Tech Bro/Sis — Help with GPU

[Karlo Esteban]

I bought a second hand pc which is less than a year old. After using it in 5 months, just last week, the screen is showing garbage display. Sometimes the garbage display shows, sometimes not.

 

My friend (who i bought the pc from) tried to narrow down the possibilities why that happened. He concluded that it is the gpu that has the problem. (We tried to format the pc, update the drivers, change the os) I bought a cheap gpu and put it on my pc, and now, a week later, the pc is working fine. So the problem is really the gpu.

 

Now the question is, is it worth it to get the gpu fixed? Or should I just buy a new one?

 

GPU: Galax GeForce GTX 1070 KATANA

 

More info:

* It's already out of warranty

* I haven't used it for heavy tasks (like gaming, exporting large files, ect)

 

 

I know there are techy Bro and Sis here, please help.

 

Sent from my RMX1971 using Tapatalk

 

 

[DarinS]

GPU…GPC - Graphics processing card

 

You can always start with basic tests to narrow down the issues

perhaps you can try the ‘on board’ video if there is a video port vs a separate video card

or if you can get a loaner video card - you can swap that in and narrow down the other video card

you can buy very affordable video cards

and very expensive ones - for gaming or specialized graphic needs

 

is the system setup to support multiple monitors - are you using 1-2-3-4- monitors?

[Karlo Esteban]

Thanks for the reply bro Darin... I'm using AMD Ryzen R3 3300X, it doesn't have an onboard graphics. I did bought a cheap second hand video card, I put that in my pc to see if maybe the other parts are the cause of the issue. I've been using it for a week now and I haven't had issues yet. And yes I'm using a second monitor.

Here's a quick specs of my pc:

MSI B550M MORTAR

PNY 16GB (2X8GB) 3600MHZ DDR4 CL16

GALAX GTX 1070 KATANA

SUPERFLOWER 550W ARGB PSU

PNY CS3030 500GB SSD

JONSBO TW2 CPU LIQUID COOLER 120MM

RAIDMAX ENIGMA CASE

 

 

[Mykyl]

Your graphics card is running hot for just showing the desktop. Not sure if that’s normal for the 1070 though. I would doubt it though.  My 2060 idles at around 26. Nowhere near the 48/50 yours is showing. 
 

Possibly the thermal paste has been baked hard. Might be an easy fix to replace that. 
I also noticed it says the gpu rpm is 0. (Gpu fan?) Has that failed?
 

You say it doesn’t happen all the time. Any clues when?
 

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Mykyl

[Karlo Esteban]

5 hours ago, Mykyl said:

I also noticed it says the gpu rpm is 0. (Gpu fan?) Has that failed?
 

 

When having garbage display, gpu rpm is not showing. It looks like this if the pc is working fine:

Spoiler

 

6 hours ago, Mykyl said:

You say it doesn’t happen all the time. Any clues when?

When it first happened, I just let the pc rest for about and hour. After that it works fine, but after using it for 2 hours, garbage display shows up again.

 

When we tried to format the pc, look for driver updates, downgrade to lower os (from windows 11 to windows 10) I was able to use the pc for 2 days (Opened the pc 7:00am then shutdown at 9:00pm, throughout that I'm playing a 4k video) then after that garbage display shows up again.

 

I'm not really sure is overheating is the problem, because as I have said, I used it for 2 days and it works fine.

[Bsas3]

4 hours ago, Karlo Esteban said:

When having garbage display, gpu rpm is not showing. It looks like this if the pc is working fine:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

When it first happened, I just let the pc rest for about and hour. After that it works fine, but after using it for 2 hours, garbage display shows up again.

 

When we tried to format the pc, look for driver updates, downgrade to lower os (from windows 11 to windows 10) I was able to use the pc for 2 days (Opened the pc 7:00am then shutdown at 9:00pm, throughout that I'm playing a 4k video) then after that garbage display shows up again.

 

I'm not really sure is overheating is the problem, because as I have said, I used it for 2 days and it works fine.

If the GPU is set to auto, the fan doesn't cut in till about 55-60deg C, so that probably isn't the problem. My card runs at about 37c. If you have tried updating the drivers for the graphics card & still having the problem, It could be a faulty card. You said that a replacement card works fine. This is a relatively expensive card, so it may be worth a repair. Making sure you are not statically charged, inspect the card for signs of burning or loose or damaged components. i.e. capacitors with the top bulging out, is a sure sign they have failed ( a round cylinder attached at the bottom to the board, & the top should be flat. When they blow the bottom bulges out forming a dome.).

If you are not doing any high end graphics or super gaming, a cheaper graphics card would probably be all you require. However Win11 has some pretty stringent security requirements, which may also dictate what you require. Hope this helps.

John  

Edited November 22, 2021 by Bsas3
spelling mistake

[Myew]

That GPU is around 4 1/2 years old. I've never heard of the Galax branding before, it doesn't seem to have much if any presence here in the US, but it seems like it's a legit 1070 and not one of the fake ones that have popped up in the last couple years. https://www.galax.com/en/graphics-card/10-series/galax-geforcer-gtx-1070-katana.html I know you said that you updated the drivers, but sometimes there might be an update for the firmware/bios on the card from the manufacturer rather than just the drivers from Nvidia. However, I can't find one for that card. https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/?architecture=&manufacturer=GALAX&model=GTX+1070&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=

You can try lowering the voltage and memory clocks using software like afterburner to see if that might help it to run more stable. It might require some extensive cleaning if there is rust or anything conductive on it or caked on dust depending on the environment it was used in. Or as mentioned, it could possibly be an overheating issue. Maybe not on the chip itself, but the memory or voltage regulator modules sometimes require additional thermal pads and heatsinks. Sometimes people will bake their GPUs or use heat guns in a last ditch effort to try and reflow the solder points.

Unfortunately, in general, there's not a great success rate trying to repair damaged GPUs at home outside of replacing fans. And this is the worst time ever to try and buy a new GPU of that tier, as they are several hundred dollars used. Though if you can fix it and sell it, you could probably afford an entire new computer with onboard graphics... You will probably get better replies from a dedicated tech forum like https://linustechtips.com/ or https://www.level1techs.com/ in this instance.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Myew

[vern]

Don.t rule out the PSU.....

 

Cheaper fix to try.

 

65 to 150 bucks gets you a nice PSU...

 

Tomshardware has lists of top hardware....  Tested.

[Mykyl]

Did you figure it out?