GT 730 with exploded traces on GPU

[mhmtnasir]

Hello everyone.
I sold a GT 730 (Kepler chip, GDDR5) to a customer.

Today, while testing the card, they report the following issues:
- The card's HDMI output won't work even in BIOS (they couldn't test DVI yet, and they tested the cable with other cards)
- They have access to the PC via Spacedesk, but installing the driver results in a IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSOD (apparently it was caused by vgk.sys??)
- GPU-Z apparently says "No graphics unit detected"
- They have used DDU to clean drivers, but apparently it said there were no drivers to clean.

Their platform is a Huananzhi X99-QD4 with Xeon E5-2690 v4.
I really want to avoid a refund, because my motherboard is currently dead and I have no idea how to troubleshoot the card.

If yall could help, I'd be grateful. Thank you.

Update:
So, apparently, the GPU package basically burnt itself.

I'm surprised it shows up sometimes at all. I will be processing the buyer's refund at this point.
If anyone has any idea on how this happened and if there is a potential fix (lmao), please let me know. Thank you.

The motherboard thinks there is something attached, but Windows doesn't see it. Can anyone explain? Thank you.

 

[mhmtnasir]

Edit 2:
The card arrived back to me, and the GPU is literally bubbled up. It definitely looks like something exploded in there. The silicon is fine, but the BGA substrate is bubbled up.
Is this a product fault or should I contact Gigabyte about it? Thank you all.

 

[Dr. Dro]

It's a write-off, IMO. This is an ancient, long-discontinued graphics card, very likely long since out of warranty. If you purchased it from a retailer recently, see if you can get a refund or RMA replacement through them... if not, contact Gigabyte and see what they have to say, but you should refund your customer because this card is perma-dead and any repair will far outweigh its non-existent market value

 

[mhmtnasir]

It's a write-off, IMO. This is an ancient, long-discontinued graphics card, very likely long since out of warranty. If you purchased it from a retailer recently, see if you can get a refund or RMA replacement through them... if not, contact Gigabyte and see what they have to say, but you should refund your customer because this card is perma-dead and any repair will far outweigh its non-existent market value

Refund is already completed (I have the card in my hands as I said), I'm just wondering if it's a fundemental product issue that I didnt have control over, or just something went very wrong on my side

 

[Dr. Dro]

Refund is already completed (I have the card in my hands as I said), I'm just wondering if it's a fundemental product issue that I didnt have control over, or just something went very wrong on my side

There's only two plausible explanations for this scenario. Bubbling usually indicates a short, so it is possible that something got under the substrate somehow (liquid damage, or perhaps a dead insect or small rodent's fluids) and caused the short, or it had a manufacturing defect that caused an issue with the BGA solder, likely to occur during a thermal expansion/contraction cycle. The tolerance for these cards is quite large as they are low-end products where they don't pay nearly as much attention to the manufacturing quality.

If the PCB is fine, there is nothing short of a full core replacement for this, and it's just not worth the cost. The core with the bubbled substrate is waste, it cannot be fixed or reused.

 

[mhmtnasir]

There's only two plausible explanations for this scenario. Bubbling usually indicates a short, so it is possible that something got under the substrate somehow (liquid damage, or perhaps a dead insect or small rodent's fluids) and caused the short, or it had a manufacturing defect that caused an issue with the BGA solder, likely to occur during a thermal expansion/contraction cycle. The tolerance for these cards is quite large as they are low-end products where they don't pay nearly as much attention to the manufacturing quality.

If the PCB is fine, there is nothing short of a full core replacement for this, and it's just not worth the cost. The core with the bubbled substrate is waste, it cannot be fixed or reused.

There was no liquid damage to the card, so maybe it's a manufacturing defect as you said. Will Gigabyte replace it or do I have to pay for it?

 

[Hardcore Games]

Looking at the image suggests the card is fried from overheating. Given the motherboard fault could possibly be at issue is a 20% chance based on my service efforts.

 

[Eskimonster]

Since its a very cheap card, i would advice against using to much time troubleshooting what definetly to looks like a write-off.
If its your own buisniz, your time is not the same as an imployed person ofc.