Warming up the video card with a hairdryer: instructions and results

Video cards are usually not incredibly reliable. And the most common failure is the so-called "GPU blade." This is a failure of the graphics chip. In fact, the chip itself can be a whole. There is simply no contact between the chip and the board. Some advise warming up the video card so that contact reappears. But it is worth noting that this method is not very durable. Nevertheless, heating the video card with a hairdryer is one of the most popular repair methods. We will tell you all about him and provide detailed instructions on how and what to do.

What is the essence of warming up?

The fact is that with the "GPU dump" the contact of the solder balls under the chip with the board itself and the contacts on it is broken. Warming up - there is a soldering of these same balls (reballing) under the influence of high temperatures. The balls become liquid again, harden after cooling and a stable contact of the chip with the board is obtained. There are also some features. for example, heating a video card with a hairdryer needs to be done using a certain technology. Otherwise, you can fry the graphics core itself, which completely kills the video card. Many users claim that they managed to warm up the video card and restore its performance. So why don't we try?

Is there a 100% guarantee?

However, it is worth considering that this is a temporary measure. And it is impossible to predict how long the video card restored in such a way will work. For some, she worked for only a month. Others claim that they have lived with such an adapter for another six months. This is always a lottery. Yes, and warming up the video card with a hairdryer does not give a one hundred percent guarantee that all our efforts will succeed and the graphic adapter will work. Nevertheless, it’s worth a try. It will definitely not be worse. It can only get better. But first you need to prepare the tools and the video card itself.

Necessary tools

So, what tools do we need to warm up the video card at home? As a rule, these are the things that can be found in almost any home. And even if there are none, then buying is not difficult. You don’t have to look for anything extraordinary and rare. Here's what we need:

1. Thermal grease. The most common, it will need to be applied to the chip after warming up.
2. Something flat and sharp (for example, a small knife or scalpel). To remove excess thermal paste from the chip.
3. Flux. It can be bought at any store where radio components are sold.
4. Good hair dryer. One that can produce a stream of hot air with a temperature of at least 200 degrees.
5. Foil. The most common. You can even use the one in which the chocolate was wrapped.
6. Tweezers. Or something else to hold the video card.
7. A special surface on which you can safely place a graphics adapter (even an ordinary pan of small sizes will go).
8. Iron. In case we think of warming them up.

It is recommended that you have such a set of tools and improvised materials before starting to warm up the video card chip. Moreover, before starting the procedure, you will need to make sure that all the tools are at hand. You cannot run after them during warm-up. Since the process itself cannot be interrupted. You need to carefully monitor the time and condition of the chip.

Graphics card preparation

This is one of the most important stages. A lot depends on him. When preparing a video card for heating, rush is unacceptable. Otherwise, the board or chip may be damaged. And this can lead to the failure of the graphics adapter. You must also find a good hair dryer. Do not use cheap Chinese products. They can ruin the graphics card and chip. However, we were distracted. We prepare the graphic adapter for warming up:

1. First, remove the plastic parts of the case (if any) and the cooler. Care must be taken not to damage the components.
2. After that, we unscrew the radiator and carefully unstick it from the graphics adapter chip.
3. Now with a knife or scalpel we remove the remnants of thermal paste from the surface of the chip.
4. Now you need to wrap the card with foil so that the circuit board is completely covered. Otherwise, the heat will melt the textolite and the adapter will become unusable. But the chip itself needs to be left open.
5. Next, take the flux and grease the edges of the chip with it. Saving is not worth it, but applying it so that the snot hang down is also not necessary.

Now the video card is fully ready for warming up. But you need to act as carefully as possible, even at the preparation stage. Since it is possible to damage some components of the card. And this is undesirable. Moreover, warming up a video card at home is already fraught with complications. However, the preparation is completed. Now you can start the process itself.

We warm up the graphics adapter chip

This is where the hardest part begins. On the Web, tons of information about how to “fry” a video card takes about 10-15 minutes. This is far from the case. During this time, it will simply burn. Remember, it’s better to warm up. For overheating is fraught with very serious consequences. Better to start with 40-60 seconds. This is quite enough at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. So, let's start heating the video card with a hairdryer. The instruction is like this:

1. Carefully place the video card on a surface such as a pan. So that there is some space under the graphics adapter itself.
2. We turn on the hair dryer, unscrew the heating control to the maximum and wait until it is hot.
3. Next, we bring the nozzle of the hairdryer to the chip at a distance of 8-10 centimeters and begin to drive around the perimeter of the chip.
4. We perform this action for 40 seconds.
5. Then turn off the hair dryer.
6. Turn the graphics adapter upside down and also warm up the place of the chip connection with the printed circuit board. No more than 40 seconds.

After that, turn off the hairdryer and leave the video card for a while alone. It needs to cool to room temperature. Now you know how to warm up the video card at home. It is worth recalling once again that all manipulations must be carried out very carefully. Do not warm the card for a long time or try to pick it up during the heating process. Nothing good will come of it.

Chip heating with an iron

This is an alternative. It can be used if there is no good hair dryer at hand. The process itself is slightly different from the previous one. Therefore, you need to provide detailed instructions so that the user knows how to warm up the video card with an iron. It is worth noting that the preparation phase is exactly the same. It is necessary to apply foil and flux. And only then you can start warming up. The instructions for implementing this process are as follows:

1. On the iron we set the temperature to a minimum and set its front on the chip, if it is under an iron casing.
2. If the chip is open, then first you need to put on the chip two layers of foil and only then install the iron.
3. Next, turn on the power of the iron and add temperature every 40 seconds.
4. When it reaches its maximum value, we wait 40 seconds and turn off the iron from the network. At the same time, you do not need to remove it from the adapter.
5. We wait until the iron cools down and only then remove it from the adapter.

After that, you just have to wait until the video card has completely cooled to room temperature. Only after that it will be possible to proceed to the next stage. But do not particularly rely on the effectiveness of such repairs. Warm-up video cards work with a probability of 50-60%. If you are lucky, then it will work. And now let's move on to the final stage of our epic.

Preparing the video card for work

Now you need to properly prepare the graphics adapter for work. But before that you need to make sure that the chip is completely cool. Only then can we proceed to the final stage. You can check the degree of cooling by touch. If the chip is even a little warm, then you need to wait another. And if it's cold, then you need to do this:

1. First, remove the entire foil wrapper.
2. Next, remove the remaining flux from the chip.
3. Degrease the surface of the chip with a standard degreaser or alcohol solution.
4. Carefully apply thermal grease to the chip and spread it over the entire surface of the chip or casing with a thin layer.
5. Then we replace the radiator and fix it.
6. Now install the cooler, connect it and attach the remaining components of the case.

That's all. The video card is fully ready for testing. It is worth a little more to wait for the thermal grease to catch. Usually this process takes from 10 to 20 minutes. After that, the graphics adapter can be installed in the computer. If everything is done correctly, then the card may well earn.

Launch and testing

Now let's talk about how to properly launch a video card and test it. It seems that there is nothing complicated. But in fact, there are several nuances that the user will find useful. So, the procedure is as follows.

1. We insert the video card into the slot with the power turned off completely.
2. Securely fix it and connect additional power (if any).
3. We connect the monitor to the desired connector.
4. Turn on the power and start the computer.
5. If there is an image and it is without artifacts, then continue to download.
6. After the computer starts, you do not need to immediately load the adapter. Just reboot the car.
7. After restarting the PC, you can run some kind of test to check the video card.

If everything is normal according to the test results, then we can assume that we managed to reanimate an almost dead video card. But how long it will work is another question. It is difficult to make any forecasts here. with luck, it will work a year or a year and a half.

Conclusion

So, now you know almost everything about heating a video card with a hairdryer or iron. But be sure to do everything in strict accordance with the instructions. Otherwise, the video card can simply be killed.