EVGA 1080 Ti FTW3 capacitor dilemma...

[V F]

In a bit of a pickle. Upon taking the second part of the backplate off following Gamer Nexus's video:

Closer look for them at 4:54.

Made a right booboo. I was preparing the card for the cold plate. The thermal pads were oozing all over the 5 capacitors as it ran down, runs everywhere right above the PCI-E lanes. Second one from the left on Igor's Lab above the PCI-E lane almost bottom corner of the GPU circuitry. Below the biggest right screw hole. 5 in a row.

https://www.igorslab.de/en/overclocking-kuhlung-performance-infrared-board-layout/3/


Practically all the thermal pads were oiling all over the underside of the plates. Like Johnson's baby oil and vaseline jelly once the backplates were removed. It was quite messy. Most of the pads started disintegrating.

The backplate was stuck so hard that it slipped and my thumb nail clipped the capacitor and tore it off. Trying to find out what it does but by the looks of it, it looks impossible to solder unless it was someone skilled as it is crazily small. No doubt if I tried to carry out the task, it would disintegrate the capacitor.

 

[V F]

Can you get a photo?

Depending on where the capacitor is, the card could operate (standard 100nF bypassing caps) or it could blow up (VRM compensation, etc).

Even the smallest capacitors 0201 or 0402 size can be soldered by hand in seconds, but it will take someone with the correct setup and skills. Do repair shops still exist?

It was right near the lip of the plate (white circle) where it slipped with my thumb nail. Cleaned up most of the oil from the pads. It was quite messy and slippy. 4 years use.

Sadly I don't know of any repair shops for things like this locally.

 

[V F]

I still have the capacitor that came off and the one above it in the circle is slightly pushed off. They're not damaged. There are two in each row.

 

[V F]

Based on the location i'd guess at two possibilities:

1. The AC coupling caps for the PCIe links - These are 100nF, probably 25V X7R Type, if the cap is damaged. Try the card and if it won't work in 16x mode, that's what the caps are.
2. A bypass cap for something not overly important, the card will probably work fine forevermore.

Either way, I'd try the card and see if it works. Fixing won't be expensive (£30 above is a good deal) and z10m has a nice setup (even got extraction!!)

EDIT: Having a closer look at the images, I'm 90% certain it's an AC coupling cap, so the card might just run in 8x mode. I'd get it fixed for £30

PS: Don't sweat knocking these off. I bumped one off a prototype board of mine a few weeks back, whole thing turned to black smoke. Oh well, only 2k down the drain

The caps aren't damaged. Nothing crushed that looks obvious. One was forced off from my thumb nail as the plate popped and slid off prising it up around the edges. The other has been moved while still stuck on one end. As the one that came off had obviously pushed the other one.

I never knew what was under there on that very edge. Though the fact the caps were saturated in oil and the pads were so gooey made it a nightmare getting the backplate off. The cap seemed to come off with very little effort. I've been seeing this oil appear on the card for a few years now.

Though no joke, when I felt my nail clip that capacitor, my temperature soared through the roof. Those thermal pads were awful to deal with. They were leaking all over the board while most of the ones on the GPU side had mostly dried to brittleness.

From what I know now, wish I used a hair dryer on the backplates. Gamer Nexus made it look so easy. Though, when he stripped his down, it was new so no 4 years of heat cycles.


@z10m I'll get back to you soon on that. As I'm not aware of anyone local who would even have the skill for this let alone them screwing up the solder.

I assume you know how small these capacitors are? it's frighteningly small.


[Edit] Yep, I've just examined those capacitors. They're not damaged. One is still attached to the solder but pushed off one of the contacts to an angle. While I have the one that came off in a tiny screw bag. Both has their respective shape.