1.1ns sammy ram need cooling? [Archive]

afireinside

10-03-2006, 02:25 PM

My EVGA GTOs came today so the first thing I did was tear off and remount both the HSF and the vreg sink with ceramique. Turns out unlike my past 3 evga cards, the stock cooler will only contact ram with thermal pads, which are now lumped up in the trash. Am I ok running the ram bare with a 120mm fan over the cards?

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 02:34 PM

I'd say no. tried running the x1800xl w/ 1.4ns ram 'sink-free, and now i've just bought 2 of those GTO's to replace the now artifacting pile of crap. Took abt 4 months before it was a problem tho ;)

afireinside

10-03-2006, 02:52 PM

Well we'll see...

In other news my 230 dollar foxconn board apparently DOESN'T include RAID drivers so I can't install windows. Probably just going to run one drive.

Also, I reseated the vreg heatsink with ceramique, used lots because the row to the left just happens to be lower than the rest of them, and now the back of the vreg area on the pcb is BURNING hot. Is that safe?

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 02:56 PM

is the ceramique touching the pcb as well? Don't got mine yet, so i cannot answer that, but i'll look for it when my cards arrive tomorrow.

afireinside

10-03-2006, 04:40 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/zero-IGN/IMG_1047.jpg

They get hot as hell... Are these refurb broken GTXs? :stick:

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 04:47 PM

i think so. Bought 'em anyway...EVGA lifetime warranty sounded good to me...if they die, i'll get another two.

kiwi

10-03-2006, 04:51 PM

Were they hot before applying ceramique?

I remember using small metal squares between RAM and GTX heatpipe cooler on 7800gtx since I didn't like the idea of thick layer of ceramique

Supertim0r

10-03-2006, 04:58 PM

overclock results ? ;)

afireinside

10-03-2006, 05:05 PM

Between the cooler and the RAID I just got running an hour ago. Have a few tests tomorrow to study for. Plus I've been told those vregs are the same problem on most dead 7900s so I'd rather NOT kill the cards off before my cod2 match tomorrow night.

LordofDoom

10-03-2006, 05:12 PM

They must be refurb. I bet thats why they're clocked so low for GTX.

-Satan

NickS

10-03-2006, 05:16 PM

Just sink them and run stock. You don't "NEED" to OC with SLi, but of course you will :D. Who wouldn't?

guess2098

10-03-2006, 05:17 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/zero-IGN/IMG_1047.jpg

They get hot as hell... Are these refurb broken GTXs? :stick:
200% of GTO are recall card hehehehe
but who cares!!
cheap and lifetime warranty!

the reason for recall is ram problem just let you guys know about it

afireinside

10-03-2006, 05:22 PM

So just don't mess with mem clock? :D

NickS

10-03-2006, 05:26 PM

Yeah :D

afireinside

10-03-2006, 05:28 PM

Just looked at the box... GTX on top and GTO on the front is fishy right? Closer look and I figured out that the GTO is a sticker. Started to pull it off and it's really a 7900GTX box. These are refurb cards probably run at 1.9vdd instead of 2.2 (I think that's what it is?) so that they don't die.

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 05:32 PM

;) As soon as there was news of "stolen" cards, i knew what was up. :fact:

afireinside

10-03-2006, 05:40 PM

These aren't stolen though... Those were the GS cards.

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 05:49 PM

...Probably bought as refurb's, and then sold as not. THAT would be stolen.

Just made me think about what was going on...then remembered the dying cards @ release...

Chuck232

10-03-2006, 05:50 PM

Well, if these cards all are refurb'd they have a hell of a lot of them. As well, EVGA has a lifetime warranty so... go nuts? :p

NickS

10-03-2006, 05:50 PM

Failvidia @ it once again.. :rolleyes:

gr8golf

10-03-2006, 06:05 PM

overclock results ? ;)

Mine is running 700 / 1600 right now - 3DMark scores are better than what I got with my 7900 GTX. I'm not going to pull the heatsink or do anything to the card - don't want to void warranty or kill step up program. I don't care if it IS a refurb 7900GTX - I got a GTX for $250. Should hold me over for a while. Oh - and th thing is dead silent. :woot:

Bail_w

10-03-2006, 06:20 PM

695/1600
http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/untitled-20061003212006.jpg (http://s2.supload.com/free/untitled-20061003212006.jpg/view/)

i need to flash to 7900gtx bios, but dunno how

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 06:35 PM

Only question that remains is how long they last at those speeds.

Eastcoasthandle

10-03-2006, 07:01 PM

why not buy some ramsinks and sink them? I mean even with alu ramsinks you should see a noticeable improvement. I don't use the adhesive backing but epoxy/as5 mixture instead. Works wonders...

Supertim0r

10-03-2006, 07:22 PM

my MSI card came doa :( (it's a GTX too ;) )

Bail_w

10-03-2006, 07:30 PM

my evga just die a sec ago. no display

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 07:32 PM

LoL. That was quick.:stick:

Bail_w

10-03-2006, 07:34 PM

i think is the ram problem that causes it die.

fhpchris

10-03-2006, 07:38 PM

my evga just die a sec ago. no display

wow, that sucks guys :(

afireinside

10-03-2006, 07:40 PM

Wow... I'm not even going to touch ram. We got shafted :stick:

Dazog

10-03-2006, 07:40 PM

i will post my modded GTO bios with GTX speeds if anyone wants it for the EVGA model?

Supertim0r

10-03-2006, 07:41 PM

oh, sad to hear Bail_W :(

Bail_w

10-03-2006, 07:46 PM

sigh, i'll just request an RMA from evga.com.

Dazog

10-03-2006, 07:46 PM

Supertim0r

10-03-2006, 07:53 PM

my msi retail box was the GTX one :slap:

afireinside

10-03-2006, 08:13 PM

http://afireinside.evilspork.net/AFI/EVGASUCKSDICK/IMG_1037.jpg

http://afireinside.evilspork.net/AFI/EVGASUCKSDICK/IMG_1051.jpg

http://afireinside.evilspork.net/AFI/EVGASUCKSDICK/IMG_1048.jpg

http://afireinside.evilspork.net/AFI/EVGASUCKSDICK/IMG_1049.jpg

Bail_w

10-03-2006, 08:17 PM

i have the same box lol

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 08:17 PM

LoLz. Hope my boxes are different! Maybe i try 1 MSI, 1 EVGA!:rolleyes:

Oh well, got burnt on the mushkin redlines when they made thier first appearance here...shoulda known.:stick:

zakelwe

10-03-2006, 10:57 PM

Hold on, no matter what the card is called if it is bought as a new card it should not be a refurbished or prior used card .. or is my understanding of what a refurbished card is actually wrong ?

Card that fail testing and released with lower spec fine, but not ones that have been used and then rejigged.

My understanding was GTO cards were OEM 7900GTX with slower cheaper memory.

Regards

Andy

cadaveca

10-03-2006, 11:07 PM

uhh, i think the 1.1ns memory rating betrays them, nevermind the packaging. I mean really, why are they re-using packaging?:stick: So this is a bunch of cards with a bad batch of mem? they puilled them from retail, obviously, by the packaging...mind you I have quite a large collection of such parts, most notably ASUS x800pro, Sapphire 9800SE, X1800XL, etc, but all those had thier own packaging, not re-used ones.

lol, or did they jsut slap on the stickers to all the GTX's? Nevermind, they flashed bioses too.

Garrett

10-04-2006, 12:07 AM

can it even do 800 on the mem 24/7 like the GTX's?
I mean I just got the damn MSI and don't want to fubar it...

Bail_w

10-04-2006, 12:55 AM

i fubar mine evga after a few hrs of using it lol.

HeavyH20

10-04-2006, 01:01 AM

I doubt they are refurb. Most likely they are the leftover inventory of Samsung based cards that EVGA has now superceded with Infineon based cards. What else would you have them do with all that inventory? Seems like a great idea to me. Kind of like the 6800LE they sold back when the 6800 Ultra spec changed.

What we know:

1) The cards that had memory problems in the past were Samsung GDDR3 based.
2) When the issue occured, the RAM would work, it just had to be clocked down to around 650 to get 100% reliable (where the GTO spec is at).
3) EVGA got a black eye with the all the reports on forums, like this. Bad PR. So, they take the right action and no longer sell the Samsung cards any longer.
4) EVGA stepped up to the plate, took action and made Infineon based cards going forward.
5) Not all of the Samsung cards exhibited the problem. So, you will likely get a card with no issues.
6) The remarking is likely since they would take existing Samsung based GTX inventory, reflash each card then create a new serial number and prod code.
7) They have a full warranty.

So, you will likely get a solid card, backed by warranty, with 512 MB of Samsung GDDR3 memory for a bargain basement price of $250. What's not to like?

nicepun

10-04-2006, 03:24 AM

My box doesn't have any stickers and it says 7900 GTO all over....hmm

DCR

10-04-2006, 07:01 AM

My box doesn't have any stickers and it says 7900 GTO all over....hmm

Mine either.

I haven't torn my heatsink off to check RAM, and probably won't. I plan to go back to air cooling now, and just run stock clocks now, so I am not worried about this card frying.

I put a 3800 X2 in last night, along with my 1st of 2 7900 GTO, and my '06 score improved from 1944 to 5600, and my '03 went from 13,300 on an OC'd X800XT PE to 19,300.

WoW is running maxed out now on one card, so I am very, very happy for the price.

Fr3ak

10-04-2006, 07:12 AM

Why would RAM die by running it with a higher frequency? As long as you dont mess with its voltage, it should be fine to my understanding.
From the cards I had I could oc the ram to the point it failed, go back a few Mhz and run it for years.
I still have to see my first video card or cpu to die.

So are current cards any different from older card? There were lots of problems with 7900GTs, but I didnt look into it. Did they have ram issues too?

DCR

10-04-2006, 08:03 AM

The overclocked 7900 GT's from EVGA had memory issues I think...they were getting super hot.

http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17364

AND...

We might watch this thread for EVGA responses?

http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20147

JacobF

10-04-2006, 06:16 PM

DarthOverlord

10-04-2006, 06:42 PM

Jacob,

Is this a 7900GTX card that did not pass muster to be sold as a 7900GTO or is it just a 7900GTX down clocked to be sold before the arrival of the 8xxx series?

cadaveca

10-04-2006, 06:49 PM

Question is these out of the same mem-batch as the bad ones? OR did they fail binning? In which case, changing packaging labels, and a bios would be refurbishing, IMHO.

Doesn't matter tho...lifetime warranty means if they die, they die, and you'll just get another with another lifetime warranty. Sounds good to me!:fact:

p0tter

10-04-2006, 07:06 PM

gr8golf

10-04-2006, 07:07 PM

Look ladies - it's a $250 G71 based card with all of the pipes enabled, 512MB of Samsung 1.1 memory and somewhat lower clocks. If yours overclocks up to GTX speeds (like mine has) great - if not, then you are getting exactly what you paid for. Seems like everyone is DEMANDING that they be GTX's for a GTO price. They are what they are - and eVGA will back them up with the warranty if you have problems (provided you don't flash a GTX BIOS, and maybe even then).

Okda

10-04-2006, 07:14 PM

will a 7900TGO with 7900GTx's bois work in SLI with a 7900GTx ?

cadaveca

10-04-2006, 07:30 PM

Yes.

HeavyH20

10-04-2006, 08:58 PM

Don't bother with the GTX BIOS, it will gain you nothing. In fact, it slows things up. The GTO card memory voltage is around 1.85V versus the stock GTX memory at 2.1V. So, you will not get as high of a clock on the memory. Also, the memory timings are tightened up versus the GTX.

The stock BIOS uses 1.4VCore, a 650 core clock and a 50 MHz delta, just like the GTX. There are three speed levels (3D, throttle and 2D) just like the GTX. The only item changed is the memory voltage and subsequent lower memory clocks.

afireinside

10-04-2006, 10:06 PM

Is there any way to flash BIOS with 1.5v+ vgpu? Don't want to hard mod cards because of easy death + step up. Is the lower mem voltage supposed to keep them alive longer?

Garrett

10-05-2006, 01:37 AM

I measure 1.81v mem here... guess they won't die from voltage lol... about flashing to 1.5v... that is interesting

@gr8golf yes they are wat they are... great value for money :thumbsup:

-edit- won't flashing a real bios boost the mem voltage too like it can with the gpu?

luismenendez

10-05-2006, 05:59 AM

Hey guys.

My name is Jacob and I am an EVGA employee.

Here is the word.

The card is NOT a refurbished card. It is brand new and is basically a 7900GTX with slower memory speed.

Also, it will not run in SLI with a 7900GTX.

Dartoverlord you asking too much; do you want the guy to be fire?

I believe there are new cards and some are reusing GTX boxes. The memory has tighter timmings (the same than 1.4ns) so that goes to only 1638Mhz in my MSI. I believe relaxing the memory to 1.1 ns timmings will give almost 1800 Mhz but i don't want to void the warranty just to get a few more fraps/scores :rolleyes:

TheGoat Eater

10-09-2006, 07:22 PM

Jacob do you do the tech support - if so I think that I have talked to you and thanks for all th help

EVGA - videocards:toast: good : Mobos :slapass: a pain in the ass (sorry had so many problems w/ flashing bios then the replacement board had a bad ethernet jack and could OC for @#!$)

But I still love EVGA (7900GT @ 651/858 -no memory mod-)

Spacemaster

10-14-2006, 04:40 AM

So I need flash my MSI 79000GTO with GTX bios,and do V-mem mod up to 1.8k to get full GTX am I corect?

Garrett

10-14-2006, 08:51 AM

So I need flash my MSI 79000GTO with GTX bios,and do V-mem mod up to 1.8k to get full GTX am I corect?
Let me put it this way:
If you flash a GTX bios it will be recognized as a GTX(duh) and you could use it in sli with a 'real' GTX :)
You don't have to mod the mem up to 1.8v because that's the standard mem voltage on the GTO... somewhere between 1.80 and 1.85 IIRC

a 'real' GTX however feeds the memory between 2.10 and 2.15v... so you'd need to mod the GTO (same mod as GTX but you probably knew that)

I haven't flashed or modded my card and it runs 700/800 flawlessly :)