Fixing GPU

[FurnaceRocker]

Hey I'm in the market for a new gpu, and was noticing quite a few gpus on ebay for parts/not working.  Wanted to ask, has anyone had much experience fixing graphics cards (NOT just  cooking it in the oven)?  I'm comfortable fixing electronics, I've been doing it as a hobby for a few years now, but I'm no where near an expert, so if that's the needed skill level I'm out. 

Thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone had any experience, thanks!

[Rasz]

without expensive rework station you are limited to power problems, blown fuses, blown power section





or  being super lucky (one logic gate)

[DaJMasta]

That's basically it, without good tools and technique, large BGA rework is finicky at best.  There's also basically no schematics available and you're always working on multilayer boards.

So if you're interested and the card is real cheap, it's probably still interesting to attempt... but I doubt there's a good niche repair market to try to make a buck or get a bunch of cheap graphics upgrades.

If you end up doing it, it may be a decent idea to use a secondary computer for testing - in the event you short a power trace from the motherboard and release a bit of smoke.

[wraper]

Unless you buy it for nearly free, like 10% of the working GPU price, it's not worth it. Especially if you don't have specialized equipment and experience.