GTX 280 problems.

[B1GG5]

My pc has been working perfectly for the past year or so i've had it, but recently i've been having some serious issues. I noticed about a week ago that some of my games that would usually run a constant 60fps were dropping below 20fps. I could restart my computer and the problems seemed to be fixed.

After a while visual artifacts started to show up followed by crashing. I noticed that is only affected 3d applications but eventually i started recieving the same problem when i watched any videos. I installed the latest drivers from the nvidia site but it didn't seem to do anything. Now I'm getting artifacts (sometimes) on the boot menu and it is difficult even to get windows to start. Attempting to run any game or video usually results in the screen freezing and many colored dots appearing onscreen along with some discoloration.

I'm guessing that the problem is with my video card. It was factory superclocked but i never did any major overclocking with it. I don't think heat is an issue either. When I tested out some games with EVGA precision the temp never get any higher than 70 C. I check my voltages through my mobo utility and they seemed right. Are the problems from my 280 or could it be from something else?

Specs:
EVGA X58 SLI LE
Intel i7 2.66
EVGA GTX 280 SSC
Corsair TX750W
Corsair 4GB DDR3 RAM

 

[Lmeow]

I'd check to see that the airflow in your case is fine, and that you could try underclocking your GPU a bit and see if it helps. Artifacts are definitely video related, as far as I know.

 

[wa1]

^+1
Try underclocking your gpu...

 

[B1GG5]

Ok I checked my case fans and GPU fan and they all were working fine. I even set up a desk fan next to my case just to make sure. I brought down the core clock from 650 to 550, the shader clock from 1400 to 1200, and the memory clock from 1150 to 1050. I started up CoD4 and made it throught the menu, but as soon as the actual level began all the textures flashed random colors and I got the BSOD.

 

[wa1]

Then try your card in different PC (with high PSU), if the same problem appears then you got defective card...

 

[B1GG5]

The only other pc i have is a cheap dell... Is there any other way to validate that my GPU is the problem?

 

[BroHamBone]

Do a driver sweep? Then reinstall fresh drivers?

Have you ever taken it apart and/or cleaned it? I am hoping you registered the card when you bought it. The warranty is still valid, or should be.

I had my EVGA SC 280 installed onto an Accelero Xtreme 280 and it started to screw up. I started a ticket with EVGA so i can send it back. After removing the Accelero and reinstalling the old Heatsink,making it look not tampered with, i decided to give it another go before sending it in. It seems to work fine now. Glad it was a Sunday. I cancelled the ticket . Anyway, if you decide to take it apart and clean it, be very careful.

If not, start a ticket and send it back. Hopefully they will send you a 285
Heh pretty sure they still have a boat load of 280's hangin around though.

 

[B1GG5]

Thanks for the replies

Unfortunately, I did not register my card within the 30 day period and my 1 year warranty is up. I started a support ticket yesterday to see if they can still help me somehow, though.

As for cleaning it, I sprayed a good bit of dust out through the heat vents with a compressed air can. Still didn't work right though. I'm not going to crack the actual card open until I figure out if EVGA will help me out or not.

I did also try a driver sweep + fresh driver install, but i'm still having the same problems.

 

[BroHamBone]

Thanks for the replies

Unfortunately, I did not register my card within the 30 day period and my 1 year warranty is up. I started a support ticket yesterday to see if they can still help me somehow, though.

As for cleaning it, I sprayed a good bit of dust out through the heat vents with a compressed air can. Still didn't work right though. I'm not going to crack the actual card open until I figure out if EVGA will help me out or not.

I did also try a driver sweep + fresh driver install, but i'm still having the same problems.

If all else fails put it in the oven! hehe

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/285550-33-graphics-card-freezes-computer-loading

you should be able to find it :lol:
That is if evga cant help you and are out of ideas. If you are gonna trash it, might as well try it first!

 

[B1GG5]

That is a last resort haha

Hopefully EVGA will reply tomorrow. If they don't reply by friday or if they won't let me rma i'll give them a call.
I've heard of them letting late registration slide sometimes and going though with an rma out of warranty.

*fingers crossed*

 

[BroHamBone]

That is a last resort haha

Hopefully EVGA will reply tomorrow. If they don't reply by friday or if they won't let me rma i'll give them a call.
I've heard of them letting late registration slide sometimes and going though with an rma out of warranty.

*fingers crossed*

Heh, usually calling does help. People on phone conversations are usually nicer than in email

 

[B1GG5]

Hooray!

After getting no reply from my support ticket for a week, I called EVGA tech support. Even though my card is out of warranty, they are still giving me a replacement, as well as a 30 day warranty!

I didn't have to wait long for service, and the guy I talked to was very nice. They didn't tell me what was wrong with my card, but I'm pretty sure the VRAM went bad. If anyone is having issues with an EVGA product, I recommend just calling them. The support was fast and easy.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[B1GG5]

Best answer selected by B1GG5.