Problem with Ti 4600, broken transistor

[DanLikesCereal]

Okay, this may seem like a weird problem, but here goes. Awhile ago my dad bought a Ti 4600 for himself. I assumed that it was still in his computer. This was about 5 months ago or so. Now, however, I have learned that it is in fact NOT in his computer but sitting in our storage closet. The reason for this is because when he was installing it he broke a transistor, and one other piece that is on the end of the card without the fan. I am not sure exactly how he did this, but he did.

Now my question is, and I have not yet put it in a system, is it possible to still get a replacement? And, if not, is there a way to fix it (as I still have the pieces that broke off)? And, if not, is there a snowball's chance in hell that it will work with the broken transistor? Thanks for any help you can give me on this question.

 

[Ravenit]

Take the transistor to an electronics repair shop they can get the correct transistor for you and resolder it fairly cheap. Or you could put it in and try to see if it works. R u sure it is a transistor.
Transistors have usually 3 legs capacitors have 2.

 

[cyberock]

I have the same problem. A capacitor broke off my GeForce4 TI4400 card at the top of the card towards where the monitor would plug in. The card seems to work. The only reason I say it is a capacitor is because it has two legs and not 3. What does a capacitor do?

 

[Johneverd]

Originally posted by: cyberock
I have the same problem. A capacitor broke off my GeForce4 TI4400 card at the top of the card towards where the monitor would plug in. The card seems to work. The only reason I say it is a capacitor is because it has two legs and not 3. What does a capacitor do?

I believe that a capacitor smooths out the voltage, giving a nice speady flow of juice. It is for stability I think. Can anybody verify that for me?

 

[JSSheridan]

A cap is usually used as a filter is power electronic systems. DC and low frequency signals, either voltage or current, react to a cap as an open circuit, while high frequency signals see a cap as a short circuit. When a cap is placed in parallel with a load, the noise and unwanted ripple in the signal are shunted into the cap and don't go through the load. On the other hand, the DC signal doesn't go though the cap, but is sent to the load. Peace.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Easier than above, capacitors store and release charge. Simply put if you knock off one or two capacitors, then the video card will often become unstable because it can't store up and distribute enough power to the card.