[Gigabyte GTX 480 SOC] RMA time?

[AzZ]

Hi everyone.

I recently bought the Gigabyte 480 SOC (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3620#ov) however I am experiencing problems with the card. I tested the factory overclock for stability but it doesn't seem to be stable. I get thousands of errors using OCCT 3.1.0 and have also tried the latest beta, but I still get errors. (56284 errors in 120 seconds)

Running Heaven 2.5 I get multiple artifacts and tears appearing.
Crysis running in DX9 with custom 'Very High' config I get artifacts.
Metro 2033 demo running in DX9, maxed out, I get black flashes now and then.
MSI Kombustor, again I get multiple artifacts.

I have the latest drivers and the old drivers have been completely removed. It was suggested that the PSU may not have been enough for the card and I have bought a brand new Corsair HX750 which I cannot fault as it's a quality unit. This hasn't sorted the problems.

My stock voltage for the card is 1050mV and have gone as high as 1075mV but it still artifacts. If I run the card at factory 480 settings I don't get any errors. I feel that the card is therefore an unstable OC.

Here are some recordings I have made:

(Settings used are in the description)

Heaven 2.5 (new PSU): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvR2pfFaPUI
Crysis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDXnZ5NaedE
Metro 2033: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5khJQeZ85s
Heaven 2.5 old: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA4sunxWONs


My motherboard is an Asus P5NE32-SLi Plus (650i chipset). I'm not sure if there is any compatibility issues here but since the card runs fine at factory clocks I feel the card is at fault.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

I think your diagnosis is probably correct. If the card runs alright when not overclocked but then fails at overclock settings it would seem to prove that. Also this isn't an unusual thing in that out of all the factory overclocked cards there will no doubt be a certain small percentage that will fail to be stable at those settings. That is because no two cards or chips will perform identically and so trying to force a certain set of clock settings on them "en masse" is doomed from the start. This goes for any manufacturer.

[AzZ]

Thanks for the reply Dark Mantis.

I totally agree with you. No two chips will be the same and overclocking results will always vary from chip to chip. So is it best to RMA the card now? I just want to be sure as I don't want to send it out and then Gigabyte state NFF whilst testing with their superior mobo's. However I'm not aware of any motherboard compatibility issues for the card, unless you may know of any?

[Dark Mantis]

No as far as I know there are no specific compatibility problems. I would suggest that you return it to your retailer and ask them to check it thoroughly. Give them as precise details as you can.

[AzZ]

Thanks. I will let you know what happens.