EXTREMELY URGENT Video Card Question PLEASE LOOK!!

[Quakindude]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

Yeah, that is a capacitor you identified on those pictures and a very essential part of any computer component. The card is basically ruined, your only hope would be to try and re-solder it back on like Dread mentioned. But again, when you power on your system, there's no telling what might happen, so try that at your own risk...

Yep. You're right on there. You could possibly damage your motherboard.

[JazzyJake]

okay, sorry to sound like an optimist, but it's not that big of a deal.
if you google around, i'm sure you can find a quick and basic guide of learning to solder.
if anyone you know has a soldering iron, you're set.
the cap may have, and is likely to have, broken off up close, but with a bit of patience you should be able to solder another set of wires onto where the legs were, heat up the solder on the backside of the card, and push it through. my guess is that your system will respond as if there is no video card in it at all, because the cap. missing broke the line, if you will. electricity needs to go in and out.

[Lead Head]

Unfortunately, that capacitor looks to be part of the GPU voltage regulator. It may actually work depending on how the regulator is set up, but doing that, the working part of the regulator may get too much current passing through it, and burn up and die. The whole card may not even fire up (which is most likely). You can get a $5 soldering iron from Radio Shack or similar, maby even a dollar store, practice soldering on a few things, then solder the capacitor back on

[Capper]

I would personally find someone here with soldering experience, and have them do it.......it should be repaired easily enough, but if you do it wrong or solder the cap on backwards, etc you're really screwed

[Lead Head]

Originally Posted by Capper

I would personally find someone here with soldering experience, and have them do it.......it should be repaired easily enough, but if you do it wrong or solder the cap on backwards, etc you're really screwed

Solder the cap backwards, it has a good chance of exploding !

[gvblake22]

Not to mention the fact that the cap its self might be damaged already.

[robodude666]

I broke a cap and a transistor off of my FX5500 by mistake. I soldered it back on and it works fine now.

Do not solder the cap on backwards. I know from experience it doesn't make pretty smoke or a nice smell.

[stinger608]

to be on the safe side, there is a number on the side of the cap. It will be the rating number. Write that down, and get a new capacitor from Radio Shack or who ever you can deal with.

The thing is, a new cap will cost around 3 to 5 bucks, and if the original was damaged, you will not be able to tell, untill you solder it back on. For the 3 to 5 bucks for a new one, it just seems like a good investment.

And as mentioned, DO NOT INSTALL BACKWARDS!!!!!

[Dr. V]

man im getting more and more reluctant to even try to fix this. im getting ready to buy a cap, and take it to someone who's computer-inclined well enough to know how to do this, and can actually use a soldering gun.

any recommendations in my area?

there is this one store and i know the owner i could ask him, he may know what he's doing. other than this i dont know the more i look at the card the more i want to throw it against the wall.

a bit harsh? haha i won't do that but its getting a bit annoying.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by ST!X

man im getting more and more reluctant to even try to fix this. im getting ready to buy a cap, and take it to someone who's computer-inclined well enough to know how to do this, and can actually use a soldering gun.

any recommendations in my area?

there is this one store and i know the owner i could ask him, he may know what he's doing. other than this i dont know the more i look at the card the more i want to throw it against the wall.

a bit harsh? haha i won't do that but its getting a bit annoying.

I say fix it yourself, what better way to learn right? It's just comptuer parts. I love the smell of burning computer parts.


Hey just make sure and video tape it. Because if it explodes I really want to see it.