[SOLVED] GPU Missing Capacitor

[tuckertheguy12]

Hello I would like to start with I am new to posting here, but have visited many times over the years to troubleshoot other pc problems of mine. So to start off I recently bought an AMD XFX Radeon 6970 2GB GDDR5 under the condition "Untested". I of course knew this GPU was probably broken but I do like to try fix old broken GPU's or at least tinker to learn new things. The card arrived and I attempted to use it a system of mine but of course it did not display and the fan stayed at 100% the whole time (the loudest GPU fan I've ever heard). I thought about trying to test it in a system with either Intel or AMD onboard graphics to see if the card would show up in device manager under windows but I just decided to take it apart instead.

Upon dismantling the graphics card I noticed pretty quickly this card is missing an entire capacitor and the one next to it looks like it might be leaking, I'm not sure about the leaking one as I've never seen a capacitor leak before but I've linked images for reference. I can clearly tell the capacitor is missing and it doesn't just look like its been knocked off, the pins of the capacitor are absent on the back of the motherboard and the little holes are soldered shut (excuse my lack of professional terms). It almost looks as if it has been deliberately removed but I can't be sure. I would also like to make note this card was extremely clean upon arrived, it had hardly any dust on it but it still had 2 stickers covering screw holes on the back, which leads me to think it actually hasn't been tampered with.

Finally, the main point of my post is I would like to know if it is even possible to replace such a capacitor, or even two if the other is leaking. and how would I go about this process. I am aware of some of the tools I need and I do have some but I have never taken on a project like this. I am also unsure of what capacitors I would need to replace the missing ones.

At the end of the day if this doesn't work out or isn't possible to fix I won't mind as I didn't pay too much for the card and it is a pretty cool looking piece of old tech.

Wasn't too sure if I attached images correctly, if not I'll fix it as fast as I can figure it out.

Thank you for taking the time to read this any and all help is appreciated.

https://imgur.com/GHX5fHr

View: https://imgur.com/GHX5fHr

https://imgur.com/mzsZHr8

View: https://imgur.com/mzsZHr8

https://imgur.com/XlcoGxB

View: https://imgur.com/XlcoGxB

https://imgur.com/TFj1moq

View: https://imgur.com/TFj1moq

https://imgur.com/JqenBZs

View: https://imgur.com/JqenBZs

https://imgur.com/onOVWTV

View: https://imgur.com/onOVWTV

https://imgur.com/WHd5LpM

View: https://imgur.com/WHd5LpM

https://imgur.com/pl5dyeE

View: https://imgur.com/pl5dyeE

https://imgur.com/gRGK8IF

View: https://imgur.com/gRGK8IF

 

[Newtonius]

If you're talking about the components with "R19" written on them, those are not capacitors - those are CHOKES. They help regulate power coming in from the power supply so your GPU doesn't get a ton of unnecessary power. If the CHOKES have failed, which it looks like it totally did, then there's a good chance a lot of other components on this board have as well. As you can see it looks like that thermal pad covering the MOSFET next to the CHOKES is literally burnt and melted. So no doubt there was a power surge that destroyed this board.

Also, in the first pictures, it looks like a few resistors have also popped off. The solder melted too, so that's another indication of a power failure.

Overall, I'm not saying it's impossible to fix this but it will take a ton of skill to do so. You will need to source and replace all those components and then solder them back on, if you even have the skills to do so. These are surface mounted components, so that adds a bit more complexity since other components are nearby. I'd take it to a professional if you really want it fixed, this is not something you can do unless you're confident in your skills.

EDIT: Though it'd be cheaper to get a new card, this can be a side project, I wouldn't put my hopes into making this your new GPU for daily use.

 

[tuckertheguy12]

That's all I needed to know, I appreciate all your help I'll probably see what I can do anyway just for the fun of it, but I know I don't have the skills so it'll make good practice.