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I did a little more investigating today, and it turns out that the MOSFET that blew wasn't exactly well-contacted by the waterblock I had on. I'm wondering now if it just got too hot, too often and finally just gave in. The proverbial ticking time bomb.
Those old 4870s were known for that. VRM overheating is a big cause of dead for them. My Sapphire 4870 is one of the newer versions and has a HUGE (non-reference) heatsink over the VRMs. When mine died is wasn't anything as spectacular though, just a black screen.
i5 4670K @ 4.5Ghz | ASUS Maximus VI Hero | Venomous X | 8GB Mushkin Radioactive @ 1820
EVGA Geforce GTX 680 SC @ 1125 | 500GB WD Velociraptor | 1TB Spinpoint F3 | 500GB SG 7200.11
Corsair TX-650 | Antec 1200 | Win 7 x64 / Fedora 20 KDE x64 | Gaming on 47" LED 1080P TV
Oh, the block is fine. I'm not sure there's anyone out there in need of a 4870 block, but I'd love to convert it into some cash for a 5870 block!
@Omen~ With adequate cooling, the Vitec wasn't problematic. But early on there were a bunch of guys over on OC Forums and XS that tried using core-only waterblocks on this card and had major stability issues unless they also stuck a fan right over the Vitec inductor. Even so, that was changed by ATI in the first revision to the card.
@Doctor~ Just out of curiosity, did your card have the buzzing cap issue? That seemed to plague the first revision 4870s, also...
I don't call HAVING to use WC on a video card practical, esp when ATI touts themselves as being the ones offering bang for the buck performance. Nividia are actually the ones offering good bang for buck now, and they also have superior drivers, control panels, and support.
Last edited by >Omen<; September 27th, 2010 at 08:52 AM.
I never said that you had to use water on one. I said that a core-only block, without supplemental airflow over the voltage circuitry, caused problems. The reference coolers worked just fine. A core-only block with supplemental air worked just fine. A full-cover block worked just fine.
Out with a bang I guess! Good look with the new card!
I wish my gts250 exploded, it might justify me getting a new pc with a 470.
A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
As a 4870 owner, I am neither surprised nor dismayed to see a dead one. There seem to be all manner of problems with them, and mine is no exception. Now it seems that yours can join the club.
Still, both cards were a pretty serious investment, so I'll feel for your wallet instead.
Don't tell me that. I recommended my Dad purchase a 4870 for his rig. Last year I think,... Hopefully the ASUS Dark Knight was a revision 2 4870.
Well, its not like he is pushing the card, playing games like "Farmville", and "Solitaire" at 1280x1024 res, with a single monitor. He is looking to develop an e-bay store, and use his computer to store music.
His computer, is a Core i7 920, 6GB DDR3, ASUS Radeon HD 4870 1GB, Some SATA RAID array, and a 750watt Corsair PSU. I think he is running an ASUS P6T series motherboard.
Tell me, my friend, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Don't tell me that. I recommended my Dad purchase a 4870 for his rig. Last year I think,... Hopefully the ASUS Dark Knight was a revision 2 4870.
Well, its not like he is pushing the card, playing games like "Farmville", and "Solitaire" at 1280x1024 res, with a single monitor. He is looking to develop an e-bay store, and use his computer to store music.
His computer, is a Core i7 920, 6GB DDR3, ASUS Radeon HD 4870 1GB, Some SATA RAID array, and a 750watt Corsair PSU. I think he is running an ASUS P6T series motherboard.
OVERKILL
I use a e5200, 3gb DDR2 and a gts250, and I find it enough to comfortably game on daily, maxing most games with +20fps and +40fps.
A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
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Tech Discussion 
Re: New video card! 
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