GTX 280 bake

[birthdaymonkey]

A friend of mine who has an out-of-warranty 280 with PSOD issues has offered it to me if I want to bake it and try it in my computer.

1. Is there a significant risk to my computer?

2. I know the heatsink, fan, and shroud my be removed along with any plastic or meltable parts. When I replace them, can I use thermal grease (I have Noctua, AS Ceramique, and Coolermaster on hand), or do I have to buy thermal pads? If so, how do I know what type of thermal pads to get?

3. I read on another site or another thread somewhere that it should be baked at 375 for ~10 minutes to fix any microfractures. Is this correct?

Finally, is this worth the hassle? My secondary computer could use a better video card (currently running a 9800 GT), but if the chances of success are low and there's a risk of damaging the system, I would rather just buy a new card when I can afford one.

 

[busydude]

Finally, is this worth the hassle?

IMO, no. The risk far outweigh the rewards.

 

[lavaheadache]

I have successfully baked a few cards... give it a shot

 

[gorobei]

i need to bake my 9800gtx as well, as soon as i find the time.

there shouldnt be any major risk to the system. the card will either work or it wont. unless you overdo it and melt all the solder such that it forms one giant blob(crossing multiple traces/contacts) then something on the card may short.

 

[Campy]

if the card currently does not work, what have you got to lose? don't bake it to long, it's better to bake it too little than to much. if the first bake doesnt work you can try again and bake it slightly longer.

 

[Idontcare]

Just be mindful of the fumes and I wouldn't recommend you do it in an oven that you like to bake your food in.

All kinds of nasties in those vid cards that were never designed or intended to keep the nasties inside them at elevated temps.

I worked in the industry, knowing what I know about the chemicals used and retained within PCB's and IC components (caps, etc) I would not bake a v-card inside my house even if it were a disposable oven.

Risk versus reward. You know the potential reward, educate yourself about the risk and then make a cost-benefits decision. Just my opinion.