Dead XFX 6870

[N3rot0xin]

So I'm not sure if my GPU is dead or just taking a nap for the past 3 days but..

 

3 days ago I noticed that my screens were flickering quite a lot (I run 2 screens off DVI). This was after doing nothing but watching youtube videos and general browsing for an hour or so before I headed off to work. I guess the best way to describe it would be tearing or artifacting. Then my computer frooze up and it said my AMD drivers had crashed and been restarted. So first thing I do is go download the latest drivers (13.9 i think), and turn off the VERY moderate overclock on my gpu. Then I run driver sweeper to remove old drivers, and reboot. However, on reboot, I get nothing but a blank screen. Tried several times to get an image to no avail. So I open the side of my case, and the "VGA_LED" light is illuminated (red, on an M5A99X Evo rev 1). I dig out my troubleshooting motherboard speaker and plug it in, and get one long and three short beeps, which according to ASUS's website, means "Graphics card issue: Beep (1 long 3 short)". Here is what I did to attempt a resolution:

 

• Reseated the GPU in the PCI slot and the two 6-pin power connectors.
• Cleared CMOS
• Unplugged all but the motherboard and GPU in case of power delivery issue
• Used a can of compressed air to clean out the PCI socket (when the card was out, obviously)
• Used a pencil eraser to clean the contacts on the GPU itself, used a micro-fiber cloth to remove any eraser bits, and air dusted the contacts
• Tried to POST with the GPU in another PCI slot, no avail
• Petted it and called it nice things (Geez, I dont know why this didn't work...)

   

The only thing I didn't do was test it in another system. I don't have spare systems sitting around. This sounds like an RMA and I contacted XFX already. But is there anything else I can try or any kind of explination in what I did that broke it? It was just *poof*, and dead. No post or anything. Hopeing I can get this resolved.. 6 weeks without a computer is... agonizing.

[helping]

Sometimes they do go poof. If you have a local bestbuy or something and some extra cash you can "borrow" a card by buying one and returning it before the term is over. 

[N3rot0xin]

Sometimes they do go poof. If you have a local bestbuy or something and some extra cash you can "borrow" a card by buying one and returning it before the term is over. 

See if I do that tho, I'm going to be tempted to just keep it as its an upgrade. But the bestbuy near my house stopped selling pretty much all of thier PC components, they ditched Razer and now only sell Rocketfish fans, one 120mm LED Antec fan, and a couple of steelseries keyboards, mice and headsets. They're almost dead to me now..

[helping]

See if I do that tho, I'm going to be tempted to just keep it as its an upgrade. But the bestbuy near my house stopped selling pretty much all of thier PC components, they ditched Razer and now only sell Rocketfish fans, one 120mm LED Antec fan, and a couple of steelseries keyboards, mice and headsets. They're almost dead to me now..

Call them up, it's unlikely for them to not carry even a pos GPU.

 

Plus if you buy something crappy you won't want to keep it. 

[N3rot0xin]

Call them up, it's unlikely for them to not carry even a pos GPU.

 

Plus if you buy something crappy you won't want to keep it. 

Touche, now I just need to find a way to squeeze $60 out of my paycheck.