Hey guys, I just got a GeForce3 Ti 500 on eBay. I installed it in my machine and I see garbage on screen. I'm really pissed right now because this wasn't exactly cheap. I'm thinking maybe the capacitors have gone bad, but it could definitely be something else. What should I try doing to fix it before I send it back?
Very likely bad video ram. 🙁
Inside the attatched archive there's a .iso of Video Memory (Stress) Test Clean Environment. Burn it to a disc and use it to test the ram.
You can also get the file here: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/vide … tress_test.html
Run the test multiple times by resetting the machine and booting off the CD again. If the errors always occur at the same point it's 99.9% bad ram. If the errors happen at random adresses it's likely a bad solder joint.
Edit: In theory this problem can be caused by bad capacitors but it's almost never the case. Better indicators for bad caps are random crashes under load. I really wouldn't mess with the caps as long as there's still a chance of returning the card.
That is not a capacitor issue, it's faulty RAM. It will probably fuck up big time if you boot into Windows with drivers.
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if you paid with paypal immediately open a refund case! If you're getting these artifacts at POST / BIOS this is will be unfixable. The seller should be ashamed!
