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Try to fix a fault on sapphire 7950

dave1240

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Hello all,

I am trying to fix my sapphire 7950 3gb graphic card which is suffering from vertical solid squares, i am pretty sure i have a ram chip that has died.

The graphic card works fine on general use, internet, HD streaming, flash player and HD music but as soon as any application is started the solid vertical squares appear. This is the only time i have these squares.

I was wondering would a bios update work or am i looking at something more severe like a reflow of the solder. I was thinking that a reflow would be pointless as they are solid square lines.

Any help much appreciated!

This is the bios on the card at the moment:

http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/123785/Sapphire.HD7950.3072.120330.html

and i have tried both current and beta drivers. Thank you :).
 

Phusius

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if you can RMA it just do that and get a new one, I had to RMA a 7970 with Sapphire before and it took about 2 weeks, but they were very quick in responding to me.
 
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Once its artifacting, bios flash ain't gonna help it.
 
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am i looking at something more severe like a reflow of the solder
can you post a pic of the artifacts? would be easier to see if a reflow would work
 

Phusius

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if it has been under 30 days since u got it from ebay, open a case with ebay, they usually side with the buyer, will make u ship it back to seller with tracking number but you will be refunded.
 
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if it has been under 30 days since u got it from ebay, open a case with ebay
If you bought the card "as is " you probably won't have much luck with that option. but if sold as 'working' might be the best option to recoup your losses.;)
from the looks of your pic a reflow might work. As a last resort if you can't recover from ebay.

When you get the sink off or for now take a close look @ the solder points on the back could be someone tried to reflow already. If all the points have a real shine to them could be if dull lookin' prob not .. Good Luck !
 
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dave1240

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Ok now i am really really confused.

D3 - Artifacts
resident evil - artifacts
MSI kombustor - artifacts

MSI 3dmark 11 - Runs fine
internet - fine
Start up - fine
HD - fine

Why is 3dmark 11 running with no issues!?.
 

cadaveca

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vMem mod?

3dm11 perhaps uses little vram compared to a game.
 

dave1240

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I think you are correct, i also have noticed re5 DX10 is artifacting but dx9 is not as bad.
 
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I think you are correct, i also have noticed re5 DX10 is artifacting but dx9 is not as bad.

Artifacting is artifacting...... It is probably a bad solder point. Either make a claim or bake the card. Flashing the bios will not do any good, as mentioned earlier....... My thoughts....
 
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Hi All,

I bought a sapphire card second hand. I emailed there RMA team and got a RMA request form, they never asked where it was purchased. Just wanted S/N and go. They even upgraded me to the OC edition because they were out of my card. Is your card physically damaged? If not I would just RMA it. I know sapphire bases there warranty off the S/N and not the Proof of Purchase. Infact I attached the RMA request form. Fill it out and send it back to RMA@althonmicro.com, and they should get you taken care of.

Also you can typically calculate the S/N warranty by looking at the numbers in the S/N. I dont have my card in hand, but I think Saphire uses #YYWW######### YY is the year the warranty starts and WW is the week. For example A1227XXXXX would be the 27th week of 2012.

Most manufacturers I have dealt with that use the S/N for warranty never ask about place of purchase unless it is getting towards the end of the S/N warranty. The only reason the place of purchase matters is because they don't want you to buy a 1.5 year old card off ebay or from some odd manufacturer and expect a 2 year warranty from date of purchase, but if you buy a card that sat on the shelf for 6 months then you do get the full warranty.

Hope this helps!
 

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dave1240

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Hi, sapphire refused any warranty because i could not provide a receit, even a ebay receit was not acceptable.
 
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Rma

Thats odd. It says in sapphire's RMA paperwork attached sated that lost receipts were calculated by the S/N. Hmmmm. Try just filling out the RMA form and emailing it to them.

Most manufacturers want to stay liberal and offer S/N warranty over proof of purcahse warranty because it keeps excess paperwork off their back and keeps customers who buy/trade from each other happy and coming back for more.

If it is a 7950 there is no way the S/N would put it out of warranty ... (I think)

Did you talk to tech support or RMA team? Sometimes the tech support guys act as a front line to try to keep stuff from getting into RMA, or dont fully understand the RMA process. Try just emailing the RMA team RMA@athlonmicro.com and just ask for an RMA. I wouldn't give the full story just say, "I have a 7950, this is whats wrong, and I need and RMA." Worst case scenario they still say no.

When I talked to tech support there I told them that I didn't have the receipt as it is second hand and the guy didn't say a word to me. Just gave me some stuff to try then call back. Once I had completed the tests he recommended, i emailed the RMA team and just simply asked for an RMA. (I knew it was bad but I always do what those guys ask. I figure whats the harm I could have easily missed something.)

I would definitely try emailing their RMA team and double checking.

Hope it works out!
 

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gathor

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Selling it back on ebay? That is probably the only thing left...:ohwell:
 
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Usually, if you are unable to produce a receipt, the S/N is used to verify manufacture date, if it is within the warranty period, they should honour warranty and RMA the card. I don't know how strict they are over in Europe, but here in Asia, S/N is used in lieu of receipt when circumstance calls for it.

Edit - Btw, I cannot emphasize enough thr folly of buying a vid card from eBay.....if you want to save some cash, you can always try the local tech forums Garage or Used section. There is some recourse buying from them. I had gotten my HD6990 by trading my flashed HD6950 @6970 specs, and topping up some cash. The seller, whom I had met to do the horse trade, was kind enough to furnish me with the accessories and receipt should I need to RMA it, he assured me that the card was functioning normally.....and it was.
 
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I was about to buy a Sapphire 7950 on the cheap from ebay with the same issues, I was hoping to reflow it and basically get a £280 card for next to nothing. Any luck with the card yet? I'm intruiged as to what the fix is for this.
 

Blasphemer

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Hi there, I'm new to this forum, and I think I have bought this card, or one just like it, and would like to add some info. The card is fine just browsing or watching videos. It only seems to have a problem in gaming as stated before. But not all games:-

Dead Space 3 - Artifacts
Max Payne 3 - Artifacts
Crysis 3 - Some minor glitches, not squares, very playable
Far Cry 3 - Hardly any artifacts very playable

and as mentioned 3dmark 11 and the new 3d mark run fine and '11 scores around 7500 which is nice. As the OP thought I believe that a memory chip has gone or has some micro fractures in the BGA balls. Luckily I have a SMD BGA workstation and can reball or replace a chip, its just finding which one of the little sods it is, but as I'm mostly playing Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3 at the moment its not a massive issue for me. But I'll track it down and let you know how I get on.
 
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i wish u do try to find out what it is... maybe there are more of this card out there...,would be nice to know it can be fixed..
who knows i might get to one ofthose.. :)
 

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I had to RMA my 7970 to Sapphire, and they did ask for a receipt/invoice.
Sorry to hear your troubles OP, I hope it works out in the end :)
 
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