[SOLVED] ~4 y/o GPU failing under load

[Carrio Tine]

I have a MSI Radeon R9 390X 8 GB video card I bought sometime around the end of 2015/start of 2016. It ran fine for a while, but the last year or so it's been having trouble, including heavy graphical glitches. Originally, this only happened when my room was hot (I live in GA, USA), but it was less of a problem in the winter. As of recent, though, it's been failing under any load it's put under, even if the temps don't rise whatsoever.

What I'm wondering is: Is there a way I could repair it? Is it worth repairing? I'm currently starting to go through the process of upgrading my computer, but if I could make it stable again, I could easily pass it on to someone else, and I'd honestly prefer that to just throwing it out.

Currently the card is outside of my PC, and I'm using the integrated graphics on my CPU. I've had no issues whatsoever on any load with that, even when I push it further than it was meant to go.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Repair it? No not easily, having it repaired (if it can be repaired, doubtful) would likely cost way more than the card is worth depending on what the issue is.

It is likely just degrading. What are GPU temps under load? If it is degrading you can easily make it work properly again by either overvolting or underclocking the the core and memory a bit. As a card degrades it can take more voltage to make the card stable than it did when it was new. So you can either add more voltage and make it stable again, or decrease clocks so the card does not need as much voltage. Decreasing clocks while this may hurt performance a touch,would be safer especially if the card is already running quite hot under load.

 

[Carrio Tine]

IIRC, under load it got into the mid-80s. Idle, it was in the 60s, could be in the 70s if the room was hot. (Celcius).
Based on what I was reading, it was running hot. Could I try replacing the thermal paste as well? Would that help? I'm willing to open it.

 

[Dunlop0078]

If it's in the 60s idle and the fans are spinning it is definitely running too hot. Replacing the thermal paste could help a lot if it has never been done before, im sure the stock paste would be dried up by now. If the artifacting you are seeing is due to excessive heat changing the paste and a good dusting could solve your issue.

Be careful with the thermal pads when you remove the cooler if you don't plan on replacing them.