There is considerable dispute as to whether certain nVidia 6800 GPUs are fully functional. It’s mentioned here, there’s considerably more discussion pro and con there
On page 13 of the thread, there is a post which states that someone at nVidia told the poster that there was a hardware fault with the GPU.
Others are disputing this.
What To Do
There’s a very simple rule to follow when situations like these happen: DON’T BUY IT. If there’s any question as to whether or not something is broken, stay away from it until that question is resolved one way or the other.
To me, that’s the geek equivalent of “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?” on an IQ test, but unfortunately, a lot of geeks fail it, and they fail it in one of two ways.
The first way is for people to say, “Well, I’m not having a problem, therefore, there is no problem.” Wrongamundo, dude. Most hardware problems of this nature don’t happen with every single product. They either only happen under a specified set of conditions (which you may well not have duplicated), or only a portion of the devices are faulty.
In other words, it’s not “all or nothing.”
The second way is for the self-deputized fanatics of the company/product in question to deny any and all problems associated with “their” guys. To them, the “cause” is far more important than the possibility of cannon fodder like you ending up with a broken video card. Then again, in those minds (and I use the term loosely), the possibility of “their” company making something faulty doesn’t exist.
That certainly indicates some blown circuits someplace in those heads.
Abstinence Until An Answer
When you don’t know something important, and you don’t have to do something, the best thing to do is usually nothing until you do know.
Unfortunately, many treat patience like it were a disease. It isn’t.
Is there a problem? Honestly, I don’t know, and neither does anyone else for certain, with all the details, outside of a few at nVidia. All I know is that you can’t possibly end up with a broken video card if you never buy it.
Waiting a few days or a week to get an answer is a small price to pay to get it right, the first time. I’m in the market for a new card; I’m certainly going to wait, and if I can, so can you.
Trust me, you will live.
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