Wii artifacting. Can anything be done?

M

Mnx4

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 29, 2005
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So I hadn't used my wii in 3-4 months and I had a hankerin to play some Smash Brothers. But I noticed there was artifacting in the Wii menu, then when I was in the game, there was some artifacting there as well.
I found out this was a common problem because Nintendo does not have active cooling while the Wii is in standby mode, which may cause the video processor to overheat. Now, I've taken really good care of my system, it's out in the open air, and my apartment is never that hot. Buuuuut it's definitely out of warranty. Any way to get Nintendo to fix this? Or would getting a new one be the best idea?
Anyone else have this problem?
 
Use a can of compressed air to blow out the air intake.

Your Wii is probably just dusty.
 
There are some known problems (I don't think Ninty has acknowledged it though )if you leave the wii connect on, it fries the GPU. They'll fix it for $80 if its out of warranty
 
Yeah it has to do with WiiConnect24, if you leave this feature on the wii stays on just enough to keep it connected to the net, but the fans are off and over time it fry's the GPU.
 
wiiconnec t24 should always be turned off... there is no real need for it anyway
 
My first one started artifacting after 6 months, thankfully that was still in warranty. I didn't know the cause though.

In twenty+ years of console gaming, this is the first system I've ever had fail within it's usable lifespan, but Nintendo replaced it real quick. I'll have to make sure I have the wiiconnect off (pretty sure I do) since I don't want to pay to have an out of warranty one fixed.
 
Send it in for a repair before it is too late. Wii connect 24 is really useless when you think about it. I wish they did more things with it, so much potential lost. All I really got were ads about buying more games from Nintendo so I just decided to turn it off. :D
 
I know this is an older thread, but the problem still remains. I had just set it up for my parents and that artifacting is bugging me. Does anyone know if there is any way to repair it by yourself? Replacing thermal pads or whatever? I just called up and I'd have to shell out 85 bucks for a repair, and I'm not about to do that for a system I barely play.
 
Mnx4 said:
I know this is an older thread, but the problem still remains. I had just set it up for my parents and that artifacting is bugging me. Does anyone know if there is any way to repair it by yourself? Replacing thermal pads or whatever? I just called up and I'd have to shell out 85 bucks for a repair, and I'm not about to do that for a system I barely play.
Click to expand...

No.. there is no easy way to fix the problem other than to have Nintendo repair it

To be clear the 'fried GPU' problem isn't really a fried GPU, it's caused by microfractures in the BGA (ball grid array) of solder connecting the CPU/GPU to the system board. This problem is expedited by the extra heating that happens when WiiConnect24 is left enabled and the system stays powered (without the cooling fan running) for extended periods. The cure for this is some time at a solder reflow station.

Many people with this problem have had varying amounts of success via stripping down the system board and baking it (similar to the video card baking thread in the GPU subforum here). Your mileage may vary and let me tell you that disassembling the Wii is an exercise in keeping one's sanity.
 
Blue Falcon said:
No.. there is no easy way to fix the problem other than to have Nintendo repair it

To be clear the 'fried GPU' problem isn't really a fried GPU, it's caused by microfractures in the BGA (ball grid array) of solder connecting the CPU/GPU to the system board. This problem is expedited by the extra heating that happens when WiiConnect24 is left enabled and the system stays powered (without the cooling fan running) for extended periods. The cure for this is some time at a solder reflow station.

Many people with this problem have had varying amounts of success via stripping down the system board and baking it (similar to the video card baking thread in the GPU subforum here). Your mileage may vary and let me tell you that disassembling the Wii is an exercise in keeping one's sanity.
Click to expand...

Wow that sounds really similar to the technical issues behind the Xbox 360 RRoD disaster a few years back.
 
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