Got my 8800 GTS - but something fell off!

H

Hooligan

Gawd
Joined
Aug 7, 2001
Messages
834
So here's the story.

I just got my evga 8800 GTS (g92) and as soon as I took it out of the box, I heard something rattle in its plastic inner box...

/groan

So I took the video card out of the plastic box, and I see a tiny metal piece that must've fallen off... I am not sure if it's a transistor or the exact technical term for it.

Pictures are worth a thousand words... so here we go.

These pics I got off a review... but I circled / arrowed the small piece that fell off.

boo.jpg


zoomed in:
zoom.jpg


that piece is not on my video card - it's sitting at the bottom of the plastic box it came in :(

So i plugged in the PSU, hooked up the mobo, cpu, ram and video card and monitor to see if it would at least display something.... it DID!

So without hard drives or anything it was working fine to browse the BIOS and stuff...

but... should I be worried?
Should I RMA? I really hate RMAing stuff and the hassle and the wait of it all...

Any experts that would happen to know what this little metal piece does?:eek:
 
You can try soldering it back, shouldn't be that hard....but that might void the warranty. I recommend RMA'ing back and not taking the risk.
 
i think you should be worried.

no, i'm not an expert, but i don't think you'll need an expert to explain this stuff.
yes it works at BIOS, but i doubt you could play some good hours with 3D heavy game with that thing pulled off of your card, maybe not even to load your windows desktop, let alone 3D application.

you should rma ASAP, imho.
 
RMA it, peices falling off could have unexpected consequences even if it appears to work at first. Theres no way to tell what exactly that bit of hardware is responsible for.
 
If you don't have any experience soldering then you shouldn't try it. I have worked on PC boards installing and uninstalling surface mount resistors and capacitors. What you circled is a surface mount ceramic chip capacitor. If not soldered on well, it will fall off easily which happened in your case. You should do what Hecktec mentioned and RMA the card. Why void the warranty if it's still under warranty? I highly recommend not trying this if you have no or much experience in soldering. Even if you have experience don't do it.
 
RMA the card. It might just be me but I have a feeling NVidia has better things to do and better ways to make money than adding components to graphics cards for the hell of it.

Even if you could solder it back on I'd be tempted to RMA anyway incase whatever caused the component to come off is an issue that could effect or have effected other parts of the board.
 
I think you guys are really jumping to conclusisions. The 7800GTX had such a redundant mosfet system that it could still function totally normally with the removal of as much as 3 of its 9 mosfets.

I have actually seen damaged or destroyed pins on the bottem of a S939 processor, and the processor functioned normally and is still functioning to this day as far as i know.

shoot an e-mail at the guys at evga (or whoever your card is from) and see what they think.
 
That's true. Even if it will work fine without that 1 capacitor, who knows what other component may be falling off later on. More than likely, they will send you a new one.


Smigit said:
RMA the card. It might just be me but I have a feeling NVidia has better things to do and better ways to make money than adding components to graphics cards for the hell of it.

Even if you could solder it back on I'd be tempted to RMA anyway incase whatever caused the component to come off is an issue that could effect or have effected other parts of the board.
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MrWizard6600 said:
I think you guys are really jumping to conclusisions. The 7800GTX had such a redundant mosfet system that it could still function totally normally with the removal of as much as 3 of its 9 mosfets.

I have actually seen damaged or destroyed pins on the bottem of a S939 processor, and the processor functioned normally and is still functioning to this day as far as i know.

shoot an e-mail at the guys at evga (or whoever your card is from) and see what they think.
Click to expand...

RMAing it is a lot less trouble than using the card for a month then finding it wont run a particular game that stresses a particular part of the GPU more then other games, a part of the GPU that depends on that bit of hardware.

A person would have to be an idiot to accept a damaged product, regardless of how well it worked, unless they purchased it used and knew about the damage up front.
 
Yeah, no sense have warranty if you're not gonna utilize it. Heck, if I paid $250+ on that card, I'm not gonna settle for that.
 
NKDietrich said:
RMAing it is a lot less trouble than using the card for a month then finding it wont run a particular game that stresses a particular part of the GPU more then other games, a part of the GPU that depends on that bit of hardware.
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your saying that its alot less trouble to RMA the card, then it is to possibly not rma the card? I don't follow... If it doesn't perform well, you RMA, if it does, you don't.

A person would have to be an idiot to accept a damaged product, regardless of how well it worked, unless they purchased it used and knew about the damage up front.
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Even if the damage was totally un-noticeable and undetectable to anyone not specifically looking for it? If you wanted to paint your kitchen, would you take down all your cabinates, and removes all your counters so you could paint in behind them? of course not, because no ones ever going to see it. What if you bought a copy of Windows XP and it didn't come with the olive green colour scheme, which you don't like anyways. Would you demand a new copy of windows? Is it worth going out of your way to return it to get a new one?
 
well, I just started working at CitiGroup and was relocated to Mexico... so RMAing it might take a lot longer than usual... since I do not have any planned trips to the states for a few weeks.. and when I do go, i will only be there for a weekend or so visiting friends...

and the mexican postal service = lol
 
MrWizard6600 said:
your saying that its alot less trouble to RMA the card, then it is to possibly not rma the card? I don't follow... If it doesn't perform well, you RMA, if it does, you don't.
Click to expand...

It's a lot easier to RMA the card now BEFORE it has caused any trouble, than it is to put up with all kinds of problems that may arise later before RMAing it. Obviously that peice of hardware isn't on the card for no reason.


Even if the damage was totally un-noticeable and undetectable to anyone not specifically looking for it? If you wanted to paint your kitchen, would you take down all your cabinates, and removes all your counters so you could paint in behind them? of course not, because no ones ever going to see it. What if you bought a copy of Windows XP and it didn't come with the olive green colour scheme, which you don't like anyways. Would you demand a new copy of windows? Is it worth going out of your way to return it to get a new one?
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If the damage was unnoticeable, then obviously you wouldn't RMA it. A peice of hardware falling off electronics more crucial than paint behind a cabinet. Your analogy is flawed. We're not talking about a visual defect, like a scratched or bent mounting bracket.

A more appropriate analogy would be, if you found a car part you couldn't identify lying under your car in your driveway, but it seemed to run fine, would you get it looked at? Hell yes you would. Theres no telling what problems it could cause down the line, or whether it is indicative of other problems.

For all we know more parts could fall off the guys card due to a bad batch or solder. Hell, what if an electrical malfunction on the card becomes apparent later on and takes out his motherboard? There are just too many risks to tell someone to tough it out and deal with a damaged peice of hardware.
 
I don't see what the problem is here.. Why RMA it now? Use it for as long as it works and THEN rma it. If it has a 1 year warranty the rma it 364 days from now if it still works then. By then you'll be so bored at the card anyway you won't care if it took 1 month to get a new one..
 
I just had one of those fall of a Seagate 500gb hdd and my dad and I soldered it back on no problem, runs perfect now. If you do decide to solder just make sure you use a low power soldering gun, like a 15 watt I believe. Cheap and easy.
 
RMA it now, or make sure you don't come back here whining when it bites the dust. Bottom line, it WAS there for a reason.
 
I can't see why there is any question about whether to RMA the card or not when an electronic component fell off of it... It boggles my mind.

First, 99.99% of those here don't know what circuits that component is a part of specifically. You could have out of spec bus communication with PCI-E bus, improper power filtration or regulation, who the heck knows.

Second, that component probably isn't the only one with an improper solder job. It wouldn't surprise me if the entire board, or at least a region of it, has soldering imperfections.

Just RMA the thing.
 
Wow 90% of the people who replied are morons. If you buy something new and see a flaw in it (especially electronic) it would be stupid not to return the product. I would even see about returning it to the place of purchase first because it would probably be less of a hassle depending on place of purchase.

Who the hell compares this to painting a kitchen and removing cabinets. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

Secondly you would have to be a complete idiot to buy something new and then solder on a part that fell off of it within the box. I do not care if you are a electrical engineer or you deal with soldering on PCBs all the time. Who would pay good money for a broken product and then attempt to fix it themselves and possibly voiding any warranty they have.


As all the other intelligent people stated in this thread, return/RMA the card.

To reinforce my point try returning the product at the place of purchase first because if it anybody like newegg you should be able to get a replacement with no problem from them and will take maybe a few days at most.
 
yah i got it from newegg, but as soon as u open the evga box theres a big blue sticker that says

PLEASE NOTE
if your product is not working properly
DO NOT RETURN TO THE STORE
EVGA OFFERS DIRECT CUSTOMER SERVICE
this product offers a limited lifetime warranty upon product registration within 30 days of the purchase date. please register at evga.com/register before the 30 day expiration date.




so... i gotta RMA it through eVGA... and that means having to take an early trip to the US... and mail it and pay shipping... and come back to work... and then wait a week or two and go back to the states to pick it up


/groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan

first evga purchase and last
 
Newegg has great customer service, call them first and explain the situation. Hell they may even cross ship for you.
 
You should RMA it. It could cause damage to the rest of your system. If a resistor is missing then you have an open in the circuit. Most of the time resistor's are used for reducing the curent or voltage to another part of the system. If that voltage is missing or wrong it could cause other circuits to short out and cause a chain reaction through your PCIE buss. A little work now could save you ALOT of work laiter.

Also Newegg does have REALY good customer service and they have cross shiped me stuff in the past even if it did say return to EVGA. Call newegg they can help I am sure :)
 
Hooligan said:
yah i got it from newegg, but as soon as u open the evga box theres a big blue sticker that says

PLEASE NOTE
if your product is not working properly
DO NOT RETURN TO THE STORE
EVGA OFFERS DIRECT CUSTOMER SERVICE
this product offers a limited lifetime warranty upon product registration within 30 days of the purchase date. please register at evga.com/register before the 30 day expiration date.




so... i gotta RMA it through eVGA... and that means having to take an early trip to the US... and mail it and pay shipping... and come back to work... and then wait a week or two and go back to the states to pick it up


/groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan /groan

first evga purchase and last
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Dude that means nothing. If its within the return period at newegg return it to newegg. Unless Newegg refuses which I see no reason why I dont see this being an issue. This is just me but I would never RMA something brand new that did not work properly out of box.
 
Hahaha...


He's too lazy to RMA it. He doesn't want to be without his leet video card. Why do you think he's on here asking about it?
 
Haha if I spent that much on a graphics card I'd be onto it quickfast that it was replaced as soon as the piece fell off. Don't be lazy about it, it may go for a while but as said they may not believe you if you try to RMA it months down the track. All you seem to do is give reasons why not to RMA it which is the main advice you're getting from this forum. Since the members of this forum are 99% very intelligent beings, I'd RMA that card. But afterall, it's up to you
 
NKDietrich said:
For all we know more parts could fall off the guys card due to a bad batch or solder. Hell, what if an electrical malfunction on the card becomes apparent later on and takes out his motherboard? There are just too many risks to tell someone to tough it out and deal with a damaged peice of hardware.
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In the years I've been in this business I've not once heard of or had to deal with what appeared to me to be a video card destroying any other component.

infect0 said:
Wow 90% of the people who replied are morons. If you buy something new and see a flaw in it (especially electronic) it would be stupid not to return the product. I would even see about returning it to the place of purchase first because it would probably be less of a hassle depending on place of purchase.

Who the hell compares this to painting a kitchen and removing cabinets. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
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really? "The dumbest thing [you've] ever heard". You should get out more. Infact, take a look at this thread:

Newegg services only the US. EVGA will ship back to any Canadian or Mexican (I'd assume) address. Read: If he cant return it through EVGA, he cant return it through Newegg. So stop suggesting it.

I don't get it, where is the flaw in my logic: You got something damaged. The work required to return it is significant. Find out how significant the damage to the card is. If the damage is sufficient enough to warrant the work required to return the card, return it. If not, don't. Its really simple, when the gains of an action outweigh the loss of said action, you take the action. If the loss's outweigh the gains, you don't. I'm simply asking him to find out how significant the damage to the card is, or better yet, ask them what they think.

Next, electronics are built with huge redundancy in mind. The loss of a 0.2℧ resistor in parallel with 5 other 0.2℧ resistors means a net potential difference change of 6.67e-3V (assuming constant emf). These cards are designed for the worst case scenario: some moron running an Apevia psu with a blown cap pushing 200mV ripple @ 10V as the 12V rail.

Do as I said above, find out how much damage has actually been done. If, without looking at the hardware itself (without ripping up your cabinates and counter) you cant find a difference between your card and any other card (cant find the old paint coat), don't RMA the card (don't re-paint). If it craps out on you later, RMA it then. Its a lifetime warrenty, claim no knowledge of a missing resistor and simply return it. EVGA has no way of proving that it didn't come to you like that and as such will accept the RMA.
 
Shit happens and sometimes you have to man up and realize life isn't perfect and its not like you're running a mission critical server. RMA it to the manufacturer or see what you can talk Newegg into. I usually call Newegg over and over until I get a sweet sounding female rep and then I sweet talk her with my geek-like charm that would never work in the real world. Maybe it's a little sexist but I was blessed with a voice that is sexier than the rest of me :p Also I have nothing at all against gay folks and if I get an obviously gay guy on the phone I'll sweet talk him too. Use what you got.
 
NKDietrich said:
Shit happens and sometimes you have to man up and realize life isn't perfect and its not like you're running a mission critical server. RMA it to the manufacturer or see what you can talk Newegg into. I usually call Newegg over and over until I get a sweet sounding female rep and then I sweet talk her with my geek-like charm that would never work in the real world. Maybe it's a little sexist but I was blessed with a voice that is sexier than the rest of me :p Also I have nothing at all against gay folks and if I get an obviously gay guy on the phone I'll sweet talk him too. Use what you got.
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You're a legend my friend , a legend lol.
 
infect0 said:
Mate you made the dumbest analogy I have ever heard. Accept it and stop trying to piss on this thread. :)
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Eh leave him be. At least when you see him in the FS/T forum you'll know he'll accept damaged hardware at the same price as fully intact hardware.
 
NKDietrich said:
Shit happens and sometimes you have to man up and realize life isn't perfect and its not like you're running a mission critical server. RMA it to the manufacturer or see what you can talk Newegg into. I usually call Newegg over and over until I get a sweet sounding female rep and then I sweet talk her with my geek-like charm that would never work in the real world. Maybe it's a little sexist but I was blessed with a voice that is sexier than the rest of me :p Also I have nothing at all against gay folks and if I get an obviously gay guy on the phone I'll sweet talk him too. Use what you got.
Click to expand...

Best post I've read in a while. Haha
 
DO NOT RMA IT.

Especially if you EVER plan on using the 90-day step-up. RMAing voids the step-up.

Second, the sticker you see on the box is for people who have no real issue with hardware. 90% of "my hardware is broken" is due to not being hardware at all.

You on the other habd have a hardware problem. It's physical. Return it to newegg for another, and not worry about having to go through eVGA rma. (Both newegg return service and eVGA rma is easy though. I've used both.)

NEWEGG WILL REPLACE IT NO QUESTIONS UP TO 30-DAYS
 
Sucks that you bought it and now have to spend 10 bucks shipping more than you payed and probably 2 or 3 weeks to get an undamaged one huh? Too bad these places dont step up and do cross shipping + pay the shipping charges if the part proves defective.
 
I would RMA it, they'll probably assume you broke it but will probably honor the deal anyway. I've never seen something like that just fall off but shit happens.
 
Jakalwarrior said:
Sucks that you bought it and now have to spend 10 bucks shipping more than you payed and probably 2 or 3 weeks to get an undamaged one huh? Too bad these places dont step up and do cross shipping + pay the shipping charges if the part proves defective.
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eVGA does offer cross-shipment if you opt for it.
 
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