GPU Overheated? Looking for a fix or replacement.

[Nimam_01]

Today I decided to do a little cleaning, so I went and used compressed air to clear the dust in my PC. After connecting it back up it started up normally so I stepped away for a bit. When I came back the PC was turned off and I couldn't start it and there was a faint smell as if something has burnt.

First I thought my PSU went so I replaced it with one from another PC to check, but it still didn't start. Then I did a quick google search and decided to try disconnecting my Graphics card. It worked. Now I can start up the PC, I even replaced the card with an ancient one so I can use my PC ( abit at a low resolution since there are no WIN10 drivers for a 15 years old card ).

Anyway my questions are

1.Can I somehow bring my graphics card back to life? Did it overheat as I fear?

2. What is suitable replacement for my for my GPU ( Gigabyte GeForce GTS 250 1GB )? I'm looking for something in the same ball park as quality goes, for at most 100€. I was looking at ASUS Radeon R7 240 2GB GDDR3. How does it compare? Is it compatible with my motherboard. From what I understand all GPUs are backward compatible?

I'm using my PC for Photoshoping, some video editing and gaming.

My specs:

MB: Gigabyte EP43-UD3L
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66GHz
RAM :4,00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 399MHz
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTS 250 1GB

P.s.: I know my PC is old ( 6-7 years ) but a new PC is not in my budget right now.

 

[Brickfoot7]

1. Depending on how you used the can of compressed air you may have allowed some moisture to accumulate on the graphics card shorting it out. I've heard of someone with a similar issue who cleaned off the exposed pcb of the graphics card with 90%+ Isopropyl alcohol though I'm not sure that'll help at all.

2. The R7 240 is fairly close in performance possibly a little inferior to the GTS 250. I've found a few R7 370 within your budget but I'm unsure whether they are available in your region. The R7 360 is very close in performance to the GTS 250 as well. You motherboard has a PCI-E 2.0 slot and the graphics cards I suggested are all backwards compatible, so they will work. You'll want to uninstall your current graphics drivers and install the ones corresponding to the card you get.

 

[Nimam_01]

1. Depending on how you used the can of compressed air you may have allowed some moisture to accumulate on the graphics card shorting it out. I've heard of someone with a similar issue who cleaned off the exposed pcb of the graphics card with 90%+ Isopropyl alcohol though I'm not sure that'll help at all.

2. The R7 240 is fairly close in performance possibly a little inferior to the GTS 250. I've found a few R7 370 within your budget but I'm unsure whether they are available in your region. The R7 360 is very close in performance to the GTS 250 as well. You motherboard has a PCI-E 2.0 slot and the graphics cards I suggested are all backwards compatible, so they will work. You'll want to uninstall your current graphics drivers and install the ones corresponding to the card you get.

Thanks for a complete and detailed answer. Much appreciated!

I've looked trough shops I usually use and R7 360 is nowhere to be found. I've got my eyes on SAPPHIRE Radeon R7 250 2GB GDDR3 Boost Lite or SAPPHIRE RX 460 2GB OC GDDR5. The second one is a bit over-budget but the few test I've found online it seems to be much better than the other cards including GTS 250 ( a better price/performance ratio ). Am I correct in that assessment? Would you recommend this card.

Thank you again!

 

[Brickfoot7]

I've looked trough shops I usually use and R7 360 is nowhere to be found. I've got my eyes on SAPPHIRE Radeon R7 250 2GB GDDR3 Boost Lite or SAPPHIRE RX 460 2GB OC GDDR5. The second one is a bit over-budget but the few test I've found online it seems to be much better than the other cards including GTS 250 ( a better price/performance ratio ). Am I correct in that assessment? Would you recommend this card.

The RX 460 would definitely be an upgrade from your GTS 250. Since you seem willing to go a little over budget another cardto think about is the Nvidia equivalent to AMD's RX 260, the GTX 1050. The 1050 will perform quite similarly to the RX 260 and is usually within the same price range. I wouldn't recommend one over the other, just giving you another option. As far as that specific Sapphire card you mentioned, it should be fine.

 

[Nimam_01]

I've looked trough shops I usually use and R7 360 is nowhere to be found. I've got my eyes on SAPPHIRE Radeon R7 250 2GB GDDR3 Boost Lite or SAPPHIRE RX 460 2GB OC GDDR5. The second one is a bit over-budget but the few test I've found online it seems to be much better than the other cards including GTS 250 ( a better price/performance ratio ). Am I correct in that assessment? Would you recommend this card.

The RX 460 would definitely be an upgrade from your GTS 250. Since you seem willing to go a little over budget another cardto think about is the Nvidia equivalent to AMD's RX 260, the GTX 1050. The 1050 will perform quite similarly to the RX 260 and is usually within the same price range. I wouldn't recommend one over the other, just giving you another option. As far as that specific Sapphire card you mentioned, it should be fine.

Thank you once again! You have been much help! Cheers