8800gt GPU in my rig seems to be in the process of failing. Yesterday my screen went blank and I had to shutdown the pc. On the reboot it would post ok but with small artifacts during the post. My Windows 8 won't boot unless I boot in the safe mode. I tried to "repair" and "refresh" OS but it didn't help. I tried to update the nvidia drivers too. I get a "VIDEO TRA FAILURE" or something in that sense, I can't quite make out the "TRA" due to a low resolution of the error screen. I tried booting a live Ubuntu CD and it boots ok except for the resolution being limited to 800x600. I expect to borrow a GPU to test in my rig to confirm that it is the GPU that is faulty here. Questions: 1. What do I buy to replace it? 2. If I replace it with another nvidia card, can I just get the old one out and slot the new one in? Or will I have to uninstall and install the driver? Or reinstall the entire OS? I am thinking £88 EVGA GTX 650 will do, purely because it is new (new standards, ports etc) and I've been using Nvidia for last 5 years. Alternative could be ATI 6670, silent Saphire one for about £70. I value silent running and low power draw and EVGA costing £20 more is irrelevant. I assume that EVGA on idle won't be louder then my case fans so silence of Saphire won't really be a feature worth having. I expect idle power draw to be very similar. My screen is 1600x1200, intel 920 cpu, 6gb ram. I don't play games anymore but I play HD video so I would like GPU to be capable in that with the decent standards (cuda video acceleration etc) Any thoughts?
If you don't play games then quite frankly you'd get away with a much cheaper card, such as a passive GT610. I would recommend reinstalling the drivers but that will be all that's required.
If you have the odd urge to game, I would recommend staying around the 650 level. If not, you can drop down to 630/640 range or 6450/5450 just to play HD videos. The ATi 6670 for £70 is a good deal if you're intent on absolute silence. However, have a look at this MSi 7770 GHz Edition for just £10 more. It performs much better and offers equal idle power to the 6670 and it won't be noisy. Good luck!
Strip it down bang it in a pre heated oven (gas mark 7 or roughly 220c) leave to cook for 11 mins and wola working 8800
Yeah, try this. Try googling baking video card for instructions. I've heard people on here have success with video cards and motherboards. A quick google gave me this http://lifehacker.com/5823227/save-dying-video-cards-with-a-quick-bake-in-the-oven Worth trying, if card gonna be binned anyway. Might give you another 6+ months out of it
When my 8800 died I replaced it with a 550ti it was an easy swap as I only had one pci-e plug. To be honest I could play hd video fine with my back up 7900gs installed, so if you only watch videos...
Thanks for the input guys. I will try to bake this weekend, hopefully it will come back to life for long enough for nvidia to release a budget Kepler card that I can buy. I'll let you know how it went.
... or you could pursue a replacement/refund under the Sale of Goods Act if you live in the UK! Just read my signature thread for advice. There's a possibility given a best case scenario that the retailer will issue a nice new GPU for the effort. I managed to get a new XBOX 360 from a partial refund issued over a dead first generation XBOX 360 Elite that resided in my living room for over three years. So never say never, these sorts of results can be achieved.
This is a good point. This is a BFG card and BFG promised LIFETIME warranty. However they were out of business since 2010. I found this: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/...ifetime-warranty-no-longer-being-honored/9315 My card was five years old and it didn't even cross my mind to see if having that warranty could do anything to help. But thinking about the future purchase, does any company still offers lifetime warranty? I know EVGA used to but now it seems that only three years are on offer. Maybe on their high-end models you can get lifetime warranty.
Under the Sale of Goods Act your point of contact is the retailer not manufacturer. So if they're still in business then put in a claim. Even if you used a credit card to buy the 8800GT and it cost £100 or over then the credit card company is equally liable under a piece of legislation called Section 75. Plenty of options to explore here!
I've taken the card apart already to I can bake tomorrow so I will bake and see if it helps. If not I will contact Novatech and will try to get a replacement. Had I not taken it apart I would claim straight away.
Roll a couple of tin foil balls place on tray. Make sure you place it on the tinfoil with the caps and die facing upwards
I always thought that "LifeTime" warranty, meant lifetime of the card, not "your" lifetime. I was sure this was just a marketing thing to maybe not confuse as such, but you know.
Surely that can't mean the lifetime of the card can it? That would meant that the warranty ran out when the card broke...
So I baked it yesterday, 10 minutes at 210C. Today I put it back together, re-applied thermal paste on the chip, added thermal pads on appropriate places and switched the pc on. The card seems to be fixed, pc boots ok, not artefacts, no error messages. However it is now idling at 86C. I might take it apart again later and see what the problem is with the heat. But it will do for now, at least I don't have to worry about buying a new one. Once there is a Kepler around £50 I'll buy it. Thanks for your help.
Now its working change the bios on the card so the fan kick in earlier. The 8800gt fan profile from stock was crap. Ill see if i can find a link
