[GV-N460OC-1GI] Questions about strange stains on the PCB of the card

[Heimer]

Good evening,

I posted this message in the french forum since a week but got no reply, i thought about posting it here...

I received this card half and week ago, and got some questions about possible strange stains/problems

I tested my card only for an evening because I want to wait for my new case to do more test (I had a very old and crappy case)


////// After having tested it, when I pulled out my card out of the case, I saw that there are some marks/stains on the PCB at the back of the card. I am not sure that they were there before testing it. Don't really remember. Those stains resemble a bit what was discussed in this thread from the french gigabyte forum (http://forum.gigabyte.fr/index.php/topic,7199.msg69823.html#msg69823 )

Here's a shot of one of those stains from the back of my card:

So? Is it normal or due to too high temps?

I only played to Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 for an hour, and Crysis for another hour.

I used the program Speedfan to check the temps of the GPU, and it never went above 62-65 celcius degree while playing crysis. Was it too hot?

I also checked in MSI Afterburner and saw that the GPU fan speed was set at 40%. Will it be a problem if I put it at like 60%? Will it consume more power or/and run hotter?

----

(On a side note, not really important and offtopic)

I looked at the people review on Newegg and saw that some people suffer from strange "electrical noises". I am not sure it was coming from my gigabyte graphic card, but I heard a strange noise (like a "Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii") at one point. Didn't last long though. As I said, I am not sure it was the graphic card, but in case some people have some things to say about it...

---

Here is my Rig:

Processor: Intel Q8300, brand new
Memory: 2 GB Kingston, brand new
Motherboard: EP45-UD3LR, brand new
Graphic card: Well you guessed it, a gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI, brand new
PSU: Corsair HX520w; brand new
HDD: A quite old HDD, so maybe it was it that was doing some noises, not sure...
Case: Quite old. I am actually waiting for my new coolermaster to be delivered to me.


System: I still run under a fresh installation of windows XP 32 Bits btw.
Drivers: I disregarded the CD from the box, and used the latest Nvidia drivers from the Nvidia website.


Thanks in advance.

[Dark Mantis]

The chances are it is just flux residue from the soldering process. It has a slightly sticky texture and will therefore show more as it collects dirt. If that's all it is there is nothing to worry about.

[Heimer]

The chances are it is just flux residue from the soldering process. It has a slightly sticky texture and will therefore show more as it collects dirt. If that's all it is there is nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the quick reply (feel relieved here ^^)

And yes, it's slightly sticky so I guess it's that. But is it common on current graphic cards? The dust that will stick on it will not cause any problems in the upcoming years?

Thanks again anyway!

[Dark Mantis]

It is quite common to find a patch on any circuit boards. They are wave soldered and then cleaned automatically but sometimes a patch gets missed. No long term problems with it apart from looking a bit unsightly.