Why putting my damaged graphics card in the oven was the best advise I've ever listened to - General

Roughly a week ago my Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS decided to die when I was playtesting a level for a friend. If I booted my PC roughly 2 out of the 5 times it would successfully make it to the desktop, all the others resulting in BSOD's. If I did make it to the desktop however, I was greeted by this. [IMG]http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/1271/picture103s.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/7492/picture104j.jpg[/IMG] No game would play at all, not even my right monitor would come on, I couldn't map or model because the viewports for 3DS and Hammer require a working graphic card, so I was pretty irritated by my current predicament I'd found myself in. After countless attempts at a fix, I gave up, I turned to the technical forum of Facepunch to see if anyone had any good ideas, one member [B][URL="http://www.facepunch.com/member.php?u=54221"][B]MCPeePants[/B][/URL] [/B]suggested I re-sit my graphic card, so I did that, and it actually worked!.... For roughly 12 hours, before dying again. By now I was giving up all hope, I have a shitty job and not enough spare cash to ever afford a new graphic card, since all the cash I do earn goes on fuel for my car. That's when a friend suggested I put my graphics card in the oven... Now, I'm not a stupid guy, I was able to determine that exposing your card to that type of temperature would definitely be a killer, so I just laughed. A day passed and it still wasn't working, I was becoming more and more irritated and nothing I was doing was fixing it, so I gave in and decided to shove the bitch in the oven, that morning I spent 2 hours detaching my graphic card from it's heatsink and fan ect until it was just the bare card (it took me 2 hours because I've never done it before, It was actually very fun to do!) I read a little on the internet before I did it, I read that you're supposed to put a layer of tinfoil under the card, and suspend the card above that layer on 4 crumpled up pieces of tinfoil in each corner, like so. [IMG]http://www.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/BakingGraphicCardinOven.jpg[/IMG] I was certain that this would be a gimmick, just a way to make shitloads of people completely kill their cards, but I continued regardless. So at roughly 12am, with the oven pre-heated at gasmark 6 and a jug of water in my hand (incase it caught fire or something), I put my graphics card in the oven for 5 minutes and sat down watching it smoke, agreeing with myself that it's definitely dead. I also had a reality-check during this 5 minute wait, I suddenly realised I was sat on my ass on my kitchen floor, with a jug of water in my hand watching my fucking graphic card cooking in the oven infront of me. I truely had hit nerd rock-bottom. :ohdear: 5 depressing minutes later I took my card out of the oven, let it cool then spent some time putting it all back together and fitting it back into my PC, what happened next I literally couldn't believe, it booted perfectly and went to the desktop, all games we're fine and I could map and model. However, I thought that this would be another 12 hour miracle until it breaks again due to me taking the card out then putting it back in. 4 days later and it's working perfectly. [B]Mind, blown. [/B]tl;dr - Put your graphic card in the oven if it breaks because it actually works, don't forget to add salt.

How the shit... That's got to be some crazy voodoo magic or something.

I might chuck my whole computer in a furnace, and then quench it, to get it going a bit quicker then.

[QUOTE=Fycix;24152970]How the shit... That's got to be some crazy voodoo magic or something.[/QUOTE] resolders the connections it is not magic

Burn the witch!

[QUOTE=Rusty100;24152980]resolders the connections it is not magic[/QUOTE] genius

-snip- Damn ninja'd :ninja:

OP I think you just won at life.

Does this actually work? becaue I could use this instead of buying a new one.

Proof. You can also go to this thread to see the specs my PC was displaying about it. - [url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=986110[/url] [IMG]http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5181/picture104w.jpg[/IMG] The now rather burnt graphic card (actually has scortch marks) [IMG]http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5435/picture105i.jpg[/IMG] Just put it in a pre-heated oven for 5 minutes at gasmark 6, if your card is already broken you have nothing to lose right? That's why I did it, best decision of my life.

[QUOTE=Fycix;24152970]How the shit... That's got to be some crazy voodoo magic or something.[/QUOTE] [img]http://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/11183/80384/t/493112-Voodoo-doll-0.jpg[/img] First image I got when I searched "Some crazy Voodoo Magic". EDIT: I think my image is broken.

Pretty logical, same for an red ringed Xbox360

I'm liking the In Flames merch there dude!

It's nothing too exciting. When they make graphics cards or any electronics with a PCB it is usually put in an oven at around 200C or so. It doesn't damage the chip because there is no electrons moving inside it. Heat damages chips because it increases the electrical resistance between the links of transistors and the electrons will migrate over other ones and form permanent connections. I tried this on my broken 4850 a year ago or so, but unfortunately it didn't work. It doesn't fix a damaged chip, it only resolders the connections on the PCB.

[QUOTE=Darkslicer;24153119]Pretty logical, same for an red ringed Xbox360[/QUOTE] Put your red ringed xbox into the oven?

I acually have a 8800 card that is crashed with alot of strange pixels and blobs which i do not use because i have a 460 instead may try this and take pictures :P

[QUOTE=lnfx;24153186]I'm liking the In Flames merch there dude![/QUOTE] Haha cheers, great band, just posters and tickets from when I've seen them.

It can actually damage your mobo and whole pc if resoldering go wrong

:golfclap: Great find OP

oh wow op you're so special not at all, this method used quite often

Damn, does this shit work with processors?

Maybe if i put my one in the microwave it will go from running Left 4 dead on medium to high!

[QUOTE=Guniv;24153416]i've known this for like 2 years is everyone living under a rock or something some guy stuck his in, he didnt add anything special, just threw it in and it worked again 8800s are the most used for this too[/QUOTE] I can remember the origonal article, 2008 sometime I think it was. Have been advising people to do it whenever their cards break (wich is supprisingly often) ever since, people here must not leave too often.

[QUOTE=BrQ;24153434]oh wow op you're so special not at all, this method used quite often[/QUOTE] Alot of people don't know about it, and when I first read it I thought it was a gimmick, so I'm sure other people will to, this is to prove it isnt.

[QUOTE=Mr.T;24153461]Damn, does this shit work with processors?[/QUOTE] no.

[QUOTE=Mr.T;24153461]Damn, does this shit work with processors?[/QUOTE] Nope. Also, OP, clean out your oven before you cook anything in it. There's probably alot of toxic shit stuck in it now.

Would that oven trick work for fixing artefacts that look like this? Or is it a problem with the chip itself and not a solder? It would be nice having my old video card fixed. [IMG]http://imgur.com/dkhpY.jpg[/IMG]

That's awesome. I gotta remember this.

[QUOTE=Guniv;24153416] some guy stuck his in, he didnt add anything special, just threw it in. [/QUOTE] Thats what she said. :smug:

Well I suppose it's a decent substitute in case your soldering iron breaks.