9800Pro Repair

[Pooperscooper]

I was putting together my system today and accidently grabbed a heatsink on a small chip, the chip popped off half way and the card won't work. I bought a nVidia FX card but would still like this card. Is there anyone who repairs them? The only thing that needs to be done is to solder the chip back onto the board. Are there any reputable companies that do this? Can it be fixed?

[CrashOveride]

It should be able to be fixed, especcially if you still have the part. You could do it yourself with some practice even. As for repair there are probably local companies but I don't know of any anywhere.

[devilscow22]

my advice would be to look around for a local buisnes that does computer repairs and ask them if they could do it. btw what is your new card?

[Pooperscooper]

Right now I'm running a GeForce FX 5200 128MB. I just ran to the store and grabbed it. I'm not sure on how it performs, but I needed a video card to plug my monitor into.

[Pooperscooper]

I've been looking around and no one in my town wants to fix it. Does anyone know a reputable source on how to get this thing repaired?

[Agent_Mull]

If your good with a soldering iron you can probably do it yourself.

[Pooperscooper]

I'm not

[Chum]

Where do you live? Have you thought of calling the card manufacturer? If it is just soldering...possibly call around to a store that repairs stereos and such...or an electronics school.
I fix copy machines for a living...25 years...and have done alot of board repair...it all depends on how small(close together) the contact points are on the chip...I could do it for you, but could make no guarantees...PM me if you like...

[juliendogg]

was it the little chip by the power connector? looks like a mosfet with a little bitty sink attatched? I broke mine off as well. Oopsie. I cried a bit. Anyway i'm really good with a soldering iron, and i got the chip attatched back to the card properly. However i had powered up the card before i noticed the mosfet was halfway off and the screen was all garbled. I reattatched the chip and stuck the card back in. Still fubar'd. So i'm guessing if you've ran power through the card it's fubar'd. :|. something else on the card must have gotten fried without that chip to limit voltage or whatever it does.

good luck!

J.

[Pooperscooper]

Thats the one. I didn't plug the power in when I started the computer. Then, I pluged the power in and borke it off. So your saying that its fried?

[dartor]

Thats the thing with electronics, you can never really tell if something can be fixed or not. You just have solder it back on and hope for the best. The magic smoke out may have escaped, but the point is you don't know until you try.

BTW my thoughts and prayers are with your card.:p

[juliendogg]

it looks like a mosfet to me. So putting power to the card without it attatched could very well cook some other more important component. at least that's the best i could figure out with mine. One of these days i'm going to take that chip back off and try and solder it on again and see if i get better results. It's my gut feeling that the card is toast though. It may or may not be the same with yours, as Dartor said, u don't know till you try.


J.

[ACTF_Heat]

I broke a chip off my 9800 pro,too. The chip I broke off was a pinhead sized chip on the processor itself......It seems way too small for me to try to solder it back...and I cant even find the chip that broke off anyway... I got an RMA number from ATI...what are the chances they will fix it? The card is only like 3 months old...what are my other options,too?

[mtnbikerjerry]

I hope you are able to receive a new card.

That shucks man.