Repairing GPUs on older, low-end cards?
Repairing GPUs on older, low-end cards?
No, it's using way too much power. When I ran a benchmark, the scores were super low, because whatever's wrong with it is leaving too little headroom for the shaders to clock very high.
I think I covered all of this, in my original post.
I was ready to investigate the fan, until I saw the board still using way too much power even with it disconnected. Then, the amount of power-drop that occurred from simply disconnecting the second monitor convinced me it's like a VRM problem or something.
But the card believes its own reporting and behaves accordingly. The fact that the fan doesn't spin just further supports the notion of an underlying hardware problem.
Your expectations are colored by experience with much bigger, higher-power GPUs. This is a little bus-powered card, rated at 50 W
max
.
See if the fan is getting any power. If the fan is getting power I would bet there's nothing wrong with the GPU at all aside from a fan and software reporting.
Low performance/clocks can easily be caused by the fan not functioning.
I've owned multiple rx550s myself btw.
Another aspect to evaluate is the vbios. It's unclear who would be using an rx550, but it's possible someone could modify it for that role, potentially altering its power/boost performance and curve shaping.
I just bought the Radeon Pro WX 3100 from a new box, shipped for $75. It has HP branding, but I don’t think it matters much. The specs are listed here: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/ra...3100.c2978. I wasn’t sure about this path because the port setup only includes DisplayPort and my KVM switches use HDMI. I’m aware those ports support dual-mode, but adapters would limit me to 4K at 30 Hz or require an active converter, which uses more power and can cause problems. I’m considering asking for a repair quote just to be sure.
Yeah, this doesn't seem like it was used for mining, but who knows? The card looks clean, even under the cover. It might have been in a machine room with good dust control, or it may have had limited usage. It did come with the low-profile bracket, which is different from the other cards I've seen that always came with the tall bracket. Probably someone used it in a machine and then wondered if it was defective or just worn out.
The best response would be sent to @USAFRet, as I ended up placing an order for a replacement. It wasn't the solution I was seeking, but it might not matter. Thanks to all who cared about my case and helped out.
Heh, Tony from Northwest Repair LLC is in agreement. His reply was straightforward:
"Old GPU. Not worth fixing"
: D
I did go ahead and ask for a quote, but what stands out about them is their billing method. They charge a set rate tied to the market value of the GPU. It seems they’d likely decline the job if their pricing model didn’t cover the time they usually invest. That makes sense, considering the demand for their services, the current GPU prices, and their growing online presence.
Submitted a request to ZapFixers regarding a $59 flat diag fee. My assumption remains that the issue lies within the VRM component, which could potentially lower the overall cost below the $100 goal.