How often do GPU´s malfunction?

Console_peasant

Commendable
Jul 10, 2016
5
0
1,510
Im afraid that if i buy a new rx 480, it will malfunction after the warranty has expired. Can I buy the GPU with a 1 year warranty? How often do video cards malfunction?
 
Solution
Personally I have never had a GPU fail on me (I have owned many), however I don't tinker with clocks and I buy high quality PSU's/Motherboards and tend to avoid brands that the prevailing wisdom claims are more likely to fail. I have seen statistics that report failure rates of between 1% and 4% however these don't discuss if that is:

A) Failure in QA before going to a customer
B) Failure within warranty
C) Failure based on returns to the AIB partner

The reason all that matters is that it probably hides cards that have failed but the customer just bought another and binned the old card. I can't really give you a figure for how much that actually matters but I think most people get a useful lifespan out of the cards and are ready for...

Dustybin

Respectable
Feb 24, 2016
524
0
2,360
Personally I have never had a GPU fail on me (I have owned many), however I don't tinker with clocks and I buy high quality PSU's/Motherboards and tend to avoid brands that the prevailing wisdom claims are more likely to fail. I have seen statistics that report failure rates of between 1% and 4% however these don't discuss if that is:

A) Failure in QA before going to a customer
B) Failure within warranty
C) Failure based on returns to the AIB partner

The reason all that matters is that it probably hides cards that have failed but the customer just bought another and binned the old card. I can't really give you a figure for how much that actually matters but I think most people get a useful lifespan out of the cards and are ready for that upgrade before the thing dies.
 
Solution

inerax

Distinguished
I have had GPUs fail. But I use them until they die. I ran dual 6950's for years. They worked the entire time. I then wanted better performance and upgraded. I recycled the cards to my kids computer. 1 card died. Getting artifacts on bios. Pulled the card, the main card works fine.These cards are 6+ years old.

Also, same thing with an even older card. This was from like 2000. It was a 9700 pro. I used it for years until the fan died and it overheated and cooked.

So, in the end, GPU's have a failure rate of 100% given a long enough time line. In my opinion if I get 5-6 years of use out of them I am very happy. All GPU's should last you until they cannot run newer games. This is considering you overclock or punch the card.
 


Then you will be afraid to buy anything at all LOL, it's just something you have to live with. Video cards usually have much more than a 1 year warranty, 3-5-10 years are not uncommon.