I recently had issues with an EVGA 8800 GTX Graphics card. There was absolutely no video output, just a black screen upon power on.
I replaced the power supply with a new 700 Watt unit, updated the BIOs, and confirmed the problem followed different know good computers.
A Google search showed a few cards (and XBOX 360s) that were repaired by cooking it in an OVEN!
Well, I had nothing to loose, so I gave it a go. I was surprised that IT WORKED!
My "Non-Scientific" explanation - Apparently, over time, the tiny electrical connections/solder begins to crack and no longer makes contact to the components on the board. Baking the card melts the solder and "reforms" the contact. Below are the steps I performed.
My "Non-Scientific" explanation - Apparently, over time, the tiny electrical connections/solder begins to crack and no longer makes contact to the components on the board. Baking the card melts the solder and "reforms" the contact. Below are the steps I performed.
***Perform the following fix at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage or injury while performing the steps below***
1. Remove the fan and heat sink from the card. On the EVGA 8800 GTX there were
11 x large screws
2 x black screws near the exhaust port.
1 x power wires to the GPU fan
2. Clean off the old thermal paste using isopropyl alcohol.
3. Place aluminum foil on a cooking sheet. I rolled up 4 aluminum foil "balls" to prop the card off the cooking sheet. Keep GPU side up. (Ball placement didn't seem to matter. Just as long as the card was horizontal and not sitting directly on the cooking sheet)
4. Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Place the card into the oven for 8 minutes. Use fans to ventilate the area. I used a fan and channeled the air out an open window.
5. After 8 minutes, crack open the door and let stand for 20 minutes to allow the card to slowly cool down in the oven.
6. After 20 minutes, removed the card from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
7. Clean the gpu and fan mating surface one last time.
8. Place a small amount of thermal paste on the GPU. I typically spread the paste using a sandwich bag.
9. Reinstall the fan/heatsink back onto the card.
10. Reinstall the graphics card back into the computer and test functionality.
Thanks it! Good luck, the procedure above worked for me. As vendors always say "Your mileage may very"
