Broken video card, fix or sell?

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TheMechanist

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Nov 25, 2015
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So, i have a broken asus gtx 770, as in it runs fine until i try to run any intensive application (a few seconds after the game starts and it requires more graphics power, my pc freezes to a solid color, then the audio cuts out, and no response to anything, including pressing the power button, forcing me to hold said button until it shuts down that way).

Now at first i thought it was a driver issue so i reinstalled the drivers, no luck. I thought maybe a psu issue, so i bought a new psu, still, no good. After contacting asus and sending the card back to them, i thought it would be fixed, but nope, it still had the same problem and asus didnt even bother to let me know if they couldn't fix it or whatever. so i bought an asus gtx 960 4gb turbo as a replacement. problem solved.

So i now have a broken gpu sitting around, not doing me any good. is it possible to diagnose the problem?

Do you guys think it's possible to fix? i have a multimeter, soldering iron, heat gun, etc.

Or could i try selling it as is on ebay or craigslist (letting them know it's broken. i don't need fraud claims against me). what would be a reasonable price?


tl;dr i have a broken gtx 770, can i fix it myself, or could i sell it and at what price?
 
Solution
Shaun o
A simple test, lower both the Gpu core speed, and the memory speed of the card before you start to game.

If the card works at windows desktop, or while playing video files, and you get nor graphical glitching or on screen artifacts, and no freezing happens.

Then the cause to it freezing a few seconds into playing any sort of game is down to about two things.
The first is the card at some point has got very hot, causing the solder points between the underside of the gpu chip to have cracks in them.

Every time you go to play a game what happens is the heat from the Gpu causes expansion of the circuit board and solder points on the underside of the Gpu die.

And why the card throws a fit when trying to play a game putting load on the...
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Shaun o

Shaun o

Illustrious
Oct 7, 2007
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A simple test, lower both the Gpu core speed, and the memory speed of the card before you start to game.

If the card works at windows desktop, or while playing video files, and you get nor graphical glitching or on screen artifacts, and no freezing happens.

Then the cause to it freezing a few seconds into playing any sort of game is down to about two things.
The first is the card at some point has got very hot, causing the solder points between the underside of the gpu chip to have cracks in them.

Every time you go to play a game what happens is the heat from the Gpu causes expansion of the circuit board and solder points on the underside of the Gpu die.

And why the card throws a fit when trying to play a game putting load on the Gpu.
If you reflow the solder joints on the underside of the gpu. it fixes the cracks in the solder joints that connect it to the circuit board contacts.

Done right and it fixes the card.

You can re flow the joints using a Pcb hot plate, or you can do it by using a home oven, making sure you strip the card of it`s cooler first.
There are guides on how to do this via google.
Or as you said sell the card as faulty on e-bay.
 
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Solution
getochkn

getochkn

Polypheme
Jul 2, 2006
12,407
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Sure throw it in the oven. That does either two things. Buys you a few weeks to months in case you sell it to someone as working in a really dishonest, shady manner and in which case, I hope karma would catch up with you.

You fry it and make GPU casserole.


The words OVEN and reflow should never be used together. Back when I repaired things like this, I bought a $2500 reflow machine, and that was a low end one. why? Because an oven isn't a fricking reflow machine, it's an oven for fish n chips.
 
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