GTX280 BFG NEED HELP!!

[lxlaw]

Well now that BFG is out of business, I am thinking I am screwed. I got it from newegg on 1/09. It has worked really well until a few days ago when I put Medal of Honor in and maxed out the graphics. I have not gamed in months, so i cant say it happened all of a sudden. But it starts artifacting pretty bad. I checked the temps, they get up to about 80 celcius, the fan kicks up to about 50%. That is when it starts acting up. If I minimize it, and then maximize it, it plays normal, and then in a few minutes does it again. I am thinking it is taking a crap on me. ANY OPINIONS?

Now I am thinking of getting a GTX480 from EVGA since BFG went south. I have never owned an ATI card, do you think they are better for the money? I just reformatted the whole hard drive due to kids not listening and putting crap on the computer. I have the newest driver on the 280. I want a good warranty and the best card for the money. Thanks ahead of time.

Would you get a 480?
Would you get an ATI card? if so which one? comparible to the 480
Do ya think my 280 is trash?

 

[Rustyy117]

Sounds like its had it, have you tried any other games recently?

The GTX480 is a very fast card, but it uses alot of power and gets hot (expect 90C on load). If you don't mind the heat, noise and power usage then go for it.

The HD5870 is about 10-20% slower than a GTX480 but it uses alot less power and so doesn't get as hot and is quieter. If your after more performance then the HD5970 may be for you.

The HD69xx series is rumored to be released very soon, so you might want to wait for that.

What Power supply do you have?

 

[lxlaw]

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

 

[Rustyy117]

Power supply is plenty.

 

[nforce4max]

Well if you want to wait a little longer then give cleaning your card a shot before throwing it away like an old rag. Blast it or better take it apart and thoroughly clean the card of any dust and replace the old compound. The temps should be much lower even for a hot running card like that. I would at the very least try to give it a second chance.....

 

[hardwaretechy]

+1 on cleaning up the card (and maybe your case). I'm not 100% sure that its even a temperature issue, but there are 2 things you can do to prove that it is. You could change the fan profile for the card, first to 25% -- and see if it artifacts all the time or sooner. If you prefer not risking this, then the other option is to change the fan speed higher than 50%, maybe 75% and see if it takes longer to artifact or mess up. The second thing you can do is to play another game. As crazy as it sounds, it could simply be an incompatibility with Medal of Honor, although unlikely.

If you consider getting a new card, I would advise to wait for the 69xx series release this month because you might be able to get a more powerful card for the current price of what you'd pay for high end right now (e.g. the ATI cards might be more powerful than the GTX480 for the same price, OR the GTX480's price drops after the release - so you can get it cheaper). This will all happen in about 1-2 weeks, so its not much to wait if you can.

 

[lxlaw]

what paste do you recommend?? I cleaned it out with my compressor yesterday, it was nasty. But we have black ops coming out, and I want it to be ready for action!!!

 

[lxlaw]

well I installed rivatuner, but i can figure out how to change the fan settings, i was going to up them a bit and give it a try.

 

[nforce4max]

If it doesn't work then give MSI afterburner a shot but it isn't as good as riva tuner. Second Arctic silver 5 works but isn't cheap like most of the really good compounds.

 

[lxlaw]

alright, well I took it apart last night, blew it out, put some artic silver on it. Put it back together, put an extra 120mm fan in the side of my case and played for an hour or so. It got up to about 65* and didnt go out. It does have some weird flashes when the bombs go off, but I can live with that. At least I dont have to buy a card right now.

 

[lxlaw]

There was a bunch of thermal paste from the factory, it was thick, I just put a really nice thin coat.

 

[nforce4max]

Well at least that it panned out for you and your card is still a decent performer so hang on till prices dip further. Another one saved.

 

[leon2006]

Just clean your card on regular basis. Blow out the dust. GAS can will help maintaining GPU....

Still have my 8800GT OC 512 and GTX 280 OC working like a charm. I have not change anything on it. I just clear the dust at least 1x/3months.

 

[lxlaw]

Best answer selected by lxlaw.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey