I Did It!!!

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

Some of you not too long ago might remember my story involving two resistors that I had mistakenly broken off my G92 8800GTS while installing my newly acquired Accelero S1.

My initial plan was to just RMA it, but I would've had to send it to California (I live in Canada) and the support people from XFX implied that they wouldn't cover it because it was more than likely that I damaged the card myself (I should've played dumb, I know..) But even so, as small as the resistors were, I think they would've noticed it when I RMA'd it and my request would've been denied.

ANYWAY, taking all this in mind, I decided to solder back the resistors myself - after a lot of hard work and stress, I actually did it - those microscopic resistors are sitting tight in their little spots and all contacts look good (to the left):

If any of you have an 8800GT or 8800GTS, I really suggest you look down there just to get an idea of how small and difficult of a job that was. I'm just so relieved that I was able to do it, although the ultimate test will come when I have my computer up and running, so I'll keep you updated.



While I'm posting pics here.. I took up the task of stripping off the old inside paint job I did (it was terrible) from my Antec 900 and I sanded the inside surface with 400 grit sandpaper (I hadn't sanded it the first time). Cleaned it off really, really well and painted carefully. It's still not 100% perfect, but the most visible areas actually turned out really well. The small imperfections are going to be covered by the PSU and Mobo anyway, so I'm happy:

 

[peterhuang913]

Very nice. You should take clearer pictures. And the resistor on the way left is higher But still, great work.

Also, does it work when you turn it on?

 

[thirdshiftdj]

Now you can start Vmodding that sucker.

 

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

And the resistor on the way left is higher But still, great work.

lol thanks - I was positioning the resistors with a friggin sewing pin no way I could've gotten them perfectly straight, the things looked like specs of dust... hahaha

Also, does it work when you turn it on?

I'm gonna see if I can find an old puter with a PCI-E bus just to test it out, I'd rather not endanger my RAM, CPU, mobo, fans, HDD, DVD, etc etc.. although I will have to probably use my PSU because whatever I find probably won't have a decent enough PSU to boot the thing, rather than gambling $800 or $900, I might only be gambling about $350 including the card itself, and whatever the guinea pig computer might cost me

Now you can start Vmodding that sucker.

but of course! after doing this, the vmod looks like a cakewalk (this was only my second legitimate soldering job on a computer piece) I will do it as soon as I confirm that the card is working A1

 

[Drizzt]

Congratz...

I would of just rma'd it though... but good job.

 

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

Quick question, do I need RAM and/or a CPU installed to be able to just boot into BIOS?

 

[peterhuang913]

You need CPU, ram, mobo, power and video card to boot into BIOS.

 

[braz]

congrats man, i remember u posting about ur screwdriver hitting them off.

 

[KSoD]

From the looks of this pic

The one on the right wont work. These are called surface mount for a reason. There is barely any connection from the chip to the board with solder. After looking at the other pics it might work. But i would not bet on it. The reason i say this. Surface mount resistors, transistors and capacitors are sturdy outside, fragile inside.

So while they may look intact. The insides could easily be destroyed.

Only reason i know this. I worked for a company that made Home Theater equipment all in shop. So i have had over 5 years experience working with motherboard liek this and knowing if they will work or not.

Judging by the remark braz made that you hit them with a screwdriver. I wouldnt get my hopes up to high.

 

[peterhuang913]

From the looks of this pic

The one on the right wont work. These are called surface mount for a reason. There is barely any connection from the chip to the board with solder. After looking at the other pics it might work. But i would not bet on it. The reason i say this. Surface mount resistors, transistors and capacitors are sturdy outside, fragile inside.

So while they may look intact. The insides could easily be destroyed.

Only reason i know this. I worked for a company that made Home Theater equipment all in shop. So i have had over 5 years experience working with motherboard liek this and knowing if they will work or not.

Judging by the remark braz made that you hit them with a screwdriver. I wouldnt get my hopes up to high.

Actually, there looks like more solder on the right than on the left.