XFX 4870 - 3 red lights=dead?

J

Jordan1

[H]ard|Gawd
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So I recently installed a Thermalright HR-GT-03 to my 1GB XFX HD 4780--took my GPU temps down dramatically. But my VRMs were too hot with the heatsinks I was using on them--idled just under 60C but got up to 118 at most while playing Crysis. So I invested in a slightly more beefy solution-- Enzotech BMR-C1 copper heatsinks--put 5 across the top of the VRMs. I also added two of these to the backside of two of the memory modules-- the ones nearest the Thermalright's heatpipes as the heatpipes don't allow for tall ramsinks directly on top of the RAM chips themselves.

Anyhow, I reinstalled the card, booted up the PC, displayed POST info on my monitor but only for a few seconds--then there was no monitor signal. I noticed on my 4870 there are 3 red lights that I don't recall seeing before. I shut off the PC, booted again--same problem only nothing is being outputed on my display at all. I proceed to shut it off again and check all of the connections--PCI-E and power...everything seems to be properly installed. Power up again--same thing. At this point I take the card completely out and look it over...reinstall, same thing.

The card worked fine prior to this...I did no gaming to keep the VRMs at acceptable temps while waiting on my Enzotechs to arrive.

The card has always performed as it should would the exception of an electrical buzz that was always emitted (since new) when any 3D processing was being done...but I dismissed it as normal as several others were on the forum.

What gives? I thought I would only have this problem on my Xbox 360...:rolleyes:

RMA time? How would XFX treat an RMA without the stock heatsink? I stripped one of the screws on it...so its not going back on.
 
You can't RMA without reinstalling the stock HSF, they won't accept it... and considering it sounds like you may have killed it by improperly installing the aftermarket HSF, you probably shouldn't RMA anyway. Sorry, but in so far as I can tell it's dead.
 
I have an XFX 4870 as well. I remember a couple of the lights being on all the time, but I can double check when I get home.

Stick it in the oven!!
 
Not sure how I could go about installing the ramsinks improperly. Maybe something went wrong when removing what I had on before the new sinks. I've had the Thermalright installed for at least a week now w/o any issues (besides hot VRMs).
 
I'm about to throw it in the oven! :D I've never spent so much time tweaking a video card to perform like I want it to.
 
Hehe you can send it to me and I'll mess with it. Srs offer too. Name a price.
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Guess no lights running on mine. They only light up when booting up, then turn off.
 
yadnom said:
Guess no lights running on mine. They only light up when booting up, then turn off.
Click to expand...

Well I just tried booting it again. Mine light up and then go off a few seconds later too. I could have sworn they stayed illuminated on previous boots. I honestly can't remember though.
 
Does your XFX card have green lights when it was working properly? Usually red lights means that there's a lack of power or issues with the VDDC. Try to switch to different power sources to the card or use another PSU or test the card in another PC. My card won't boot if there's 2 green lights and 1 red light, but it would boot with 3 green lights.
 
I don't recall seeing green lights before. I tried a X800XL, GTS 250, and on-board video in the same PC without any issues--of course those do suck near as much juice...except now I just get a black screen and mouse cursor when I try to boot into Windows 7....XP works fine though. I probably screwed something up in the several times I powered off/restarted my PC while 7 was trying to boot.

I haven't tried putting it in another PC yet. Maybe I'll just give it to RADEoN for cheap.

I'm sure taking lots of steps backwards as of late.
 
Don't see any reason why the card would be bad if it works fine in XP. How's gaming in XP, any artifacts or such? If not, then it's probably not the video card there's something wrong with. Can you get Win7 safe mode to work?
 
Raap said:
Don't see any reason why the card would be bad if it works fine in XP. How's gaming in XP, any artifacts or such? If not, then it's probably not the video card there's something wrong with. Can you get Win7 safe mode to work?
Click to expand...

I meant that my PC was able to output video on the video cards listed--I was ruling out my PC as a source of the problem. I seemed to introduce a problem with booting into Windows 7 while troubleshooting the 4870.
 
i know this is not much help, but this is why i stopped doing this kind of stuff to my vid cards years ago. running them out of spec, 3rd party cooling, volt modding etc, the negatives far outweigh the couple/few percent bump in performance. video cards since nvidia 6x00 and ati 9x00 seem less able to take this kind of treatment.
 
I hear ya...if I knew I was going to get myself into this much trouble I would have never taken off the stock heatsink. This is at least my 3rd video card I've put some sort of aftermarket cooler on but the first time I've created so many issues in the process.
 
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