My GeForce4 Ti4600 Just Died (Maybe) 1

[OlenGarn]

Hi all,
I bought my GeForce 4 Ti4600 about two years ago, and have had no problems with it, but now the display is screwed up. There are lines across it, random pixels around it, and a multicolored checkerboard of squares surrounds my cursor wherever I move it. I have determined that it is a hardware problem, and that the problem is the video card because of the following reasons:

1. It happens even before the windows xp splash screen

2. I have tried it with both a different monitor and a different computer, both of which work fine otherwise, and the problem still occurs

3. I have tried reinstalling drivers, and even using the default windows xp vga drivers

4. I have an onboard card, and when I use that one, it looks fine

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I am prepared to buy a new card, but I would like to see if something can be done about this one first.

~Olen Garn

 

[ski]

Do not throw it away yet. You may be able to save it.

Make sure its fan is running, all dust is cleaned out from its fan and heatsink(you may have to use a pipecleaner and a can of compressed air to clean these. And make sure to secure the fan when blowing compressed air on it so that it does not overspin), clean off its contacts with 91% pure(or higher0 alcohol and a soft lint free cloth, and make sure its heatsink is secure and the card is fully seated in its slot.

If no luck, then remove the computer's cover, and blow an external fan on the video card.
If that works, then make sure all system fans(incl. the power supply fans) are running and are dust free, all vents are clean and unobstructed, and all dust is cleaned out of the case.
If they're ok, then your system may need additional cooling fans.

If the external fan configuration does not work, then the card may be bad.

 

[felixc]

It really looks like your card broke, in the video output section. It can be caused by conductive dust (like metal burrs from the screws when installing components in the machine). It can also be a broken solder joint.

Have you tried blowing air on the board? It may move particles out.

In both cases, if you know someone who has inspection binoculars, you may ask them to clean and inspect the card. Other than that the board is good for trash, as a non-warranty repair will cost you as much as a more recent card with the same performance.

 

[OlenGarn]

Well, I have tried a thorough cleaning, using compressed air, a small, dry, paintbrush to get the dust out of the cracks, removing the fan\heat sink, cleaning it, and reinstalling it. After the cleaning and a night of letting the card rest (the purpose of that to make sure it wasn't overheated), I tried it again in my system with the same results. I don't know anyone with inspection binoculars, and a visual inspection by myself (as erroneous as it might be) revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
I appreciate all of your help, and if you have any more ideas, I would like to hear them

~Olen Garn

 

[OlenGarn]

Hey all, I was taking a close look at the board with a magnifying glass and I found these (view pictures), I can't remove them with either compressed air or a small paintbrush. I was hoping that someone with more knowledge then me could give me a hand.

http://www.stromint.com/images/cb_01.gif

http://www.stromint.com/images/cb_02.gif

http://www.stromint.com/images/cb_03.gif

BTW, to avoid misunderstanding, I am referring to the small hair-like things.

-Olen Garn

 

[ski]

Those 'hairs' do not look good.
See if the card works in another system.
If not, then it's defective.

 

[OlenGarn]

I tried it in another system with the same result, but I don't think "defective" applies to a two year old card that (until now) has run without a hitch. Can anyone tell me what those 'hairs' are, or could you point me somwhere I can find out?

-Olen Garn

 

[ski]

If the same problem happens with the card in another system, then it's very likely that it's bad.
And they can and do go bad in less than 2 years, sometimes a lot less.

 

[OlenGarn]

Ok, I'll concede that, but do you know what the 'hairs' are?

-Olen

 

[ski]

I do not know what they are, but they definitely do not belong there, and it appears to be a case of poor quality workmanship.

 

[OlenGarn]

Alright, if you don't know what they are, do you know of anyone who would know? Or perhaps how to get rid of them?

-Olen

 

[ski]

You have proven thru the process of elimination that the card has already failed, and removing those hairs, assuming that they caused the failure and that it's even possible to remove them, will not restore the card to its original working condition.

 

[OlenGarn]

Two things, first; How would you know, maybe the 'hairs' are causing a short, and perhaps removing them will help, second; I still want to know, call it a morbid curiosity.

-Olen

 

[ski]

Good luck.

 

[felixc]

Olen,
the pictures show a couple of things:
- the board has been assembled with a no-clean flux.
- the "hair" probably comes from wiping that has been done after cleaning up a section of the board after a touch-up or a repair at the assembly line. Either because is was freshly assembled or because a solvent was used, the no-clean flux was still wet and it retained the hair.
- you can also see solder balls around the capacitors, at the middle of the body. The balls are presently gelled into the dried flux, however the quantity of them show that there has been a problem with the solder paste with this board. There shall be very few of these balls on a normal board. There may be balls like this all over the board. If they detach and move elsewhere they can short IC pins and cause intermittent problems.

So your board may be affected by solder shorts as well as by open solders. The failure of an IC after a couple of years is something that happens too, especially when the chips are getting hot.

A typical solvent to clean this flux is "Axarel". If you know of a electronics subcontractor in your neighborhood, perhaps they would consent to place the board in their cleaning machine. Otherwise if you're patient, you may want to try cleaning it yourself.

Good luck!
Felixc

 

[OlenGarn]

Thanks for all the help felixc, I will try what you suggested, and thanks for sticking around through this ski, I appreciated all the help I could get.

Cya all around,
-Olen Garn