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General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: MutleyBR on March 09, 2010, 02:17:17 PM

Title: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: MutleyBR on March 09, 2010, 02:17:17 PM: Hi all!

MI wife and I were using same brand and model video cards. XFX brand NVIDIA 8600 GT, model PV-T84J-UDF3 V 2.2 W12/07, GF 8600GT 540M 256MB DDR3 DUAL DVI TV PCI-E.

Her computer is in the same room as mine. We were there using them. Suddenly, POP! We heard a loud noise, like a children's cap gun or .22 shot.

Being a retired Flight Engineer, I knew that something electrical or electronic had gone bad... I looked around, no arcing, no smoke, no smell of burned electrical/electronic components.

So, I figured, whatever it was that made that noise, it had stopped.

A few days later, same thing, POP! And I couldn't find the source of that noise.

Some days later, same noise POP! Wife´s PC shut down. Turning PC on, no video.

Went to check video card. There were the causes of those noises, 3 literally blown up capacitors...

Installed an old NVIDIA card I had kept here as backup.

A few days later, I was playing and POP! That noise again... I just went to check MY PC video card, and there it was, a blown capacitor, literally blown up, again...

Although I'm not an IT professional, I have been into computers since 1969 when I took some Programming Courses for the IBM /360 computer. Have been using personal computers since the days of the Apple II.

I had never seen this happen before.

Bought 2 NVIDIA 9600 GT cards, Elite(ECS) brand, and will stay away from XFX brand from now on.

Some may say, bad luck, too much heat, etc. If it were only one card I'd agree, but 2... No, that's bad manufacturing.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, They were taken with a cellphone.

Mutley

(http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee331/BlueMerlinBr/XFX_8600_GT_1.jpg)

(http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee331/BlueMerlinBr/XFX_8600_GT_2.jpg)
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Masherbrum on March 09, 2010, 02:27:41 PM: Wow, I've never used XFX myself Mutley, but that is odd. Especially the close proximity of the faulty capacitors.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Spikes on March 09, 2010, 02:31:13 PM: Everyone I talk to tells people to steer clear of XFX. On their 5770s, many say they have cheap custom PCB's now?
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: gyrene81 on March 09, 2010, 02:35:33 PM: I've been using XFX products for years...never had an issue...and I've seen bad caps show up on all kinds of hardware, you just never know when a manufacturer is going to receive a bad batch of components and use them...don't those cards have lifetime warranties on them?
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: skribetm on March 09, 2010, 02:59:42 PM: that card has double lifetime warranty, so contact them for RMA and they'll give you a new(er) one for free. (could be a 9600GT)
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: MutleyBR on March 09, 2010, 04:21:33 PM: Quote from: skribetm on March 09, 2010, 02:59:42 PM
that card has double lifetime warranty, so contact them for RMA and they'll give you a new(er) one for free. (could be a 9600GT)

No thanks, will do as Johnny Walker.

"Keep walking..."

Mutley
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: cattb on March 09, 2010, 04:26:04 PM: I have had both nvidia and xfx. So far good luck ( knock on wood). But I like the lifetime warranty that both companies offer.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Krusty on March 09, 2010, 06:40:27 PM: Same problem with eVGA's 7600 card line and their caps.. I bet they're the same caps, too (kind of hard to read them).

Shoddy lot, and some vid card companies snatched them up on-the-cheap and popped them into video cards. Deliberately sold bad merchandise.

What's worse, eVGA knew how long the caps would last and set the warranty expiration to just prior to that point. 90% of the 7600 GTS line (and similar versions) of their cards blow the caps just after the 2 year mark. The warranty is a 2-year (almost every other card they make is lifetime or double lifetime!) Those that are "lucky" and have them blow early will get a replacement (probably of the same card!) but they are the minority. It's all over the eVGA forums and other places.

Here's the thing... if you're an flight engineer you might be a little electronics-savvy... You can get replacement caps and replace the originals (if you're careful not to damage the PCB) and the card should run good as new with no problem. There were a couple of webpages about replacing these caps and offering alternative ones that would substitute without problem.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: kamori on March 09, 2010, 09:17:31 PM: I had a Nvidia card...blew 2 capacitors...replaced them its run well for years...I dont remember if it was xfx but just replace them
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Krusty on March 09, 2010, 10:04:47 PM: I have my old 7600 GTS sitting around. I plan to fix the caps as a test (it's already been replaced). Will be a good test run to see if a guy who can build cables but hasn't worked with PCB can do this without destroying it, eh?

If/when I ever get around to that I'll post about it.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Knite on March 10, 2010, 10:09:55 AM: Quote from: MutleyBR on March 09, 2010, 04:21:33 PM
No thanks, will do as Johnny Walker.

"Keep walking..."

Mutley

Then send ME the cards and I'll RMA them. ;-) haha

Seriously though, that's really odd. It even looks like they were using solid caps, and those are usually (usually being the operative word here) more stable/reliable. If it only happened in 1 machine, I'd almost think you were having a bad power issue (i.e. power supply over or undervolting), but in both machines? Really strange. Sorry to hear about your trouble. =(
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: 38ruk on March 10, 2010, 10:42:12 AM: You weren't running the new 196.75 drivers that Nvidia took off their site , were you? I guess they are killing cards because of a fan issue.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Krusty on March 10, 2010, 11:28:32 AM: When the caps blow it's not a heat issue. They're blowing left and right because they can't handle the currents.

It's the GPU and VRAM that fries from the heat.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: MutleyBR on March 10, 2010, 11:54:08 AM: Quote from: 38ruk on March 10, 2010, 10:42:12 AM
You weren't running the new 196.75 drivers that Nvidia took off their site , were you? I guess they are killing cards because of a fan issue.

No, I wasn't.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: OOZ662 on March 12, 2010, 10:27:50 AM: My XFX 6800 has been in full use since just before AGP went by the wayside. That computer's been relegated to BOINC and backup server for the past month or two, but that card's still in there.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: MutleyBR on March 12, 2010, 01:11:40 PM: Quote from: OOZ662 on March 12, 2010, 10:27:50 AM
My XFX 6800 has been in full use since just before AGP went by the wayside. That computer's been relegated to BOINC and backup server for the past month or two, but that card's still in there.

Old cards were ok, used XFX brand before with no problems.

It seems their company's policies regarding components have changed.

That´s why I'm not buying from them again and warning people about it.

If someone, after seeing the pics above, wants to buy XFX, it´s your call...

Mutley
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: 38ruk on March 12, 2010, 02:05:46 PM: My XFX GTX 260 overclocked from a 576 mhz core to 711 mhz , the shader clock from 1250 to 1500 and the memory overclocked from 1000 mhz to 1150 mhz . Kinda unreal to get that much more out of a 200 dollar video card. XFX is OK in my book .....unless the capacitors start launching like ballistic missiles .
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Pongo on March 12, 2010, 05:04:23 PM: sounds like you would be better served to note the brand of the capacitors and not buy cards that use them again.
But that is quite the story.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: gyrene81 on March 13, 2010, 08:19:45 AM: Quote from: Pongo on March 12, 2010, 05:04:23 PM
sounds like you would be better served to note the brand of the capacitors and not buy cards that use them again.
But that is quite the story.
I agree...those caps could be on anything by any manufacturer.

Hey Mutley, send me both of those cards...I'll RMA them...always have a need for a video card.
Title: Re: I´m staying away from XFX brand cards, read why...
Post by: Masherbrum on March 13, 2010, 08:46:23 AM: Quote from: gyrene81 on March 13, 2010, 08:19:45 AM
I agree...those caps could be on anything by any manufacturer.

Hey Mutley, send me both of those cards...I'll RMA them...always have a need for a video card.

Mutley lives in Brazil, so I don't see it happening.