and to top it off two smd caps/resistors next to the fan connector (below the first memory chip) are blown

Those are actually diodes. I can't find a clear enough picture to see the part numbers on 'em though, so I can't say exactly what kind of diodes they are.

Old Thrashbarg wrote:

and to top it off two smd caps/resistors next to the fan connector (below the first memory chip) are blown

Those are actually diodes. I can't find a clear enough picture to see the part numbers on 'em though, so I can't say exactly what kind of diodes they are.

OK thanks, I wonder why both have failed but can't test the card till I get my agp rig built 😒

LT02 53AB that is all that I can see.

nforce4max wrote:

LT02 53AB that is all that I can see.

Checked mine, that's all that it's written.

It may not be an ordinary diode, it could be a TVS that is designed to protect from overvoltage. Hard to see as I only have googled pictures from front of V4 4500 AGP card. If they are for overvoltage protection and blown then they have clearly done their job, protected from overvoltage as much as they can and the whole card may be blown.

The C93 is present on another picture of that card it is really missing. Can you see if it has ever been there or has it blown out or fallen because of mechanical impact? But in any event it is most likely just a bypass capacitor so it can be easily replaced by taking some similar looking capacitor from another video board.

I am trying to be optimistic that they are only for the fan or something else that isn't critical but if bricked at lest the pcb can be used as a donor many years from now.

If they are TVS diodes, and that's certainly what the 'LT' marking seems to point to, then the card should work without them. Of course you'll want to remove them, since there's a good chance they're shorted (and TVS diodes are usually connected directly between a voltage rail and ground), and it wouldn't be wise to run it long-term without them since you'd basically be running without any sort of overvoltage protection, but you'd at least be able to see if the card works at all before investing the effort in tracking down replacement parts.

Same deal with the missing capacitor... it probably is just a bypass cap, and a single missing one shouldn't affect the card's function too terribly much since most card designs tend to go a bit overkill on the filtering anyway. At worst it may be a little unstable under certain conditions.

Ok thanks, sometime when I get payed I will go by a local electronic parts store and see if they have any diodes like this in stock.

nforce4max wrote:

Ok thanks, sometime when I get payed I will go by a local electronic parts store and see if they have any diodes like this in stock.

If you want you can also ask on Falconfly.de, there are some great guys there who are very specialized on 3Dfx hardware, and are willing to help too, such as Loeszchwerg and Komponent. Those might give you in depth help too. 😉