T-Dub gurus,

I just had a GeForce Ti 4200 AGP die on me after a great run (2003-2010 R.I.P.). It outlasted my Radeon 9800 Pro AGP which I bought to replace the GeForce at some point, and then when the ATI died, the GeForce went back in. Obviously I don't use this machine anything graphics intensive.

I never had any visual problems with the 4200 and noticed that the fan is in real bad shape; there seems to be a lot of rust on the bearings and the fan doesn't seem to sit very well on the joint. I was wondering what the chances are that the failure is due to the fan and perhaps not the card itself? Should I try another fan on the thing or just say fuck it since it's 7 years old?

3/25/2010 11:58:56 PM

the time/money you spend fixing it can't possibly justify just replacing it, can they?

3/26/2010 12:01:03 AM

i meant NOT just replacing it, i think...i'm tired and can't think

3/26/2010 12:48:49 AM

Well, if the fan failed, it probably burned the card out. So, it's dead Jim.

3/26/2010 3:02:38 AM

That's what I was wondering, will the card automatically burn out if the fan fails? Is there no protection? I don't know a whole lot about video cards. Seems sort of ridiculous that there would be no overheat protection.

3/26/2010 3:54:49 AM

Cards usually throttle back when they start to overheat or just freeze up.

3/26/2010 4:43:13 AM

Quote :

"Should I try another fan on the thing or just say fuck it since it's 7 years old?"

toss it, it's old and run its course...if you're not looking for anything but basic graphics, you can generally find 6000-series (6200/6800) or even 8600 AGP cards on sale for $30-40 (or less, but count on this much) once a month...check SD or ben's bargains regularly and you should be able to find one in short order

3/26/2010 8:54:23 AM

ROGAH WILCO

3/26/2010 11:33:21 PM

yeah dude, that card is old as shit, haha

3/28/2010 2:46:22 PM

Quote :

"AGP"

3/28/2010 3:06:43 PM

I remember when I used to care about shit like this

3/28/2010 3:08:28 PM

Quote :

"rust "

WTF? how the hell do you get rust inside a desktop pc?? My main computer has been running non stop since 2003 with all of the original components (some added but none replaced, except a couple of hard disks)

Wouldnt you need an abnormal amount of moisture in your unit to make it do that?

3/28/2010 11:34:57 PM

May have been copper peelings, I don't know. Yes I know the card was [old as fuck], I was more curious as to the philosophy than the fact. I'm amazed the card lasted this long.

3/29/2010 9:28:12 PM