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B-grade GPU replacement with coil whine - bad RMA experience at ocuk

sanyimano

sanyimano

sanyimano

Associate
Joined
25 Apr 2025
Posts
15
Location
UK
My Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse I purchased from ocuk has a hidden manufacturing defect. At low temperatures it fails to fully load the VBIOS. This completely prevents Linux from starting from cold boot. Windows can boot, but it won't load the GPU driver. Rebooting a couple times resolves the problem, because the card heats up in the process. This defect was hidden, because I purchased it in the summer, and it only presents itself below 22 C room temperature. It took me a long time to troubleshoot this. I wasn't sure if it's a driver issue, or some other components in my only PC.
Once I started to suspect that this is a GPU error, I sent it back to ocuk for RMA. This was on 7th February.

On 27th February, ocuk replied that they tested the GPU by Rebooting several times and running a stress test, and there's no fault found. They returned the card.
In my machine it was still not working properly, so I thought it must be something else wrong. I sold the 7900 XT on ebay and started planning a new build. A couple days later, the ebay buyer wrote to me that they experienced the same issue with this GPU. I apologized, payed for the return and refunded them.
I sent back the GPU to ocuk the second time on 10th April, including an even more detailed description on how to replicate the issue, and what not to do while testing.

On 23rd April I received this from ocuk:
'We have managed to confirm the fault with the card this time around. As we no longer have any new stock of the GPU, we will be replacing this with a B-grade version linked below.
www.overclockers.co.uk

Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse 20GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Order B Grade Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse 20GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
Please ignore any warranty information for this as the warranty should go from the original product.''

4 days ago I received the replacement card. It has terrible coil whine. I can hear it from the other room. I recorded it with my phone, but the recording isn't perfect, in reality it's even louder, it gives me a headache.

This is where the story gets really infuriating. I refused to accept this GPU as a replacement and asked them to either provide a faultless replacement or a refund. This was their response:
'While coil whine can be annoying to some users, it is generally not considered a fault by manufacturers because it does not affect the functionality of the graphics card or other components. In other words, the graphics card will still perform as intended even if it has coil whine.
Due to this we are unable to get this back for a refund unless there is a fault with the item.'
I asked them to escalate this issue.

Today I asked for an update. This was the response:
'As the item was accepted as a replacement before it was shipped to you, unless there is a hardware fault with the product which affects the performance of the item we are no longer able to accept this back as a refund.
If you are unhappy about this outcome, then you can submit a complaint web ticket via the link below so the issues can be escalated to a manager for you.'
followed by a link to raise another ticket.

I have never explicitly accepted the replacement.
What are my options here? I don't like it that I have to ask the public, but I believe people should now that these things can happen at ocuk.
 
Give OCUK a chance to escalate it to a manager as per their email.

Ultimately, if they didn't get acceptance from you to ship the bgrade to you (as your wording suggests) and they still refuse to replace the card, you could raise it with your credit card company.

At the end of the day a product should be "fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality" and it could be argued that extreme coil whine is not acceptable quality.

I'm not 100% sure whose side the CC company is going to come down on, but you lose nothing by trying.

You'll need a better recording though to really put the point across.
 
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Keep pushing back as that isn't acceptable. You bought a new item with 1 or 2 year warranty maybe more that had a fault and ended up with used item with I think 60 days warranty.

When you buy new and it's faulty you are entitled to a like for like replacment of it can't be fixed

Hopefully you paid by credit card and can go through them if you have to.
 
sanyimano said:
because I purchased it in the summer
Click to expand...
So over 6 months have elapsed?

In which case you have no right to a full refund. Your only options are a repair (which are rareky done on complicated items like computer parts), replacement or part-refund.
A replacement has been offered - and because coil whine isn't a performance issue, and is highly dependant on other components including your choice of PSU, you would not be eligible to return it as faulty.


sanyimano said:
I have never explicitly accepted the replacement.
Click to expand...

As per citizens advice - doesn't necessarily matter what you ask for - it's up to the seller what they can offer.
If the item should've lasted until now, you can ask for a repair, replacement or part-refund. It's up to you which one you ask for, but it's ultimately up to the seller which one they offer you.
Click to expand...

sanyimano said:
What are my options here?
Click to expand...
Try a different PSU for a start, or try the various different frame rate / sync / radeon chill options etc. Try a slight underclock. Leave it running overnight on something that definitely causes whine, to try and "burn out" the whine. There are plenty of things you can try
 
Finners said:
You bought a new item with 1 or 2 year warranty maybe more that had a fault and ended up with used item with I think 60 days warranty.
Click to expand...
Nope - as stated above - OcUK stated to ignore the B-Grade warranty and that the original warranty period would still be honoured.
 
Armageus said:
and because coil whine isn't a performance issue,
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This may be OCUK's stance, but products, even replacement ones, should be "of satisfactory quality"

A performance issue would fall under "fit for purpose" but that isn't the only bar it has to reach

If you bought a TV that made a similar noise it would obviously be a defect.
 
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sanyimano said:
If you are unhappy about this outcome, then you can submit a complaint web ticket via the link below so the issues can be escalated to a manager for you.'
Click to expand...
It sounds like they already left the door open for you to complain. I'd guess a lot of buyers complain about coil whine and in many cases it is perhaps mild and they get used to it, but if you find it excessive then send another ticket..
 
they sent you a b-grade that has likely been returned more than once under CCR because of coil whine. nice handy way to get duff product off the shelves that they would ordinarily struggle to sell. i'd push back - without going digging into the consumer law on this, i'm pretty sure you are entitled to reject the replacement in the same way you can reject any purchase within the first 14 days.
 
I forgot to mention, the original card is over 2 years old. It's still within it's 3 year warranty. The issue is a manufacturing defect though that was present at the time of purchase, but it only appeared during the first winter, due to the nature of the defect.
The original card didn't have any coil whine in the same machine with the same PSU, so it's arguably not a like-for-like replacement. I understand that all GPUs have some level of coil whine but the volume of it matters.
 
Thekwango said:
they sent you a b-grade that has likely been returned more than once under CCR because of coil whine. nice handy way to get duff product off the shelves that they would ordinarily struggle to sell. i'd push back - without going digging into the consumer law on this, i'm pretty sure you are entitled to reject the replacement in the same way you can reject any purchase within the first 14 days.
Click to expand...
This is what I suspect as well.
I am not unreasonable. I would have accepted a refund, replacement with a new non-pulse 7900XT, replacement with a Sapphire 9070 of similar value, even a replacement with a used GPU that works fine.
They didn't give me an option.
 
sanyimano said:
I forgot to mention, the original card is over 2 years old. It's still within it's 3 year warranty.
Click to expand...
So what are the terms of the original warranty?
Does the warranty state a brand new replacement will be offered?

sanyimano said:
I am not unreasonable. I would have accepted a refund, replacement with a new non-pulse 7900XT, replacement with a Sapphire 9070 of similar value, even a replacement with a used GPU that works fine.
Click to expand...
A full refund isn't an option under consumer rights. A replacement with another brand new card isn't necessarily a given under consumer rights either.

Escalate it to a manager as OcUK have suggested, and go from there - however as it's over 2 years old now you need to be flexible with regards to a resolution.
 
Armageus said:
So over 6 months have elapsed?

In which case you have no right to a full refund.
Click to expand...
that's not strictly true, if the op can show the fault is something that was there from the outset (e.g a manufacturing defect) then they are still entitled to a full refund/replacement.
 
A B-grade replacement would have been fine. The problem is the coil whine. The description on the site says:
'B Grade items may have been used, have damaged packaging, missing accessories or a combination of these (Motherboards may be missing I/O shields).
Some items may have scuff marks or slight scratches but should otherwise be an operable product.'
This would have been all fine. I don't mind a few scratches or missing accessories. I do mind the noise. And the alleged intent from ocuk to get rid of a product they otherwise can't sell.
I couldn't sell this whiny card. If I sold it on ebay, my buyer would return it, and rightfully so. With this regards this replacement product has the value of a 1.5 kg brick. Or aluminium... :)
 
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