How to claim zotac warranty?

• Ensure you are on the correct Country/Region on zotac.com.
• Click on the SUPPORT link on the top navigation bar.
• Click on Contact US on the top navigation bar.
• Fill in the corresponding fields.
• Click Send.

Over the last year, I have purchased dozens of cards across most brands in the US, new and used, from different retailers.

I've never had a problem obtaining an RMA for a defective card from ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA, or Nvidia, whether it was purchased new or used from an authorized retailer or third-party site.

Recently, I had to request an RMA for a card purchased used direct from Amazon. My RMA was denied, with the representative citing that I was not the original owner and that the card was not sold to Amazon in the first place.

I was confused since any other brand would have easily granted me an RMA. My assumption that Zotac would have at least a similar policy was wrong.

I looked at Zotac’s warranty policy and other brands with cards in the US and was extremely surprised to see just how lacking Zotac’s was. I actually thought it was just this bad on paper to discourage malicious RMAs.

Let's take a look at how Zotac’s warranty policy compares to other brands. Please note that some policies and procedures are not explicitly stated in their warranty policies but are gathered through chats with customer service and first-hand experience.

Zotac

A 2-year warranty with an additional year with registration within a month. Warranty is non-transferable. Original proof of purchase is required. Products purchased used from an authorized retailer or from a third-party carry no warranty. Additionally, any card purchased has its serial number linked to the retailer it was purchased from. Zotac knows whether a card was sold to Amazon or from their direct store. Also, if you purchased your card from their direct store, your email is associated with the serial number. That specific email/invoice can only be used to obtain an RMA.

Zotac sells refurbished cards to Newegg that have special serial numbers that carry no warranty from Zotac. Only Newegg's 30-day return policy is provided.

Any card that originates from another region can only be granted an RMA from that region. If you have purchased a card from Europe, you can only send that card to their European facility.

If you purchase a brand-new card that is dead on arrival, you will still have to pay for your own shipping label.

EVGA

A 3-year transferable warranty with no invoice is required. If your card is defective within one month of purchase, EVGA will provide a free shipping label.

The fastest RMA turnaround times I have experience with. A replacement card will be sent within 1-3 business days of your card's arrival to their facility.

MSI

A 3-year transferable warranty that either originates from the purchase date with invoice or the manufacture date if there is no invoice. No invoice is required for an RMA.

If your card originates from another region, you can contact their customer support and they will grant an RMA.

ASUS

A 3-year transferable warranty with proof of purchase. The RMA process is automated and is granted within 20 minutes of providing the relevant information. Additionally, if your card is damaged in a way that is not covered by the warranty, ASUS will ship it back to you for free, or you can pay to have it repaired.

ASUS sells refurbished cards to Newegg that carry a full warranty. ASUS also sells refurbished cards on eBay that carry a 90-day warranty.

Gigabyte

A 3-year warranty with an additional year with registration. Proof of purchase from an authorized retailer is required for an RMA.

Gigabyte sells refurbished cards to Newegg that carry a full warranty.

I have never had to RMA a Gigabyte graphics card that wasn't purchased new directly from an authorized retailer. Let me know if you have experience when attempting to RMA a Gigabyte card without one.

Nvidia

I do not have any experience with needing an RMA with Nvidia. Here is what I do know. Let me know of your experiences.

A 3-year warranty with shipping labels is provided. A non-transferable warranty with proof of purchase is required from an authorized retailer.

Conclusion

Most brands have warranty policies that either exceed or at least match the warranty policies of Nvidia, with the exception of Zotac.

Zotac has the shortest warranty of any brand. Their 1-year extension policy is anti-consumer and was clearly come up with in order to provide a shorter warranty. If I am purchasing multiple cards, am I supposed to sit down and spend an hour tracking the invoices and registering them?

Zotac also thoroughly tracks their cards to provide reasons to deny RMA claims. The fact that each card is tracked to each retailer, with even tighter tracking when purchasing from their own site, shows their stinginess in providing RMAs.

Zotac is currently regarded as the lowest-tier brand when it comes to purchasing graphics cards, and that is without taking their warranty policy into consideration. And this isn't without justification. Their RTX 3070 Twin Edge White OC still has an unaddressed issue of fan yellowing (every single card of this model has this issue with extended use). And Zotac will deny any RMA claim that relates to cosmetic damage.

They were also one of two (the other being PNY) brands that did not attempt to try to price their cards at MSRP at the height of the shortage. Other brands tried to keep their card prices as close to MSRP as possible. Zotac raised their prices quickly to absurd levels compared to other brands. Zotac would charge nearly 30% more for their retail RTX cards than any other brand. Some examples of this would be that their RTX 3090s would be priced at $2899 while other brands had a cap of $2399. They would price their RTX 3080s at $1399 while other brands maxed out at around $1199. Their LHR cards would also be cheaper than their non-LHR counterparts.