I think my TI-4600 just died

[Pntgrd]

A couple of nights ago I was playing NFSHP2 and I started getting a corrupted pixelated screen in the game and then a lockup and I would have to reboot. Didn't do any gaming yesterday and all went well until tonite. Started getting the same pixelated display when trying a game and then it caried over to the desktop. Tried 3 different Detenators and then during the reboot process, the pre-driver screens started getting screwed up. There were colors mixed in with the white fonts during post, and sometimes rolling checkerboard like corruption. Sometimes only parts of the fonts showed. Sure glad I had this old VirgeDX laying around. With its 4 meg of memory I hardly miss that ole' 4600 [not]. Funny thing is the MSI was not o/c'd at all. I wonder if it could be commected to when the gpu fan just fell off it a couple of months ago. I don't think much of the mounting pins they used.

Does anybody know how to get a rma from MSI? I looked on their website but there are no links for rma's. I have had the card since last May but I would think it would still be under warranty.

[Silversinksam]

Just e-mail them here
support@msi.com.tw or http://www.msi.com.tw/html/contact/contact.htm

They also have a Forum

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/e_service/forum/


This is the MSI RMA room

http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/msi_sanfran_7.jpg

Heres the MSI diagnostic part of thier RMA room

http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/msi_sanfran_3.jpg

[Top Hat Theater]

My MSI did the same exact thing and with the help of the forum, it was determined to be onboard memory failure.

~THT

[Pntgrd]

Thank's SSS. I used their online support contact but I will bet with the holidays it will be awhile. I think I will run into town and pickup another 4600. I have a BD7-II, a 1.8A, and another stick of Corsair XMS that I was thinking of putting together and setting beside this one. I was really thnking of putting an ATI in it to see how they are. I have used Nvidia exclusively since the days of the TNT. But the only place to pickup a high-end card only has a couple of PNY 4600's or some MX's, so I guess it will be another 4600.
Thank's TopHat, that is interesting about it being a memory failure. But that makes since as the first signs were in 3D and the textures were the first to screw up. It is funny that it happened on a non-o/c'd card with some of the speeds that peolpe run them.

This has not been my year for parts reliability. I have been playing with these things since the days of an old (actually it was new then) 386 - 25 mhz and I have not had any parts failures other than a floppy drive, or what I killed by being stupid and careless. But this year I have had a 40gig Quantum, a stick of Crucial DDR, a BD7-II Raid m/b, and now this all go belly-up on me. And my first stick of Corsair XMS arrived DOA, another first for me. 2002 will go down as a bad year for me.

[Top Hat Theater]

It's a good thing there isn't much more of it left then. :)

~THT

[Overclocker550]

if this makes you feel better, I had two abit be6-2 boards go bad on me, one of them, the floppy controller died, couldnt use floppy drive, the other one of the transistors broke and I got poor performance. I never had a video card die on me, but I have bought "as-is" cards, some worked, others failed to post. oh yea I also bought a impaired geforce a while back on ebay for like $8, he said it shows streaks and it did. usable card but bad image quality. lets hope msi gives u a new card, but then whyd you buy another geforce4 ti4600 for $249?

[Pntgrd]

I was going to get another card because I am leaning toward putting together another box. I have the BD7 that Abit rma'd. I have at 512 meg stick of XMS 3200 and a 1.8A NW (I put my 1.6 back in because it will run a higher fsb) because I thought my others had died. I had been looking on Ebay for another vid card to do that with. I was leaning toward maybe a 128meg 8500 ATI until this happened. The reason I would get another 4600 is All I would be is pi**ed at the performance drop. But I have to admit I did go "down". Picked up a Gainward Golden Sample 4200 for $100.00 less. Not alot of drop and makes more sense for a backup system. So far I am impressed with it.

[windyridge]

wow that is exactly what just happened to my evga ti4200 it just wouldn't go into windows. does anyone know how to get super glue off of the memorey chips

[dreamtfk]

Pntgrd did you overclock your 4600 at all? The same thing happened with my Geforce2 a week after adding heatsinks to it.

[Pntgrd]

The 4600 was running at stock speeds. I had o/c'd it when I first got it to see how high it would go and then put it back at stock speeds. I even run with the pci/agp locked at 37/74 so that should not have stressed anything. It is not that I am against o/c'ing things it is just didn't really need to o/c the 4600. The guys at the MSI forum said I should rma it and I am just waiting on a number to send it back. I thought about doing it through Newegg but since they don't have any in stock and they want everything back, cables, all 8 cd's, kitchen sink, etc, and all MSI wants is the card, I will wait on MSI to send me the number. The gainward 4200 is pinch-hitting quite well.

[Overclocker550]

if you OCed the card, doesnt that void the warrenty?

[AMDnitromike]

anything dieing just sux. :/