Should I return the gpu?

So today I was finally able build my dad's computer after the gpu and mobo arrived and everything worked fine. After many computer reboots later the computer stopped posting and the gpu fan would spin fast(in intervals which I assumed was the computer rebooting). I took out the gpu and stuck it back in and nothing and when I switched gpus it posted. So I thought we had gotten a bad gpu and decided to return it. Being the curious person I am, I continued to mess around and it posted! I don't know if it's because I stuck it back in in a different way or something but it posted. So after contemplating on whither I should return it or not, I decided to come here to ask if someone can perhaps tell me why the gpu acted the way it did.

cpu: AMD x4 645
mobo: biostar TA870U3+
gpu: xfx radeon hd 4850
psu: 620watts

gpu used in switch: gtx 460

Oh I forgot to mention that I stuck the gpu into my computer and it did the same thing.

no harm in getting a replacement man, get it replaced then try again. if it does the same thing, you might want to look at your BIOS and even your motherboard.
theres alot of things that can go wrong.

takumiv1 said:

the gpu fan would spin fast(in intervals which I assumed was the computer rebooting).

Upon starting, normally it will ramp up quickly once. It shouldn't be be ramping in intervals.

I decided to come here to ask if someone can perhaps tell me why the gpu acted the way it did.

Did you happen to notice if the were any red lights on the back of the card at the time? Depending on the lights, it can point towards the issue

HD 4850 LEDs

D1601 - Over temp protection enabled

D1602 - EXT 12V fault

The fact that it did POST, tends to rule out a BIOS issue.

The fact that it did the same thing in your PC rules out the PSU being at fault.


I suspect the card may be a dud. I had an XFX 4890 that did the same thing - intermittently failed to POST, fans ramped in intervals. When it worked, it seemed to be fine but it became worse over time causing a lot of Black/Red/Grey screens of Death. (never a BSOD because the system always froze before it could trigger a crash dump)

On my card it looked like the VREGS were faulty because when the card was working, I monitored the VDDC (card voltage) and it was fluctuating wildly and well out of spec. Normally it will adjust between the powerplay states according to 2D/3D clocks, but it should be uniform voltages, and not constantly changing and all over the place.

It may be worth while to download GPU-Z and monitor the voltage:




I'm not saying this is what happened with your card, but it is one possibility.

It may be nothing, but if the same behavior occurred in two separate machines, it's not a coincidence and it may be worthwhile returning it simply for peace of mind.

(perhaps even a different brand - XFX cheaped out on some batches of their 48xx cards)

I already submitted an RMA form to newegg for a replacement. I would check gpu-z if my dad's hdd didnt die. And since he needs a new hdd anyways I'll just return the gpu and hopefully we'll have a new hdd by then. Thanks for info guys, appreciated it.

No worries, good luck with the replacements.

Nice post smarteyeball - Should I return the gpu? +1 :)

BTW where'd you get those LED codes?

Thanks

Thanks Drew :)

There was a post at TPU forums. Unfortunately it only goes up to the 4xxx series.

Thanks. I'll have to do some research to see If I can find a list for the newer cards for record keeping.

Thanks.