graphics card breakage (epic, epic rage)

[marks]

Okay so, here's the situation. I've had my current PC for about 2 years, it's worked fine never had any problems with it at all. So the other day I have my PC on desktop, nothing running. I go afk to help my housemate with something - I come back to my PC and it is totally fucked, graphics glitches all over monitors like my graphics card is overheating or something.


Long story short, graphics card is broken, tried it in another PC and same issues.
I order a replacement card (same model), it works great for an hour, and then breaks, in exactly the same way as the previous card.

What the fuck.

System specs:
Intel Core2Quad Q6600-G0
4gb RAM
nVidia 8800 GTS 512mb (Custom heatsink/fan - worked great for 2 years no overheating probs).
Abit IP35 Pro motherboard
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750w PSU

The strange thing is this, both the 8800 GTS 512mb cards which I've put into the machine have died - however my Leadtek 6800 Ultra which I'm using at the moment (backup card) works 100% fine. I have no idea why my PC is breaking graphics cards. Any ideas? My gut feeling is PSU giving surges to the graphics card, or mobo causing something similar.

[SotaPoika]

Check with "speedfan" how high the temperatures are on your components. Maybe drivers are faulty? Not so long time ago nVidia released drivers that didn't make some GeForces' fans spin correctly. Perhaps this is samekind of problem?

[marks]

Very unlikely, my old 8800 had a custom heatsink and fan, the fan was attached directly to the PSU and span at a constant RPM, not a variable RPM like stock fans do which is controlled by the graphics card. Heat was not an issue at all on my first card, second 8800 had a stock cooler/heatsink fitted so potentially may have been that problem - however due to it breaking so fast (fan was spinning fine btw) and in exactly the same way, I would hesitate to put it down as coincidence. I also didn't have anything gpu-demanding running at the time either card broke.

[marks]

FYI driver versions installed:

GFX

nvidia version 8.17.12.5896
DDI version : 9Ex
Driver Model: WDDM 1.0

mobo BIOS:
Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG

[city14]

Well it is possible that it is a defect with the manufacturers card.

If both broke the same way the first thing I would do is check your motherboard for the surges you were talking about.

Your backup card may not be pulling the same kind of power that your 8800 was. Look into your PSU for any sort of surges. I mean, you have a great PSU for the setup. So it seems unlikely that you would fuck up your card with low power...

But back to my first sentence, it could be a manufacturers problem... Ask their tech support, they probably know something about it.

[marks]

If both broke the same way the first thing I would do is check your motherboard for the surges you were talking about......Look into your PSU for any sort of surges.

How do I do this?

[city14]

Well it would actually be farther back now that I think of it... It would be from the power on the wall surging and causing a problem on your motherboard...

Check your mobo for burnt capacitors, they are bulged out on the top.

Is there power given to your GPU from the PSU. Like a 6 pin connector? And what about your backup, does that have a secondary power source as well?

[Dionysos]

The easiest thing would be to borrow a psu from a friend and see what happens. It may simply have been very bad luck for you to get an identical card and it breaking again. Actually measuring whether there are surges isn't that straight forward I think. Oh, and everyone should have a surge protector between their computer and the power lines.

[marks]

Check your mobo for burnt capacitors, they are bulged out on the top.

None that I can see.

Is there power given to your GPU from the PSU. Like a 6 pin connector? And what about your backup, does that have a secondary power source as well?

Standard 1x 6-pin connector. Backup graphics card (6800Ultra) has exactly the same.

[city14]

They both have a 6 pin... Now I am having troubles coming up with a possible solution...

Ok, so maybe it has something to do with drivers? But that's just a default answer that I would try, rolling back a few days or something.

Definitely look into another PSU. Can you send back that card for a new one? Then try with a different PSU?

[marks]

I dont see how an issue with the drivers could end up with physical hardware problems on the actual graphics cards though, which is what makes me think its a mobo/power problem. I'm going to try to send the new 8800 card back for a replacement, and then leave it running for a day or so in my housemates PC (very similar component setup to mine, same cpu / mobo / psu), and if it works fine I'll try with his PSU in my PC.

[KILLA-COW]

I think everything got too hot and it burnt and melted it.

[city14]

Uh, well as in-articulate as that was, yes.

Throw a good temp monitor on there too. So you can see what happens. Set an alarm for 30 minutes, and check it every time it goes off.

[marks]

so I bought a new mobo (Asus P5Q Deluxe) and fitted it with a brand new 8800GTS card - it worked perfect for maybe a week and then I got the exact same problem again. I'm on desktop doing nothing demanding and I suddenly get graphics artifacts all over both monitors - I reboot and the graphics card is fried (checked in another pc). What the actual fuck. The only thing I can think now that would cause this is a problem with the PSU or surges from the wall socket. Any ideas?

[wood250]

Do u have a surge protector in place? if not thts the 1st thing i would get plugged in.
2nd thing i would do is use another PSU, from the sound of it thts causing the problems.
Its not worth risking anything else until you get tht swapped.