Faulty GTX 980 ti

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 09:14

I picked up a GTX 980 ti very cheap from someone selling it as untested.

The card powers and lights up and I initially managed to get into Windows and download drivers.

Upon reboot, it tries to load Windows and then stops at the below screen for around 30 seconds and reboots. It does this constantly.

Any ideas as to what I can try to possibly get it working? Would re-applying thermal paste help in this scenario?

Cheers

momo56 · 5 May 2017 at 09:18

Check the pcb, i had to rma a similar card because a capacitor/resistor blew up. Had similar visual issues to what you did.

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 09:21

momo56 said:
Check the pcb, i had to rma a similar card because a capacitor/resistor blew up. Had similar visual issues to what you did.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I had a look at the PCB but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then again, I'm not sure what to look for

orbitalwalsh · 5 May 2017 at 09:37

get your oven ready and bake the thing ! last stop effort

DarrenM343 · 5 May 2017 at 09:46

Very cheap and 'untested'. Lesson learned

.
Any chance of a warranty claim?

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 09:48

DarrenM343 said:
Very cheap and 'untested'. Lesson learned .
Any chance of a warranty claim?

I purchased a similar GTX 970 last year and it arrived in absolutely brand new condition and worked perfectly well. So I thought I'd try my luck again!

Unfortunately this card looks like it has already been tampered with. Warranty stickers have been removed and a screw is missing

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 09:50

orbitalwalsh said:
get your oven ready and bake the thing ! last stop effort

I've heard about baking GPU's. Is it a myth or does it actually work?

ubersonic · 5 May 2017 at 09:52

What brand of 980ti?

Does it show the BIOS fine then go weird when it get's to Windows? If so could be drivers, if not then looks dead lol.

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 10:04

ubersonic said:
What brand of 980ti?

Does it show the BIOS fine then go weird when it get's to Windows? If so could be drivers, if not then looks dead lol.

Unfortunately it does pixelate in parts when in the BIOS.

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 10:05

Would re-applying thermal paste help do you think? Or is that just used for heat purposes?

DarrenM343 · 5 May 2017 at 10:05

Magpie2121 said:
I've heard about baking GPU's. Is it a myth or does it actually work?

Gas mark 5 for 30 mins, turning once, until you smell aroma of burning silicon.........or 5 mins in the microwave.
Only kidding, I have no idea, don't try any of the above.

Doubt the reapplication of paste will make a difference as long as everything is currently attached.

azazl187 · 5 May 2017 at 10:07

Magpie2121 said:
I've heard about baking GPU's. Is it a myth or does it actually work?

I did it to both my 8800gtx cards at different times when I saw similar issues. Both worked perfectly for years after and we're even sold on

The process I used is below -

Remove all plastic that you can.

Roll up some metal foil into several balls (about the size of a Brussel sprout) and then place the card ontop of the balls on a flat baking tray. Make sure the chip is pointing up.

Preheat the oven to around 170 - 180c

Place the tray with the card balanced on the rolled up foil for around 8 - 9 minutes or as soon as you start to smell solder melting.

Take the card out and let it cool for 30 minutes and then check that no parts have dropped off into the tray*. If they have it was in too long or put it in upside-down.

Reattach the cooler and anything else you removed and place back in your rig.

If the issue you have is due to a micro fissure in the solder this gap will now have closed up and your card will work fine again.

Please do this at your own risk, I accept no responsibility of further braking of your GPU.

*Please be aware of the danger of parts dropping off the card if the solder turns to liquid. The reason you raise the card up Is because of even heat distribution. If you lay the card flat on the tray you will create nasty heat spots where the card makes contact with the metal.

momo56 · 5 May 2017 at 10:07

Magpie2121 said:
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I had a look at the PCB but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then again, I'm not sure what to look for

Something like that.

edscdk · 5 May 2017 at 10:12

Magpie2121 said:
I picked up a GTX 980 ti very cheap from someone selling it as untested.

Cheers

never trust "untested" as truly untested...

Why would someone not test a £200 PCIE card? how it is not worth testing an item (the act of testing increasing its price by £150)

it was tested and found not working...

Id only believe it was untested if it was a big seller or low value item, or possibly hard to test for some reason,..

orbitalwalsh · 5 May 2017 at 10:25

make sure you have all windows open and good flow of air into and out of the house if your going to bake it!

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 10:45

DarrenM343 said:
Gas mark 5 for 30 mins, turning once, until you smell aroma of burning silicon.........or 5 mins in the microwave.
Only kidding, I have no idea, don't try any of the above.

Doubt the reapplication of paste will make a difference as long as everything is currently attached.

Too late, I already did what you said.
Now you owe me a new graphics card

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 10:46

azazl187 said:
I did it to both my 8800gtx cards at different times when I saw similar issues. Both worked perfectly for years after and we're even sold on

The process I used is below -

Remove all plastic that you can.

Roll up some metal foil into several balls (about the size of a Brussel sprout) and then place the card ontop of the balls on a flat baking tray. Make sure the chip is pointing up.

Preheat the oven to around 170 - 180c

Place the tray with the card balanced on the rolled up foil for around 8 - 9 minutes or as soon as you start to smell solder melting.

Take the card out and let it cool for 30 minutes and then check that no parts have dropped off into the tray*. If they have it was in too long or put it in upside-down.

Reattach the cooler and anything else you removed and place back in your rig.

If the issue you have is due to a micro fissure in the solder this gap will now have closed up and your card will work fine again.

Please do this at your own risk, I accept no responsibility of further braking of your GPU.

*Please be aware of the danger of parts dropping off the card if the solder turns to liquid. The reason you raise the card up Is because of even heat distribution. If you lay the card flat on the tray you will create nasty heat spots where the card makes contact with the metal.

That's great information and instructions, thank you.

I'll give this a go when I get home this evening

Magpie2121 · 5 May 2017 at 10:47

momo56 said:
Something like that.

I couldn't see anything of that sort when I checked the card.

I think I'll post a quick photo here later of the PCB before attempting to bake it just in case something catches somebody's eye

azazl187 · 5 May 2017 at 13:03

Magpie2121 said:
That's great information and instructions, thank you.

I'll give this a go when I get home this evening

Just please be careful. The 8800gtx of old may have been able to handle this sort of treatment better but the theory is the same.

Below is some citation for you, do some reading first -

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/293183-33-baking-graphics-card-oven

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Tempor...raphics+card+by+heating+it+up+in+an+oven/2240

http://www.addictivetips.com/hardware/fix-your-graphics-card-by-baking-in-oven/

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...in-what-situations-would-it-not-work.2451612/

Razor Time · 5 May 2017 at 13:17

There are companies that can fix gpus, mobos etc, not sure on the cost tho.

https://www.tfix.co.uk/