable RAM. Yes thats right all 512MBs are up and runningthanks judicious application of some toothpaste. After a good brush as you suggested I managed to run a full set of 3dmark2001 tests without a hitch so everything seems rosy. Of course my system could still crash at any time but I don't think it will. Add to that the fact that I have managed to find a substitute for pretty much everything CoolPC stocked and its been a pretty good day in the end.

 

[Tannin]

That is bloody fantastic! I'm sure my Legend rep will get a good chuckle out of the story! Have yourself a long, cold one.

 

[Pradeep]

Don't mind if I do Tony

I too have experienced the shitty quality control of coolpc, half complete orders seem to be their particular type of brand image?

 

[Tannin]

I was talking to LiamC today and he too has dealt with them, and had difficulties. They couldn't manage to part-ship his order for one item, so they did the next best thing and had it arrived damaged. He got satisfaction out of them ..... eventually.

 

[time]

Okay, I still don't really have time for this, but ...

I can be on CoolPC's doorstep within twenty minutes. I invite anyone with a list of outstanding issues to post them here or email me, and I will pay them a little visit.

As you should know, they're just a bunch of uni students operating out of a house. I wouldn't expect fast service anywhere near exam time or Xmas, and there's bound to be some confusion at the best of times. But that doesn't excuse failure to rectify a problem. It's probably due to the absence of a full time boss to follow through.

BTW Sol, what's the alternative supplier? I don't suppose they have quiet and/or low-profile 60mm fans?

 

[Tannin]

That is a kind offer, Time. I think most things are resolved now, if not to satisfaction, at least to the point where people can move on and find a more reliable supplier. Oh, there is one thing though. Now that Sol has rescued his RAM courtesy of Tek and Colgate, we have one slightly used toothbrush coming to you by express mail, Time. If you would be so kind, slip on over to Cool PC and put it where it fits the best. (Sideways, of course.)

 

[Pradeep]

Would be futile Tony, wouldn't even touch the sides of those liberal arts nancy boys.

 

[Sol]

I actually found two alternate suppliers who between them have pretty much everything CoolPC have, or at least everything they have that I want, as well as a few more nifty if overpriced items. Generally you'll pay about $4.00 more (actually you'll almost always pay exactly $4.00 more bizzarly) but one would assume you'll actually get all of the items within a couple of months if not days. The two places are;
Below Zero - these guys seem to have all the cooling stuff you could want, and
PC Case Gear - As the name suggests they have mostly case modding stuff.
Despite the URLs both these places are in Australia Below-0 being somwhere in Queensland and PC Case Gear in Melbourne.

As for quiet 60mm fans the quietest I saw was about 34db. If your after somthing to cool your CPU quietly you best bet might be to get a 60mm-80mm fan duct and put a larger slower fan on like one of the panaflow 80mm from PCcase gear which make about 21db of noise, although even a lower speed Sunon 80mm makes only 28db or so. You could always just slow a loud fan down but if its on your CPU then that could be a bad idea as it doesn't exactly add to the fans reliability
Low profile fans are a little harder to get although Sunon make some but they are actually quite loud considering thier flow rate.
At any rate below zero are probably your best bet.

Anyway I hope thats been helpful, and allows you to not feel the need to purchase anything from CoolPC ever again as they clearly suck.

PS. Tanin it was actualy McCleans Whitening.[/url]

 

[Tannin]

Ahh! I was going to say Macleans, I'm a Macleans man myself, but I remembered just in time that we have non-Aussie readers here too and figured that Colgate might be more readily understood. I did consider saying "Pepsodent" but decided that that was going too far.

And Pradeep - that was a beautiful little on-two gag, the liberal arts nancy-boys one following right on from mine. I laughed out loud. Well done partner - nuttin but net.

 

[Sol]

Well just a quick update on things that can kill RAM, temporarily, silicone on the little gold pads (I have no idea what they are called). Once agian the toothbrush comes to the rescue, with some turpentine and a razor blade.
At least it wasn't the epoxy this time because theres no getting that off now.
The toohbrush is going in my computer repair kit now, a million and one uses.
Meanwhile my case is now bright blue with lots of LCD displays and dials and stuff one of which is telling me my overclocked to buggery Athlon is running at a cool 29C.

 

[Tannin]

You are a sick man, Sol. How did you get your case bright blue? Last time I saw it it was a boring and utilitarian A-Open grey. Not counting the LEDs, does it glow in the dark yet?

(Note to Storage Forum readers: yes, there is a reason I can afford to put X15s into my home computer, and his name is Sol.)

 

[Buck]

You are a sick man, Sol. How did you get your case bright blue? Last time I saw it it was a boring and utilitarian A-Open grey. Not counting the LEDs, does it glow in the dark yet?

(Note to Storage Forum readers: yes, there is a reason I can afford to put X15s into my home computer, and his name is Sol.)

I could use a customer like Sol, *sigh*

BR

 

[Mercutio]

Well, how do you feel about shipping to Austrailia?

 

[Buck]

Well, how do you feel about shipping to Austrailia?

I feel like I can't afford it. Sol, move to the USA.

 

[Tannin]

Of course, it would be faster than shipping from Brisbane. You know, in 1849 during the gold rush they used to ship your shirts from California to China and back to wash them, and you could have had your shirt washed twice in China via clipper ship faster than you can get a tube of Artic Silver Epoxy (Part B) out of Cool PC in Brisbane.

 

[Sol]

Actually my case has been silver for some time, but the enamel I used wasn't good enough aparently as the case began to rust, so I cleaned it off and spray painted it. As for getting it that way in the first place, I did as anyone would and attacked my case with a wire brush on a power drill. I had too really because of all the scratches I made when I was cutting holes in it.
I'd love to move to the US, things being so much cheeper there and all, but alas my computer wouldn't work on your pathetic power supplies. what are they 110 Volt?

 

[Mercutio]

110VAC. And the circuits for y'all's 220VAC mains are in our power supplies, too. Even if they weren't, anybody with a 12-week course in electrical wiring could build you the right step-up transformer.

For getting a case the color you want and keeping it that color, try a dry, bake-on enamel followed by for or five coats of clear-coating. You should be able to get both at auto-parts stores. Obviously that won't work if you have some pansy plastic case, but Sol, you don't sound like someone who would have a pansy plastic case.

 

[Handruin]

Well, how do you feel about shipping to Austrailia?

I feel like I can't afford it. Sol, move to the USA.

Hey Buck, are you going to sell computer parts at any point to the general public, or are you focused locally with your company?

Just thought if you offer good prices I'd send you business from myself and anyone else in need of PC equipment. Mwave is based in california and they ship stuff to MA no problem.

-Doug

 

[Sol]

I've been looking arround for some bake on enamel as it sounds like a pretty good option - my currnet paint job is already starting to get scratched arround crews and things and I think I'll need a new one in a coule of months, besides which by then I'll want a new look anyway. At first everyone just directed me to the auto paint store - well what did I expect, unfortunatly they have never heard of bake on enamel and seem to think my best bet is to go and get the case sprayed at a place which does panel spraying as auto-paint tends to be a buy in bulk item and I could get enough for about 3 or 4 cases for about $120 but not just enough for 1.
I was wondering does anyone know if bake on enamel would be known by a slightly different name in Australia, or perhaps the autopaint people are just morons and somone knows sowhere else near Ballarat where I could get some, because I really like the idea of having a car like finish on my case.

 

[Buck]

Hey Buck, are you going to sell computer parts at any point to the general public, or are you focused locally with your company?

Just thought if you offer good prices I'd send you business from myself and anyone else in need of PC equipment. Mwave is based in california and they ship stuff to MA no problem.

-Doug

Thanks for the offer Doug, but we prefer local sales at this time.

BR