I have removed all the capacitors except the SMD caps behind the core and also removed the SC1175 but the short on VDDC remains.

When I have more time, I might try to remove those SMD caps but I guess it's most likely that the core is dead. So unfortunately this card is headed for the parts bin.

Thanks for all the assistance.
Maybe the next card will be better luck. (A Geforce4 Ti4400 which has artefacts but is otherwise working)

Even though I don't like giving up I'd say: He is dead Jim.

Very sad, every R300 that dies hurts my heart.

Thanks for sticking to it and going through the hassle!

Yeah, pull the back smds. They do sometimes go bad like anything.

I am able to source a replacement core for this card so I’m contemplating the option of trying to repair it.

I’ll remove the core over the weekend to see if the short disappears.

I’m trying to determine the cost of the components to see if repair is financially worthwhile, and part of that would be to replace those electrolytic capacitors as well.

I can see that the through-hole caps with the black markings are 470uf 10V but what are the ratings of the SMD caps with the green markings? (NA 470 J 333)
Are they also 470uf 10V?

The "NA 470 J 333" caps are rated for 6.3V. I have other cards that have other caps on which specify the voltage.

Do you see any specific reason to replace those caps? The ones I had taken from donor cards appeared to be within spec usually.

Thanks.

I damaged the SMD cap during removal. The through-hole are re-useable but since they are removed, I may as well replace them.

byte_76 wrote on 2025-06-27, 09:02:

Thanks.

I damaged the SMD cap during removal. The through-hole are re-useable but since they are removed, I may as well replace them.

Fair enough!
Looking forward to your observations!

Okay the core has been removed and the short is gone.

I now have 2.93 KΩ on VDDC.

Well, may the R300 of that card rest in peace.

Sad, but glad we now know for sure.
Just for the kicks, have you checked that the short persists on the GPU? (measuring on the back of it)

Cheers!

No, I don’t know which points to test.

Here's one part of the R350 pinout, it's pin compatible with the R300.

Confirmed! The short persists when measured on the core itself.

I’ll just put it on the shelf as display piece.

The new replacement core has been ordered.

It’s going to be a new challenge because I only have a basic pre-heater and hot air station and have never successfully soldered a core before.

Preparation is king. Make sure the solder pads are cleaned well.

If the first attempt fails, there are stencils available with which you can reball the chip.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.