Crappy day...

[blckgrffn]

Hey all.

If you just want to hear about the video card problem, please jump past the first paragraph of the post.

Work was fine this morning, sitting in my cube being very inspiring as always. Driving home in my yellow mustang, 99 GT 5 Speed , I got pulled over for the first time in four years. 62 in a 55. What a crock. Wasted 15 minutes on the side of the interstate. Just a verbal warning. Noon - Business Law test. 23% of our final grade, 20 true/false, 20 multiple choice, easy to take, hard to do well on. Spend the break between that and my next class trying to see a prof about a question in computer org, he is too busy and I waste 2 hours. 2:30 - Linear Algebra, the bane of my life. Of course we do a "little in class example". I am the last person still sitting in the classroom finishing up 40 minutes after the scheduled end of class. Sigh. I come back, determined to do something that I have been putting off for over two weeks.

I bought a GF4 Ti4400 from a guy on these forums, it shows packed superbly and works well, but the fan is loud. So I byought a nice Zalman VGA heatsink off the forums, and proceed today to install it. It took me a long time to tak the heatsink off of the card, as I didn't what to screw it up the way I seemed to the last time I tried to change a heatsink on a card. A GF3 that I bought a Vantec for, after installing the heatsink I got artifacts everywhere, and after several installations, I just threw the damn thing away. Well, I was trying to be extra careful this time. Imagine my fury when I discovered THAT THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING :|

I get artifacts now. I tried using artic silver and the included zalman paste. The artifacting seems to be a little different with each installation but I can't get it to go away. I get big red checks int he bios, and waves of small blue boxes when in windows. Did I manage to ruin another card? This is ridiculous? What is the proper procedure for replacing a VGA heatsink that is so hard it isn't obvious?

Please give me some advice. Or tell me if I really ruined another card

Thanks for reading,
Nat

 

[mwmorph]

wow that realyl sucks. what are the temps though? maybe it's not a heat related issue.(yuo didnt use as5 on the memory chips or let it touch metal contacts didi you?)

 

[blckgrffn]

its the newest as, so I thought it wasn't conductive, but to the best of my knowledge, its spread is contained to the core. I don't think that it is heat related, but I really have no way of knowing at this point. Has anyone else encoutered this kind of problem?

nat

 

[blckgrffn]

please take a look!

 

[slpaulson]

Are you sure your heatsink is making proper contact?

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

How much AS did you use? And how long after you start up yoru computer did you experience the artifacts??

 

[blckgrffn]

right away, in the post screen even. I pressed the heatsink down twisted it a little, and then put in the pins without letting the heatsink pull up. I may be using too much AS, but I tried using less and didn't help much.

Nat

 

[zakee00]

what kind of as WAS it?

 

[blckgrffn]

Ah, yes, AS5. But polysynthetic == non-conductive, correct? I thought they had that fixed since AS4. Anyway, I was really careful and only let the AS go where it was needed - on the core. I did nothing to the memory chips.

Nat

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: blckgrffn
Hey all.

If you just want to hear about the video card problem, please jump past the first paragraph of the post.

Work was fine this morning, sitting in my cube being very inspiring as always. Driving home in my yellow mustang, 99 GT 5 Speed , I got pulled over for the first time in four years. 62 in a 55. What a crock. Wasted 15 minutes on the side of the interstate. Just a verbal warning. Noon - Business Law test. 23% of our final grade, 20 true/false, 20 multiple choice, easy to take, hard to do well on. Spend the break between that and my next class trying to see a prof about a question in computer org, he is too busy and I waste 2 hours. 2:30 - Linear Algebra, the bane of my life. Of course we do a "little in class example". I am the last person still sitting in the classroom finishing up 40 minutes after the scheduled end of class. Sigh. I come back, determined to do something that I have been putting off for over two weeks.

I bought a GF4 Ti4400 from a guy on these forums, it shows packed superbly and works well, but the fan is loud. So I byought a nice Zalman VGA heatsink off the forums, and proceed today to install it. It took me a long time to tak the heatsink off of the card, as I didn't what to screw it up the way I seemed to the last time I tried to change a heatsink on a card. A GF3 that I bought a Vantec for, after installing the heatsink I got artifacts everywhere, and after several installations, I just threw the damn thing away. Well, I was trying to be extra careful this time. Imagine my fury when I discovered THAT THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING :|

I get artifacts now. I tried using artic silver and the included zalman paste. The artifacting seems to be a little different with each installation but I can't get it to go away. I get big red checks int he bios, and waves of small blue boxes when in windows. Did I manage to ruin another card? This is ridiculous? What is the proper procedure for replacing a VGA heatsink that is so hard it isn't obvious?

Please give me some advice. Or tell me if I really ruined another card

Thanks for reading,
Nat

Am I missing something here. How did you end up with a 23%? 20 true and false...if you guessed on each one you would have 50% on that part. Then the multiple choice, guessing would get you 20-25% depending on the number of answers. So if you gussed your way through you should get at least a 30%?

Your car will draw attention to you. Any time you go over the speed limit you are breaking a law and can be given a ticket. You were going 7 over. You should not complain as they let you off with a warning. I got a ticket for going 5 over. $80.

Yes, linear algebra sucks...its my second time in that class.

My guess is the heatsink is not seated right....or you shorted something with the artic silver. But pics would be more helpful

 

[blckgrffn]

Thirty percent of 23 gives you what - 6.9, dropping your grade to 83.9 percent if you had gotten every other point in the entire class. That is not my definition of good, no curve Oh - I meant that this test is worth 23% of the final course grade, which isn't unusual for a test, but the shortness of it sucks as any mistake costs big.

I can complain all I want about my speeding ticket - this is an mile stretch of 4 lan high way that drops to 55 where I get routinely blown by because some cars never even drop their cruise down. Iowa is the great land where 10 over and under doesn't warrant you getting pulled over, usually A five over ticket here would cost about $30, $22 of which would be court fees if I remember correctly, and it would be eaisly gotten out of by actually showing up for your court date. Pulling me over for seven over was a joke, mainly because at any given time the people travel throught that section at anywhere from 65-75 mph, including while I was pulled over, no doubt.

I am on my way to a solid C or C+ in linear algebra, but my 3.5 GPA doesn't like that at all. Here's to you passingit the second time around with a much better grade than the first!

I will try to post pics later tonight. Thanks for the input!

Nat

 

[mwmorph]

oh as5 isnt conductive but is capacitative which can be even worse. fry your card if applied improperly.

 

[blckgrffn]

ah, well, would I be able to see the trouble spot if I had gotten some on it somewhere? I visually inspected it and couldn't see any spots of silver anywhere on the card. I didn't realize that it was capacitative, I understand how that could also be not good. Should I try cleaning the entire area around the heatsink with some 97% isopropyl alcohol and q-tips?

 

[mwmorph]

only if some leaked onto the surroundngs. also, it is too thick if it isnt translucent/transparent.