Is diagnosing and repairing hardware possible?

[burninrubber0]

I have an old GPU that has died. Normally I'd throw such things away, but it's still worth a considerable amount used. Is it possible to troubleshoot exactly what component on the card has failed (e.g. MOSFETs), and if so, is it possible to repair/replace the failing components?

I've considered reballing, but the symptoms (artifacts immediately in BIOS, with no OC ever applied) don't seem to match what would happen with cracked solder.

 

[jay32267]

It's possible to diagnose and it's possible to repair.....but the thing is.....many times the time and effort and skill involved in such a repair is more costly than it's worth.

 

[burninrubber0]

It's possible to diagnose and it's possible to repair.....but the thing is.....many times the time and effort and skill involved in such a repair is more costly than it's worth.

Are you able to elaborate on that? I understand time and effort, but what skill would be required?

 

[jay32267]

The components are very small and they are generally surface mount. They can be extremely difficult to remove and replace without damaging things.

Also.....there can be considerable time involved in the diagnosis.

 

[burninrubber0]

I see. Even so, I'm still tempted to at least learn how to diagnose the issue. Is there anywhere you know of that has information on the process? It's surprising how hard it is to find - all my searches have come up empty.

 

[jay32267]

Most likely the main reason it is hard to find is that the information is proprietary.

This is very common.

The proper way to diagnose it is with the schematics.....which may be nearly impossible to come by.

 

[burninrubber0]

Doubt I'll be able to get my hands on that... dang. Is there nothing that can be done without the schematics? No signs to look for on the components, or tests that can be done to validate their functionality?

 

[jay32267]

Oh of course there can be signs....mainly burning and melting signs....or reflowed solder (when the solder gets too hot and flows)....or smells (many times you can smell before you can see).

....and the problem of not having the schematics is....yes you could test the components...but generally that's not vaild because they are "in circuit"....which means that if you measure them with a meter....you will not get the specified value because the other components connected to it affect the reading....and without knowing what those components are and how they are connected....you don't know what you "should" be getting.

 

[burninrubber0]

Alright, thanks for the info. Even though I can't fix the card, I've at least learned something, and you've been very helpful in that regard. Still, it's surprising that this question is so hard find an answer to - you'd imagine it'd be all over the internet, but it's as if nobody has asked before.

Anyway, thank you very much for the help, appreciate it a lot!

 

[jay32267]

No problem. Things were easier to repair before everything basically became surface mount. Components were larger and easier to remove and replace.

Now, things aren't really designed to be removed and replaced....basically they are designed to be thrown away.