Question How to check if main GPU chip is dead

sl4y3r88

Commendable
Jul 8, 2019
9
0
1,510
Hi All,

I have a Gigabyte 1080Ti that has a short on the 12v rail. I want to repair it but before I do want to check if the main chip has been killed due to the short.

I was gaming and the PC just shut itself off. I have validated with a Multimeter that the short is on the 12v line.



How can I confirm if the core GPU chip is dead? If that's dead i won't bother taking it for repairs.


Thanks in advance!
 

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
The PCB must be in working order to test the GPU. Not sure what you are expecting.

I would say at this point that repair is probably not worth doing unless you are doing it yourself.

GTX1080 Ti are selling between $250 and $400 (And those people that got $400 were lucky to get that)

So rather than spending $200 getting it fixed, you could get something like an RTX3060 for about $400.
 

sl4y3r88

Commendable
Jul 8, 2019
9
0
1,510
The PCB must be in working order to test the GPU. Not sure what you are expecting.

I would say at this point that repair is probably not worth doing unless you are doing it yourself.

GTX1080 Ti are selling between $250 and $400 (And those people that got $400 were lucky to get that)

So rather than spending $200 getting it fixed, you could get something like an RTX3060 for about $400.
Thanks for your reply. I have a friend of a friend who will do it for me for me for pretty cheap.. but I want to avoid the hassle of going to his place as it's on the other side of town. Is there something I can check ?
 

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
Without a crash course in voltage regulation modules and some decent test equipment, I would say no. The card is old enough that there might be some pinout information for a direct measurement, but measuring things in circuit doesn't usually tell you anything.

If the board won't accept power, then either it is failing its own POST or something really has shorted. If it is obvious board damage, then fixing that, then testing the card is the only real option. If the GPU itself, or a memory module, has a dead short in it, not really much you can do but replacement. And soldering on a new GPU requires very specialized equipment, and would also mean the additional labor of harvesting a GPU from another broken board and hoping for the best.
 

sl4y3r88

Commendable
Jul 8, 2019
9
0
1,510
If the GPU itself, or a memory module, has a dead short in it, not really much you can do but replacement.
This is what I'm most scared of. There's definitely a short, if it's a mosfet or something that's a cheap fix. But not worth or possible if the memory or GPU is busted.