Empty RAM slot Asus RMA reference
Empty RAM slot Asus RMA reference
Hey everyone! Here’s a revised version of your message.
I’m truly sorry for the lengthy post—I just needed to share my experience and get some feedback. First of all, I realize this might not be the right place, especially since this is my first post here. I’m not sure if I need help right now, but I want to explain what happened so you can understand better. English isn’t my first language, so I apologize if anything sounds awkward.
About a month ago, I purchased a 2022 Asus Zephyrus G15 GA503RS laptop at a local IT store. It came with 16GB of RAM and no operating system. When I asked for a compatible 32GB RAM stick, they gave me this "Team Group SO-DIMM 32GB DDR5 4800Mhz Elite CL40" to upgrade it to 48GB. Once home, I opened the laptop to install the new RAM, but noticed the seal was damaged. I should have stopped right away and seen it as a warning, but I thought maybe they just opened it for testing. (I did take a photo just in case.)
The laptop didn’t come with an OS. My goal was to run Linux, which fits my daily work, but eventually I decided to install Windows to confirm everything worked. At first, there were no issues—just installing software and setting up my environment. But after a week or two, I needed to use it properly. Once I started using VirtualBox, the computer would freeze and show some screen artifacts. There was nothing I could do, so I had to shut it down.
After restarting, I looked up possible GPU problems on Reddit, and soon it froze again. I saved a video (590f3e.mp4) for reference. Since there was no OS, I assumed the drivers might be the issue. I spent several days double-checking everything. Eventually, after about two hours, the laptop passed the tests.
I returned to the store and explained my troubleshooting steps, shared photos, and suggested they consider a faulty RAM stick or slot. They said they couldn’t declare it "Dead On Arrival" since I’d installed an extra stick, but they’d send it back to Asus RMA. I was confused about how to find out about a faulty slot without using it or a defective RAM stick.
After two weeks, I received an email saying the device was ready for pickup. At the store, the representative told me the report mentioned weird noises on the speakers that were replaced under warranty. I was shocked—didn’t they review the full report? There was no mention of crashes or RAM issues. The store even said they’d leave a written report inside the package.
I asked if they tried troubleshooting the second RAM slot, but they said it wouldn’t be tested because it came empty. This made me feel frustrated. I wanted to see something resolved, not just hand over my money and accept the situation.
Now I’m worried about selling laptops with faulty slots, since they often skip testing them. I asked for my RAM stick, and the lady started searching for it—only to find it was just left in an empty box. This made me angry and determined to stand up for my rights.
I learned that the warranty covers lifetime issues, so I asked if they’d test the stick at all. The representative said she could leave it here and test it for me. She apologized for the hassle, offered an extra week, and promised to RMA it again.
Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. What are your options? Are there any known policies about empty slots? How can I ensure they fix things before returning it? I feel my money might be wasted if they don’t take responsibility.
Edited November 22, 2023 by Seablades
The i7-3610QM on the L850 is from Q2'12—so I don’t have it for 12 years.
I truly believe it might just be a bad RAM stick. My confidence isn't complete since I'm not entirely sure it would trigger that freeze with the ROG logo. Do you think this is possible? There seems to be a lot of uncertainty with faulty RAM, making it tough to get a clear answer. The MemTest86 worked fine on the 16GB units but not on the 48GB ones, which feels like they're avoiding accountability. In about a week, I expect my final RMA report, and I'm trying to stay focused so I don't let any excuse distract me.
I've recorded this update to track the issue for future reference. A message from the store came in, stating that tests were conducted on YouTube videos with and without memory for 30 minutes, showing no problems. Both Heaven and Memtest passed. The laptop is ready for pickup. They didn’t find any issues during testing and seem willing to let me try it myself. I reached out by phone asking them to verify the results and reopen the case, but they replied that tests appear to be fine and invited me to come and test it.