Strange problem R9 390 Sapphire

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May 23, 2021
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Hello, I have a strange problem with an R9 390 Sapphire, it has the infamous black screen problem but only when i'm logging in windows after putting in the password.
I've tried the gpu without the drivers and in safe mode and it works normally, what can it be? (I can try to take some measurements on the card and I have access to a friend's soldering and hot air station) Thank you

Edit: here are some photos of the card
 

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What do you mean by "black screen problem"? You mean you enter the password and hit enter, and then the screen just goes black?
 
What do you mean by "black screen problem"? You mean you enter the password and hit enter, and then the screen just goes black?
Yes, the screen goes black with some random grey flashing, but only when i have the drivers installed
 
Yes, the screen goes black with some random grey flashing, but only when i have the drivers installed
Unfortunately, if you get a picture at all, but the processing logic doesn't work, that's a pretty good indication of a BGA component failure - either the GPU or one or more of the RAM ICs (I'd guess the GPU).

It is possible to replace a dead GPU on an otherwise healthy card, but it requires some fairly specialized equipment and also a known-good GPU, which would have to come off of a used card, since these have been out of production for years.
 
Unfortunately, if you get a picture at all, but the processing logic doesn't work, that's a pretty good indication of a BGA component failure - either the GPU or one or more of the RAM ICs (I'd guess the GPU).

It is possible to replace a dead GPU on an otherwise healthy card, but it requires some fairly specialized equipment and also a known-good GPU, which would have to come off of a used card, since these have been out of production for years.
Oh, so the worst has happened, what luck!
Thanks for your time!
 
Yeah, indeed. What is the right way to bake a gpu with an hot air gun?
Baking a graphics card is an inherently wrong thing to do, so there is no "right" way, but...

The goal is to get the whole board hot enough to melt all of the solder on it for a few seconds using an oven (not a heat gun), and then remove the heat source and allow it to cool down. This will (hopefully) restore any broken BGA connections and get it working again.

The lead-free solder in modern electronics melts at just shy of 230 degrees Celsius, or about 440 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you'd support the card at the corners with something that won't melt (like little balls of aluminum foil), so that none of the components are touching anything, and place the card in an oven at 500ish degrees Fahrenheit for about ten to fifteen minutes. Theoretically, this should allow the solder to melt and restore any broken connections. The trouble is, doing this is really bad for basically all of the components on the board, so while it does sometimes work, it has the potential to damage or destroy other components in the process. This isn't the end of the world if you know you're not going to try to have it repaired properly, but it's a problem if you think you might, because the tech who has to repair it now also has to fix whatever damage the baking did, which is very difficult to see or quantify.

Honestly, I think what I'd do in your position is just sell the card on eBay as "For parts." You can get a shocking amount of money for even dead graphics cards right now.
 
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