defective/overheating GTX 280s thread

[n7]

Ah yes.

A lot easier for you to say

At the time, i got it for $444 less rebate. Pretty much a two day sale only.
Every other place [that i can buy from] had it for $525+.

And it stayed that ways for a few weeks afterwards.

So while it's easy to say return it, at the time, that would have meant i'd have had to wait who knows how long to find another one at a similar price, so RMAing to a company that would no doubt assure me a good replacement made sense.

Of course, i couldn't see into the future like yourself...

 

[Janooo]

Can you return now? Any hidden back doors after checking a fine print?

 

[n7]

LOL no.

They have 15 days return, which i pay the shipping back of course too.

And they don't answer their phone either, which means email only, & that's usually a few days of waiting for replies.

I've learned lots from this experience.

1. Never buy BFG
2. Never buy from DC if you might need to return/RMA (PM to NCIX instead or just wait forever for other stores to get it in @ a higher price )
3. Newegg.ca needs to start operating here ASAP
4. nVidia & manufacturing partners don't comprehend the concept of quality control

 

[Leon]

Both AMD and Nvidia cards appear to have serious issues with furmark, but 105c in games is RMA time. Sorry to hear about your luck.

Note that 105C is threshold for automatic throttling - the stuttering in games is likely related to that. 4870 cards don't throttle, they just shut down with critical temperature fault LED on.

Leon

 

[Cutthroat]

Originally posted by: n7
LOL no.

They have 15 days return, which i pay the shipping back of course too.

And they don't answer their phone either, which means email only, & that's usually a few days of waiting for replies.

I've learned lots from this experience.

1. Never buy BFG
2. Never buy from DC if you might need to return/RMA (PM to NCIX instead or just wait forever for other stores to get it in @ a higher price )
3. Newegg.ca needs to start operating here ASAP
4. nVidia & manufacturing partners don't comprehend the concept of quality control

I agree with #2 and #4.

I do like BFG, they are generally a very reputable company. You got kinda unlucky with a couple bad cards in a row, and I'm dissapointed they didn't test the card before sending you the second one. I once had a problem with Asus mobo's, I got 3 bad ones in a row, but I can't deny that they generally make good products, and I still use Asus mobos to this day.

You are absolutely right about DC, they are just NCIX without service. If you want a DC price, NCIX will automatically accept the price match with anything from DC. If purchasing an expensive product that has potential of being DOA I always buy the 'Express RMA" service just in case.

Newegg.ca would be interesting, but they would likely open in Toronto. That's no good because then I would need to pay PST.

Don't you have a Memory Express in Edmonton? I used to live in Calgary and I loved that store.

 

[ajaidevsingh]

Some days ago my friend and i had exchanged each others card for testing purposes but i quickly found out there was something wrong with the RAM and after the initial find the artifacts got more and more prominent.

We got in touch with RPtech the retail seller and they changed the card in a weeks time the new card was a XFX 280 XXX and the sight of the green art on the car was lovely... After installing the card on his PC, i started to install the drivers from the CD and then run a ATi tool and Fur test "Only after 5-10 mins the temp went from 60ish to 90ish and kept climbing slowly.

I knew something was wrong i shut the computer off and rechecked everything but alas even after several tries the dam thing had this temp problem which was odd to say the least. I called the shop the tech. support told me download the latest drivers and check the fan then he told me to check the power supply and then at last he told me that my M/B must be incompatible "For crying out loud" After explaining the whole RMA, etc situation they guy said a few words "The card appears to have a damaged sink pls replace it from the shop "

Have you guys experienced such temp. problems with your xfx 280 xxx???


"My thread ' http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2218057&enterthread=y ' was locked so i copied the whole thing here"

 

[n7]

It's not an XFX issues; it's an issue with all different brands.

It's also not a heatsink issue; people have reseated theirs with no success: see nVNews threads.

It's defective cores from what i can tell.

 

[Janooo]

Originally posted by: n7
It's not an XFX issues; it's an issue with all different brands.

It's also not a heatsink issue; people have reseated theirs with no success: see nVNews threads.

It's defective cores from what i can tell.

If it's a core issue then it hurts their yields even more. That's not good.

 

[ajaidevsingh]

Well i have some great news the store gave us "Store credit" After 10-20 phone calls and a few angry emails....

Now the choice is between a GTX260SLi or a 4870x2!! "Not touching the GTX 280 again says my friend"

PS On a side note the store has stopped taking GTX 280 orders, now is this specific to one India store or is it similar else ware "Retail store"

 

[Rubycon]

The cores themselves are probably fine. The (thermal) bonding process between the core and IHS could be at fault. I don't know for sure - mine are perfect (both will do 700MHz!) and I'm not pulling anything apart! :Q

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
The cores themselves are probably fine. The (thermal) bonding process between the core and IHS could be at fault. I don't know for sure - mine are perfect (both will do 700MHz!) and I'm not pulling anything apart! :Q

Whatever it is, it's raining on a lot of people's virtual parades.

I settled for an "obsolete" Radeon HD3850 with aftermarket cooler for $60 after $30MIR and discounts. I run at 1440x900 so it will more than satisfy me

 

[BFG10K]

You guys aren't gonna believe this, but my 8800 Ultra crapped out last night!

No joke.

I was playing Warcraft 3 and I got heavy random pixelization so I restarted and I could see multi-colored lines even in the bios screen. Now even with the system powered off for several minutes, within seconds of loading a 3D game the colors are back.

I checked the invoice and it?s just over one year since I purchased it. I?m checking now but I?m pretty sure Sparkle?s warranty is only one year, but honestly, that hasn?t been a problem for me until now.

If I don?t get a new card I can hobble on my old 7900 GTX until the 55 nm GTX280+ arrives but the worst part is that I only benchmarked a fraction of my games on the 8800 Ultra with the newest drivers so my usual comparison will be quite small.

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
You guys aren't gonna believe this, but my 8800 Ultra crapped out last night!

No joke.

I was playing Warcraft 3 and I got heavy random pixelization so I restarted and I could see multi-colored lines even in the bios screen. Now even with the system powered off for several minutes, within seconds of loading a 3D game the colors are back.

I checked the invoice and it?s just over one year since I purchased it. I?m checking now but I?m pretty sure Sparkle?s warranty is only one year, but honestly, that hasn?t been a problem for me until now.

If I don?t get a new card I can hobble on my old 7900 GTX until the 55 nm GTX280+ arrives but the worst part is that I only benchmarked a fraction of my games on the 8800 Ultra with the newest drivers so my usual comparison will be quite small.

That sounds sort of like what happened with my Gainward GF4 Ti4200 many years ago. I got yellow dots all across the screen like TV snow...

Took me an OS/driver reinstall to realize it wasn't software, and by that time even BIOS was corrupting...

Luckily I was able to RMA it for a replacement without much hassle.

 

[ch33kym0use]

Monolithic core is hot and expensive. I expected Nvidia to do better although they really got pwned by AMD this time around, that is just my opinion.

 

[ajaidevsingh]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
You guys aren't gonna believe this, but my 8800 Ultra crapped out last night!

No joke.

I was playing Warcraft 3 and I got heavy random pixelization so I restarted and I could see multi-colored lines even in the bios screen. Now even with the system powered off for several minutes, within seconds of loading a 3D game the colors are back.

I checked the invoice and it?s just over one year since I purchased it. I?m checking now but I?m pretty sure Sparkle?s warranty is only one year, but honestly, that hasn?t been a problem for me until now.

If I don?t get a new card I can hobble on my old 7900 GTX until the 55 nm GTX280+ arrives but the worst part is that I only benchmarked a fraction of my games on the 8800 Ultra with the newest drivers so my usual comparison will be quite small.

Wow, u must be uber rich.. I have to sell my old cards to buy new ones!!! Waiting for the 55nm GTX280 would be the best thing i would think of right now or what about a gtx260SLi/4870x2??

 

[OCGuy]

Originally posted by: ch33kym0use
Monolithic core is hot and expensive. I expected Nvidia to do better although they really got pwned by AMD this time around, that is just my opinion.

I guess you didnt see what the X2 idle temps are at? My 280 is OC'd to all hell and I never see over the 70's @ 55% fans...

 

[ajaidevsingh]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31

Originally posted by: ch33kym0use
Monolithic core is hot and expensive. I expected Nvidia to do better although they really got pwned by AMD this time around, that is just my opinion.

I guess you didnt see what the X2 idle temps are at? My 280 is OC'd to all hell and I never see over the 70's @ 55% fans...

That temp. is because of the cooler used not the core...!!

 

[Janooo]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
You guys aren't gonna believe this, but my 8800 Ultra crapped out last night!

No joke.

I was playing Warcraft 3 and I got heavy random pixelization so I restarted and I could see multi-colored lines even in the bios screen. Now even with the system powered off for several minutes, within seconds of loading a 3D game the colors are back.

I checked the invoice and it?s just over one year since I purchased it. I?m checking now but I?m pretty sure Sparkle?s warranty is only one year, but honestly, that hasn?t been a problem for me until now.

If I don?t get a new card I can hobble on my old 7900 GTX until the 55 nm GTX280+ arrives but the worst part is that I only benchmarked a fraction of my games on the 8800 Ultra with the newest drivers so my usual comparison will be quite small.

Any confirmation/slide/... from NV about the release date?

 

[BFG10K]

Originally posted by: ajaidevsingh

or what about a gtx260SLi/4870x2??

Multi-GPU solutions don't interest me.

Originally posted by: Janooo

Any confirmation/slide/... from NV about the release date?

No confirmation but rumored around 22-25 Aug.

 

[McCartney]

n7 I have no troubles with my H2Ocs and I'm from Edmonton.
I ended up getting one replaced because i borked it somehow and BFG sent me one via advance swap and I literally received it within 36 hours.
If you want the contact i SPOKE with give me a heads up..

 

[ch33kym0use]

although price drops is good for consumer it costs nvidia, nvidia can correct

 

[Janooo]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

Originally posted by: ajaidevsingh

or what about a gtx260SLi/4870x2??

Multi-GPU solutions don't interest me.

Originally posted by: Janooo

Any confirmation/slide/... from NV about the release date?

No confirmation but rumored around 22-25 Aug.

I don't believe it's going to be that close. If it was the case NV would have leaked some release date slides in order to spoil 4870X2 launch.

 

[n7]

Well i got an eVGA Superclocked GTX 260 from a local shop to play with for now.

It doesn't overheat

Just finished some GRID @ 2560x1600; definitely an improvement from the 8800 GTX.

Downloading the UT3 PhyX stuff now.

 

[Janooo]

Are you giving up on 280?

 

[n7]

Actually, i'm giving up on life.

Either some component has gone bad in my rig, or this new card is fucked in some way.

I've gotten a few crashes to a black screen in gaming, where nothing is happening, have to force a reboot.

And now i'm having trouble POSTing, & i'm running everything stock too right now.

Wtf...



I got a new PSU & new CPU that i haven't had for long, so i don't know what's going on, but something sure is.
Testing time now i guess; no gaming for me.