4870x2 - Semi-dead!

Hello,

My 4870x2 been giving me headaches since 2 weeks and I'm starting to accept the fact that it might be joining the dead soon.

It would work just fine in windows for days and then If i run a game ( any full-screen 3d app ), the game will hang soon after it runs, I lose signal to my monitor and then I can't do anything except forcing the system to shut-down. If I turn on the machine again it will turn on, stays idle for like 1 min and then screen comes on with weird symbols in bios.. etc.
Then I have to just leave the computer for some time then keep on trying to turn on the machine again, eventually it boots with no artifacts in bios and gets me to windows. ( I'm running on the 4870x2 atm )

Example:



I didn't try this card in another machine yet, but it's pretty obvious it's the card, no? Anyways I talked to some guy and he accepted that I try the card on his machine tomorrow.

But if you guys agree with me that it's the card, then please recommend me a suitable upgrade ( yes I know it's heartbreaking unless you're a millionaire which I'm not ).

If I'm getting an upgrade I won't gimp my system, I want something that at least gives what a 4870x2 would offer.

Sorry for writing lots of stuff, but this f'in card ****ed me off..

Thanks in advance gurus,

P.S: I would like to let you all know that these problems didn't happen because of any thermal issue... the temps of the card was always fine.. I suppose it's luck, maybe a memory chip went nuts.

I doubt its the card . But am sure you will find out soon when you try the card in another system .IF your CPU is overclocked try it at stock and set fan speed manually to 55% .


Edit: i didnt see the pictures the first time yep its the card...

I can almost guarantee its the card. I have had this happen in many different systems.

Looks like a fried card to me.
If the warranty is history i'd take the heatsink off and clean it, then reinstall with nice new thermal glop.
If that doesn't help things, it's dead.

@Bobnova, I'd do that, should I put new thermal post on the gpus? i suppose memory chips only have thermal pads or whatever..

Definitely looks like the card is fried. Believe it or not, if your temps were never high and you didn't have some crazy failed over clock attempt, I'd take a hard look at your power supply.

I had a PSU fry a video card just like what your seeing. Everything else in the system was fine so I RMAed the card and fried the second one before zeroing in on the PSU! But, that was many years ago when I was still pretty "green". I kept a snapshot (for nostalgia) of the artifacting just before death from that incident.

Bobnova said:

Looks like a fried card to me.
If the warranty is history i'd take the heatsink off and clean it, then reinstall with nice new thermal glop.
If that doesn't help things, it's dead.

Click to expand...

He could try the 'oven trick' if cleaning out the dust and putting new thermal compound on doesn't help.

King107s said:

He could try the 'oven trick' if cleaning out the dust and putting new thermal compound on doesn't help.

Click to expand...

+1, should be an article on the oven trick posted on the front page of overclockers.com soon.

King107s said:

He could try the 'oven trick' if cleaning out the dust and putting new thermal compound on doesn't help.

Click to expand...

ghost_recon88 said:

+1, should be an article on the oven trick posted on the front page of overclockers.com soon.

Click to expand...

+2

The oven trick can definitely surprise someone! But... one must take precautions and not rush it!! This requires having your plan though out before starting the process. Doing it right the first time is the only real chance you have. If you screw it up, you're only making the ability to fix the part worse.

Wouldn't the oven trick be a warranty is over last ditch attempt to save the card? I was thinking the oven trick also BTW.

GT3mich said:

Wouldn't the oven trick be a warranty is over last ditch attempt to save the card? I was thinking the oven trick also BTW.

Click to expand...

If anything is ever under warranty, you should always resort to going for an RMA. The only reason to do the oven trick is if you didn't have that avenue...

For sure..

Looks like the mems are buggin out..

If you have no warrenty, you must shove it in the oven

If you want more 4870x2 lovein

Do it!! Do the oven trick

Can anybody link a proper tutorial for the oven trick? I'm considering it...

Cheers everyone

good luck chuk

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=606658&highlight=oven+trick

Since youre going to be pulling off all the plastic and fans etc, be sure to clean off the old heat sink thermal compound really well before putting it in the oven and remove all the dust.

I would also recomend you have a cooling area set up for when you take it out of the oven. Best thing is something that wont absorb a lot of heat from the card (like a clean cardboard box with some foil on top). Cooling it off too fast could un-do what the heat is supposed to fix (cracks in soldier and traces). Try not to flex the card when taking it out of the oven hot too.

Apply some new AS5 (or whatever you like) when everything is nice and cool. Put everything back together and let us know how it does.

Edit: Don't forget to check on that PSU!!! You will be really POed if you go to all this trouble or get another card to have it happen again.

@king, thanks for the tips.. I still didn't do the deed, but soon will.

By the way, how can I really make sure that my PSU is fine? I suppose I can't know unless I try another card.

King107s said:

I would also recomend you have a cooling area set up for when you take it out of the oven. Best thing is something that wont absorb a lot of heat from the card (like a clean cardboard box with some foil on top). Cooling it off too fast could un-do what the heat is supposed to fix (cracks in soldier and traces). Try not to flex the card when taking it out of the oven hot too.

Click to expand...

What I actually recommend is a slow cool down. I've done this with heat guns on various electronic components as well as when I use the oven trick.

These numbers are just for example...
If say you're toasting your card at 400F, after you preheat the oven and set up the foil and whatnot, cook your card for the 8-10min (or however long you're doing it), you then want to gradually decrease the oven temp and let the card go through a cool down. Something like this:
Set to 325F, leave card in there 2 min
Set to 250F, leave card in there 90 sec
Set to 200F, leave card in there 90 sec
Turn off oven, leave board in there for 2 min
Open oven door and leave board in there for 10 min
Remove board from oven and let sit for 20-30 min
Test it out!

Just an example... don't follow it as I was just showing you the method I meant.

Here's my post at [H]ardforum:
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034177362&postcount=285

That's what I did with a 360 that got it to work, but unfortunately the 360 went bad again... that's the fault of the MS engineers that designed it, though...

Guys, I just baked an old 6800GT which used to artifact badly on boot etc.. The card is back and running ( although I don't have use for AGP cards anymore, lol ).

I put it for 8 minutes @ highest temp my oven have ( pretty old oven ). Problem is I don't really know what was the temp inside the oven... but it worked.

Think I should throw the 4870x2 in the same oven despite me not knowing exact temp? I suppose if it worked for the 6800gt it won't hurt the 4870x2, no?

Cheers

lenix said:

@King, thanks for the tips.. I still didn't do the deed, but soon will.

By the way, how can I really make sure that my PSU is fine? I suppose I can't know unless I try another card.

Click to expand...

I would NOT try another card until youre sure its not the PSU. Thats how I fried two cards a several years ago because I was too hasty in my trouble shooting. Check the 12V rails and make sure they are ok. Looks like you have four 12V rails at 20amps each. This should be more than enoough for your system. Make sure you haven't overloaded a single rail with all the work.

lenix said:

Guys, I just baked an old 6800GT which used to artifact badly on boot etc.. The card is back and running ( although I don't have use for AGP cards anymore, lol ).

I put it for 8 minutes @ highest temp my oven have ( pretty old oven ). Problem is I don't really know what was the temp inside the oven... but it worked.

Think I should throw the 4870x2 in the same oven despite me not knowing exact temp? I suppose if it worked for the 6800gt it won't hurt the 4870x2, no?

Cheers

Click to expand...

LOL! How do you cook with an oven that has no temperature settings? Go down to Target/Walmart and pick up an Oven Thermometer (they are like $10) before you attempt this.