GTX 570 Dead Output Pipeline? (FIXED!!!)

[Doom2pro]

Hello, I have an EVGA GTX 570 HD DS (Doubleshot) here that has a strange issue... Initially it looked dead, no output from HDMI, DVI 1 or DVI 2 (didn't test display port)...

The DVI ports give out a signal in analog (the monitor doesn't say no signal and even see's the resolution and refresh rate) but the HDMI doesn't give a signal at all.

However the machine boots fine, drivers detect it, when I VNC the machine I can run tests, benchmarks, OC Scanner Artifact tests (none found), etc...

Then I went into nVidia control panel and in the configure multiple display area I noticed something peculiar... It was showing TWO Analog Displays, even though NOTHING was connected to either DVI ports, or either HDMI/Displayport...

Now, I have this EXACT same card in another machine and when ONLY HDMI is connected it shows ONLY HDMI in the display manager... This gets me thinking, so I uncheck both Analog Displays, connect an HDMI display and then set that to primary and TADA, HDMI Display shows desktop.

When booting, if I have DVI Analog port used it shows green LED (signal) but black screen that gets slightly brighter when BIOS kicks in, HDMI is no signal, then when windows loads to login screen, DVI port kicks off (orange LED) and HDMI gets display.

Looking at the GPU's datasheet, GTX 570 has "Two display pipelines" and "integrated dual 400Mhz RAMDAC" for analog displays...

I'm wondering where the fault is, the internal RAMDAC or it's digital input (I.E. one of the display pipelines) or could it be outside the GPU, somewhere in the analog path, filters, etc?

Also, the previous owner said the display went black suddenly in the middle of gaming, hasn't been used since.

Has anyone experienced this before? Any ideas? Could this card be used in SLI as a slave? Thanks

 

[Doom2pro]

Problem Fixed! Thankfully it wasn't an internal GPU Fault, but a board fault! I noticed some SMD components were missing a few days ago, and I replaced them but it didn't have any effect...

Well upon further inspection of images of this same board I found on Google Image Search I noticed one of the "Capacitors" that was missing and that I had replaced (labeled C824) didn't look like a capacitor, the component was too dark, it looked like a ferrite inductor (Choke), so I took a working card (same exact model) and tested the component in question with a multimeter and sure enough it was a dead short (meaning an inductor NOT a capacitor which would be open circuit).

See Image (Blue Arrow points to Inductor):

So I took a similar sized component from another dead Graphics Card (GeForce FX 5700LE) I have lying around just for this purpose, I desoldered the SMD Capacitor I had put in before, and soldered in the inductor.

I put the card back in test machine, put DVI cable onto main DVI port, turn monitor on, power up and... BIOS SCREEN! SUCCESS!

Anyway, hope this helps someone

 

[Elixer]

What tools did you use to desolder & solder the SMD?

 

[Doom2pro]

What tools did you use to desolder & solder the SMD?

Just a regular soldering iron (Soldering Station, temp 425C) with a pencil tip, some tweezers and flux...

All you do for simple two pad components is run the iron tip back and forth between the two pads and at the same time apply pressure to the side with the tweezers, eventually both ends melt and the component gets shoved off the pads.

Soldering back on is a little trickier, you need to solder one end while holding with tweezers, once it's cooled you solder the other end.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's really not too hard to do. Get a decent soldering station if you want to try.

I think a lot of folks use an iron that is just too big and too high powered.

With a decent station you can use just the right tip and just the right amount of heat.

Practice on a throw away item first.

With a good eye and some practice, you can get the hang of it.

 

[Doom2pro]

It's really not too hard to do. Get a decent soldering station if you want to try.

I think a lot of folks use an iron that is just too big and too high powered.

With a decent station you can use just the right tip and just the right amount of heat.

Practice on a throw away item first.

With a good eye and some practice, you can get the hang of it.

I use a 937D+, and the high power is needed for things like this as these GFX boards are multi-layered, thick copper planes and large surface area, which causes quite a bit of heat sinking effect coupled with the ROHS Lead Free solder, you need 400+ C just to melt even a tiny connection, else sit there all day waiting for the entire PCB to warm up from the tip of the iron.

For anything with more than two pins I use my hot air gun on the 700W setting, and just wait till the solder gets shiny then lift the component right off. Soldering new component back is just as simple, just place it over pads, heat with hot air until solder is shiny, press down, remove heat and let cool.

 

[LTC8K6]

I use a 937D+, and the high power is needed for things like this as these GFX boards are multi-layered, thick copper planes and large surface area, which causes quite a bit of heat sinking effect coupled with the ROHS Lead Free solder, you need 400+ C just to melt even a tiny connection, else sit there all day waiting for the entire PCB to warm up from the tip of the iron.

For anything with more than two pins I use my hot air gun on the 700W setting, and just wait till the solder gets shiny then lift the component right off. Soldering new component back is just as simple, just place it over pads, heat with hot air until solder is shiny, press down, remove heat and let cool.

That seems the opposite of this though:

Just a regular soldering iron (Soldering Station, temp 425F) with a pencil tip, some tweezers and flux...

I use a Weller WESD51. It doesn't seem to have any trouble.

 

[Doom2pro]

That seems the opposite of this though:

How is a $35 shipped soldering station the opposite of:

Just a regular soldering iron (Soldering Station, temp 425F) with a pencil tip

It's EXACTLY the same thing... lol

 

[LTC8K6]

You seemed to describe it as easy, then you seemed to describe it as difficult.

No idea what you thought I meant.

Also, 400C was well above 425F the last time I checked.

Just a regular soldering iron (Soldering Station, temp 425F)

you need 400+ C just to melt even a tiny connection

I have been using Weller irons since my Army soldering days and before.

I do note that these 93XX stations are bigclive.com approved, though.

 

[Doom2pro]

Also, 400C was well above 425F the last time I checked.

I didn't notice the 425F, I meant C...

You seemed to describe it as easy, then you seemed to describe it as difficult.

I was describing several things, de-soldering two pad components (Resistors, Capacitors, Diodes, Chokes) is relatively easy, the harder part is soldering them back on, as they tend to flip and flop and tombstone, quite fiddly.

As for more complex SMD parts, hot air gun is best approach I feel, it's more time consuming and if done improperly could damage surrounding components with the heat, but it's the only sure-way I know of to get the part off without damaging it, or the pads!

I do note that these 93XX stations are bigclive.com approved, though.

It depends, there are a lot of knockoff-knockoffs... I have a Genuine Yihua brand, a high build quality Weller knockoff. They even put scratch off QR codes on their stuff now since their stuff is so good there are knockoff of their knockoffs!