Question Video card finished?

akexodus

Reputable
Sep 7, 2017
5
1
4,510
Hey. My PC was working fine up until a few days ago. No changes in software other than whatever feels like auto-updating, and none in hardware.

I started getting artifacts, lockups and reboots.
https://ibb.co/tCjGb3p and the "video scheduler internal error" BSOD.

I don't have any crashes once I've disabled the video driver, but there's been no driver updates.

I'll admit it's an old PC, but I don't need an upgrade for what I use it for currently. It's a GTX560ti.

Looking for advice on what I can do to determine if it's fixable or not.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Those white dots are signs of a dead/dying GPU. If you're able to get into OS GUI, try and see if you have an Error in Device Manager while also using GPU-Z, to see if your memory is reported as 0MB.

I'll admit it's an old PC
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:

Include the age of the PSU as well.
 

akexodus

Reputable
Sep 7, 2017
5
1
4,510
Here's a screenshot of GPU-Z. Is it the "Memory Size" of 0MB you're referring to? (not sure if it matters that my GPU drivers are disabled)
https://gpuz.techpowerup.com/22/04/11/9m2.png

Alright. Here are my specs. No laughing. It turns 10 next month...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Quad Core Processor AM3 3.4GHZ 8MB Cache 125W
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 Evo ATX AM3+ DDR3 AMD 970 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI USB3.0 SATA3 GBLAN
Ram: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24
SSD/HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Fermi 850MHZ 1024MB 4104MHZ GDDR5 2XDVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 650W (pretty sure it's never been changed - 10 years old)
Chassis: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Front USB Audio
OS: Windows 10
Monitor: Asus VE247
 
Well, it could be the psu, the likeliest cause is that the cards needs to be cleaned and re pasted. That thermal paste is now a fine powder/ hard chunk. Really its either or.

This stuff needs to be changed ill go out on a limb and say every 5 years. As I dont actually see any artifacts, its bound to be this. Try repasting the card. Watch a youtube video or two.

When attaching the fan and heatsink try not to tighten it down too far. That can cause more issues.

When applying thermal paste to the gpu its not the same as a cpu... less is more.so used as little as possible while covering the entire gpu chip.
 

akexodus

Reputable
Sep 7, 2017
5
1
4,510
Well, it could be the psu, the likeliest cause is that the cards needs to be cleaned and re pasted. That thermal paste is now a fine powder/ hard chunk. Really its either or.

This stuff needs to be changed ill go out on a limb and say every 5 years. As I dont actually see any artifacts, its bound to be this. Try repasting the card. Watch a youtube video or two.

When attaching the fan and heatsink try not to tighten it down too far. That can cause more issues.

When applying thermal paste to the gpu its not the same as a cpu... less is more.so used as little as possible while covering the entire gpu chip.
Sorry. Here's a better pic with the artifacts. https://linksharing.samsungcloud.com/pVDDGVyxuT1q

Does their existence change your suggestion at all?
 
Sorry. Here's a better pic with the artifacts. https://linksharing.samsungcloud.com/pVDDGVyxuT1q

Does their existence change your suggestion at all?
Yeah it actually does, but you notice the blue screen? No actual distortion of any sort in the crash.
thats a good sign of what I am suggesting!

I'd still have a go at repasting the card. You might want to look at memory pads, get an assorted pack when you get new paste. spending more than 15 dollars on this card is a mistake. You can find a 7870 or 270x for 60 bucks, its old but will be faster by a fair margin than what you have and require far less mucking about, but you might still want to change the paste on the used 270x or 7870.
I'm suggesting this card as I am certain even your old psu can handle it.

As long as you aren't very greedy youll find those cards will still game quite well.
 

akexodus

Reputable
Sep 7, 2017
5
1
4,510
Yeah it actually does, but you notice the blue screen? No actual distortion of any sort in the crash.
thats a good sign of what I am suggesting!

I'd still have a go at repasting the card. You might want to look at memory pads, get an assorted pack when you get new paste. spending more than 15 dollars on this card is a mistake. You can find a 7870 or 270x for 60 bucks, its old but will be faster by a fair margin than what you have and require far less mucking about, but you might still want to change the paste on the used 270x or 7870.
I'm suggesting this card as I am certain even your old psu can handle it.

As long as you aren't very greedy youll find those cards will still game quite well.
Great. Thanks for the help. My gaming backlog is so far back and slow to catch up that I don't need anything very powerful. I'm playing games in order of release date, and I'm only on Mass effect 1. That's a 2008 game. :D
 
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