[User01]

Hello

I was just wondering whether you would be able to help me out.

I recently bought a second hand BFG GTX 275 OCX. It works perfectly with general computer use, however when it comes to 3D Heavy Duty gaming (e.g. Crysis) it crashes after 2-3 Minutes.

The previous owner ran 2 of these in SLI for 3 months without a problem and sold it to me in working condition. I run a stock PC, no O/C whatsoever and temperatures never exceed 60C on any of my components.

I plan to conduct a few more tests (PSU, drivers, RAM, OS), but if the problem is the card, would I be entitled to the Lifetime Warranty or would I just be limited to the 1-year manufacturer warranty?

I'm not sure whether the previous owner registered the card for the Lifetime Warranty, but if he did, could I use/claim it as I am now the owner of the card?

Thank you very much

 

[User01]

I just did some tests, it turns out that the problem is being caused by the card.

I underclocked the card (BFG GTX-275 OCX) so that it performed like a standard GTX 275:

Core Clock: 709 down to 635
Shader Clock: 1566 down to 1402
Memory Clock: 1242 down to 1136

This solved the problem and crysis no longer crashes on me after a few minutes.
It seems that the factory Overclock was unstable...

So what should i do now?

 

[drBlahMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by User01 I just did some tests, it turns out that the problem is being caused by the card. I underclocked the card (BFG GTX-275 OCX) so that it performed like a standard GTX 275: Core Clock: 709 down to 635 Shader Clock: 1566 down to 1402 Memory Clock: 1242 down to 1136 This solved the problem and crysis no longer crashes on me after a few minutes. It seems that the factory Overclock was unstable... So what should i do now?

Have you tried increasing the fan speed on the gpu when running @ factory overclock speed?

 

[Protezione]

also, go get some compressed air and clean out the heatsink. if its dusty in there, itll heat up and cause issues.

 

[I AM TEH LAW GIVAH]

yeah you should be able to RMA it BFG has great customer support

 

[User01]

I monitored the temperature of the card with factory OC settings and it would always crash before it got above normal temperatures (65C-70C).
I believe the fans are set to 40% capacity and only increase when you enter the 80/90C zone.

The GPU never had the chance to heat up enough and cause the fans to step up.

So yea, I don't think cooling is a problem because it would crash before it even got near the overheating territory.

 

[saulin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by User01 I just did some tests, it turns out that the problem is being caused by the card. I underclocked the card (BFG GTX-275 OCX) so that it performed like a standard GTX 275: Core Clock: 709 down to 635 Shader Clock: 1566 down to 1402 Memory Clock: 1242 down to 1136 This solved the problem and crysis no longer crashes on me after a few minutes. It seems that the factory Overclock was unstable... So what should i do now?

Sometimes you just want a normal card and no a factory overclocked card

My factory overclocked card is supposed to do 1584 shaders but I have to take it down to 1512 otherwise I get funny stuff in crysis.

About your warranty. You might be SOL if it was never registered. And if it was mmmm I think only the original owner can do the RMA. But Zap should know better, he should pop up around here sometime. Maybe send him a PM too.

 

[G|F.E.A.D|Killa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by User01 I monitored the temperature of the card with factory OC settings and it would always crash before it got above normal temperatures (65C-70C). I believe the fans are set to 40% capacity and only increase when you enter the 80/90C zone. The GPU never had the chance to heat up enough and cause the fans to step up. So yea, I don’t think cooling is a problem because it would crash before it even got near the overheating territory.

try it anway, my GPU heats un in seconds to working temps.

 

[Zap]

Technically the warranty is only for the original purchaser of the product. Warranty is limited (to the original purchaser) for one year, or if registered within 30 days of purchase becomes a lifetime warranty (again, for the original purchaser). The reason for this, of course, is that BFG offers the lifetime warranty as a reward for a new purchase of a BFG product, meaning BFG makes money off a sale of a new product so gives something back in the shape of a lifetime warranty.

This is not unusual as EVGA and XFX have the exact same written policies.

Hope is not lost, however.

First, you can try phoning BFG tech support and plead your case. You may reach a sympathetic ear especially if you already have other BFG products registered in your name. We like repeat customers and will want to help you out. Just understand that this would be above and beyond the normal warranty policy (again, including other Nvidia partners offering lifetime warranties). I don't work tech support (I build Phobos/Deimos computers, plus assist the product managers) so I can't promise anything, but it is worth trying.

Second, you may want to try finding out if there is only one part of the card that is causing the failure. You can do this by underclocking each individual part in decrements (core, shader, memory). Once you find the limitation, you can set the software (such as Rivatuner) to automatically load the settings on startup. You may find that there is not much of a performance hit if you only have to lower memory or shaders a few MHz.