A Saga of a Failed MB? With Special Guest Stars Broken Ethernet Pin and Maybe It's the CPU!

[SirinisII]

Seeking some more opinions on this... Buckle up, y’all. This one is a ride. 

For context, these are the specs: 

HP Omen 16 wf-0000 (755G1AV) running Windows 11

Intel® Core™ i7-13700HX

Intel UHD Integrated Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Discrete

16GB RAM

1 TB SSD

About a year ago, I purchased this laptop with the intention of graphic design and casual gaming. The specs it shipped with, listed above, is what I’ve had, and it’s worked amazingly for what I’ve needed it for. I have not dropped it, and the only “wear and tear” has been from transporting it to school and home (I’m a teacher). Had a couple weird cosmetic bumps on the vents on the back that were acquired early on (likely through transport even though I was NEVER rough with my backpack), but nothing that affected heat or performance.

Fast forward to early July I noticed that my laptop would not turn on. The battery LED would light and indicate charging/charged, and fans would turn on when plugged in and would hum a little bit when unplugged, but nothing of note. I called HP Support, and the tech was extremely helpful and informative. He walked me through trying to reboot the BIOS and a few other possible recovery options (it’s beginning of the school year and my brain is tired so I don’t remember which other ones), and we determined it was likely a motherboard issue and it would need to be sent in. As we’re discussing the process, it magically turned on, a good 15 minutes after trying any sort of boot process. 

Upon follow up a few days later, everything was still working, if it was a little slow to wake up, and then, as if by freaking magic, it worked perfectly again. This was helpful, as I had a few graphic design jobs that were definitely needed to cover some bills. I held onto the computer for about two weeks, having no issues and taking advantage of it because again, I needed the money. 

Then, it finally gave in. Went back to how it was, and didn’t ever come back up. It was still under warranty, and I had the packaging, so I sent it off, noted the cosmetic damage and detailed the problem, and then… I waited. 

I received an email a few days later saying that the damage was accidental/customer inflicted, and to repair the computer would be around $540. I called to discuss it. The photos sent were of the cosmetic vent damage and pins on the ethernet port, one of which looks to be bent or broken. If it’s been that way, I wouldn’t have known because I never use that port.

That representative tried to talk his way around it, saying I caused the damage by dropping the computer (which I have never done), that the “motherboard was cracked” (which I got no photos of), and, when I called all of this out, was then told that because the computer “wasn’t built for graphic design, it put stress on the motherboard.” (He also assumed I had bluescreens while designing to reinforce this. Funny enough, the only BSODs I got were during gaming and occasionally while just browsing the internet). 

Needless to say, the case was requested for escalation. 

The case manager was very kind and supportive but in the end said that the pins on the ethernet port caused the motherboard failure, as it’s “integrated into the motherboard”. I had the computer sent back to me unrepaired. I am not illiterate with technology by any means, but I have friends who are very experienced in computer repair and they’ve taken a look at it. 

No shorts, blown capacitors, or cracks were found. There was no liquid damage. Other than a couple pieces of dog hair, it was pristine under the shell save for those pins. The pins are not touching each other, so they shouldn’t have shorted out. Nothing telling... and I feel like I’m back at square one with a computer that’s just as dead as when it was sent off. My friend who is looking at it is suspecting a faulty motherboard or possibly CPU. 

So, here I am, two months later and still trying to figure this out. I need some more opinions on this, so I came here. I love my Omen, and it’s been fantastic for me until it died. But this whole experience has been incredibly frustrating and disheartening, as well as landing some punches in the bank account since I cannot complete design work in a timely manner. It wasn’t even a year old, and was still under warranty. I’m not rough with my technology, especially when it’s a part of my livelihood. 

Thank y’all in advance. This has been a NIGHTMARE.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @SirinisII 

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