F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop It's not a critical issue but would really help if you could fix the GPU.

It's not a critical issue but would really help if you could fix the GPU.

It's not a critical issue but would really help if you could fix the GPU.

B
Banarnar
Member
Find
109
02-16-2021, 10:15 AM
#1
About three to four years back, I was playing games on a Z400 HP workstation equipped with an Xeon W processor and 16GB of DDR3-1333 ECC RAM. It ran at 4C/8T, though the exact model wasn’t clear. The system came with a 475W PSU and my father had installed an Asus 1660 Ti OC. We used both PCIe and Molex connectors. There was another Z400 with a similar setup but a 1060 6GB RAM module, which I now use in a Ryzen machine. The 1660 Ti was chosen mainly because of Turing’s AI acceleration improvements. It was running heavy machine learning tasks inside a tight, closed case with minimal airflow. Recently, while playing War Thunder, the system froze unexpectedly. After turning it off to restart, it wouldn’t boot. I tested the 1060 in the same setup and it worked perfectly. Over time, I explored various methods to revive it, realizing the card was out of warranty. Initially, I assumed the PSU was faulty—it wasn’t built for such demands and didn’t recognize the newer components. Eventually, I upgraded to a Ryzen system with a 750W PSU. Before that, the Z400 gave me nothing—no performance, not even lights. Now on the Ryzen, when I tried booting, it failed and the PCIe indicator lit red. I waited a few weeks, then researched GPU revival techniques. I disassembled the board, cleaned it, applied new thermal paste, and used a hair dryer with foil to warm the components. It helped a bit. Plugging it back in made the PCIe light green and allowed me to post. However, when I tried to boot Windows, the NVIDIA driver didn’t recognize it. My ASUS GPU Tweak II did, letting me overclock and adjust fans. Installing the driver caused the system to shut down and turn red again. After several tries, I managed to install a working driver, but the game loaded slowly and crashed during intense sessions like Flight Simulator. As someone on a tight budget, I’m hoping for a better GPU soon—possibly a 3070 Ti or higher—but it’s uncertain. I just want to know if there are any viable solutions and if they’re worth the effort.
Reply
Reply
B
Banarnar
02-16-2021, 10:15 AM #1

About three to four years back, I was playing games on a Z400 HP workstation equipped with an Xeon W processor and 16GB of DDR3-1333 ECC RAM. It ran at 4C/8T, though the exact model wasn’t clear. The system came with a 475W PSU and my father had installed an Asus 1660 Ti OC. We used both PCIe and Molex connectors. There was another Z400 with a similar setup but a 1060 6GB RAM module, which I now use in a Ryzen machine. The 1660 Ti was chosen mainly because of Turing’s AI acceleration improvements. It was running heavy machine learning tasks inside a tight, closed case with minimal airflow. Recently, while playing War Thunder, the system froze unexpectedly. After turning it off to restart, it wouldn’t boot. I tested the 1060 in the same setup and it worked perfectly. Over time, I explored various methods to revive it, realizing the card was out of warranty. Initially, I assumed the PSU was faulty—it wasn’t built for such demands and didn’t recognize the newer components. Eventually, I upgraded to a Ryzen system with a 750W PSU. Before that, the Z400 gave me nothing—no performance, not even lights. Now on the Ryzen, when I tried booting, it failed and the PCIe indicator lit red. I waited a few weeks, then researched GPU revival techniques. I disassembled the board, cleaned it, applied new thermal paste, and used a hair dryer with foil to warm the components. It helped a bit. Plugging it back in made the PCIe light green and allowed me to post. However, when I tried to boot Windows, the NVIDIA driver didn’t recognize it. My ASUS GPU Tweak II did, letting me overclock and adjust fans. Installing the driver caused the system to shut down and turn red again. After several tries, I managed to install a working driver, but the game loaded slowly and crashed during intense sessions like Flight Simulator. As someone on a tight budget, I’m hoping for a better GPU soon—possibly a 3070 Ti or higher—but it’s uncertain. I just want to know if there are any viable solutions and if they’re worth the effort.

Reply
Reply
L
Luctony74
Member
Find
107
02-18-2021, 07:13 PM
#2
It seems the heat might have had some effect, but there could still be a bad solder joint or a damaged component that the heat helped fix. Using an oven for this isn't usually a safe approach unless you're willing to risk destroying the card. It looks like a repair might be possible with the right expertise and equipment. As for fixing it yourself, I can't suggest any specific steps since doing so could cause more harm. Would you know anyone who specializes in such repairs? If yes, I’d recommend taking them up on it.
Reply
Reply
L
Luctony74
02-18-2021, 07:13 PM #2

It seems the heat might have had some effect, but there could still be a bad solder joint or a damaged component that the heat helped fix. Using an oven for this isn't usually a safe approach unless you're willing to risk destroying the card. It looks like a repair might be possible with the right expertise and equipment. As for fixing it yourself, I can't suggest any specific steps since doing so could cause more harm. Would you know anyone who specializes in such repairs? If yes, I’d recommend taking them up on it.

Reply
Reply