ATI HD-4870 solution

[oldrookie1]

Problem: Shutdown-Overheat=LED D1601. Shutdown @ startup mostly. Otherwise intermittent. Fan kicked into warp. The rest of system would continue to run.
New build: Asus P5Q turbo pro. Ati Radeon/Saphire/HD-4870. Vista Business 64 bit. 4 gigs corsair Ram. PSU Corsair 550watt. All components NEW. Solution: Borrowed card for another unit. Uninstalled everything associated with the ATI software. Found newer package on ATI site. Download & install. Replaced the 4870. Restart and PRESTO! Hope this helps some others.

 

[oldrookie1]

Wrong! I was wrong about the solution. Thought I was doing something good. Symptoms happened again this afternoon. Wiggled card up and down in the back. Working for now. Thought for sure it was seated. Time will tell. You humble dummy.

 

[Dekasav]

How's case air flow?

 

[oldrookie1]

Forgive me for not mentioning that the symtom also occured on a cold start. < 15 hours with no power to machine> In other words; there is no heat issue. It is a false symptom. After my last post I realized that when I reinstalled the card, it was a bit of a stretch to put hold down screw into chasis. Thusly rasing the power end of the card up just enough to break contact(s) with the slot.

 

[oldrookie1]

Wrong again. Man am I getting red faced. This time the machine ran until I could get into safe mode with Win drivers. Uninstalled graphics card. Rebooted to generic drivers. Let windows search for software/drivers. Turned out to be ATI 8.501. Restarted and the card shows no sign of problems. Of course with my track record; who knows.

 

[oldrookie1]

Well it dumped on me again. I RMAed the card. I had requested an EXCHANGE. Within a short time of reciept of the card they issued a REFUND! That speaks volumes. I can immagine a tech opening the box; verifing it is what it's supposed to be and just pitching it into a huge bin marked 'ATI REJECTS'. AH, I digress. That was last night. So this morning a waddled down to my local Micro Center and bought a EVGA GeForce GTX275 895mb GDDR3. Haven't gamed with it yet; but I'm fairly sure it will meet my needs. That's the FINAL SOLUTION.

 

[mystic84]

Well it dumped on me again. I RMAed the card. I had requested an EXCHANGE. Within a short time of reciept of the card they issued a REFUND! That speaks volumes. I can immagine a tech opening the box; verifing it is what it's supposed to be and just pitching it into a huge bin marked 'ATI REJECTS'. AH, I digress. That was last night. So this morning a waddled down to my local Micro Center and bought a EVGA GeForce GTX275 895mb GDDR3. Haven't gamed with it yet; but I'm fairly sure it will meet my needs. That's the FINAL SOLUTION.

I dont know what happened man, But that 4870 sounded stuffed. But Mine is still running beautifully, and runs between 45 - 50 Degrees idle.
Also changing Brands like gigabyte, asus would have been wiser i would say.

I would also say that My 4870 OCD (45-60 Deg Idle) would kick that nvidia card of yours.

 

[oldrookie1]

Just the luck of the draw. I got a bad card. As you reflected; many have great performance and zero problems with the 4870. This is my sixth build and it is the first time I had any problems with an ATI card. No big deal.
Even though I have a hp mobo and processor; I really didn't build it for gaming. I built it for taking me into the future. If I want to game hardcore, I'll make a change. I am really happy that you are satisfied with your 4870. Addressing the "my cards' better than your card" comment..........I don't care.

 

[mystic84]

I would also say that My 4870 OCD (45-60 Deg Idle) would kick that nvidia card of yours.

^Sry kind of a pointless comment I know. Im glad the your satisfied with you currently own, thats something i struggle with.