KrisFix, a German computer repair technician at YouTube, found that the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (one of the best graphics cards launched in 2018) can fail late in life due to massive stress from GPU sag. I report that there are many. The technician demonstrated this on his damaged RTX 2080 Ti, where the GDDR6 memory bottom of his module failed to connect with the relevant solder points on the PCB after several years of use under the GPU’s massive sag. I showed that I could lose.
If KrisFix’s report is accurate, the 2080 Ti is starting to die more and more from this issue. Sure, they may be 4+ years old now, but the cards are still very functional and when the previous owner upgraded to something newer and faster like his RTX 4070 , many cards are resold as used cards. Given the root cause, the issue could appear in the next few years with his triple-slotted RTX 30-series and RTX 40-series GPUs. And so are AMD’s larger Radeon RX 6000 and 7000 series. This may result in the need for anti-slack brackets or vertical GPU mounts to extend the life of your GPU.
The issue with the RTX 2080 Ti is related to the bottom of the GDDR6 memory module closest to the PCIe x16 slot. According to KrisFix, this area of the PCB receives the most PCB flex from heavy GPU cooling solutions, putting stress on his PCB and memory components in that area.
PCB flex is not the only cause of memory failure. The combination of GPU flex and his daily GPU usage eventually damages his GDDR6 connection points. Additionally, thermal fluctuations from running the graphics card daily under severe sag conditions over years will damage the GDDR6 contacts, as the flexed PCB pulls the memory ICs in an undesirable way.
KrisFix has fully demonstrated this with an RTX 2080 Ti in his shop, but he says it was failing due to the slack side effect. Below he found that after removing the GDDR6 memory module from his PCB, some of the chip’s contact points (BGA balls) had oxidation problems, and solder joint failures on the PCB itself.
KrisFix was able to fix this damaged RTX 2080 Ti by successfully reballing the memory chips. However, the core issue is definitely a concern and it’s likely that this will continue to occur again with newer, bigger and heavier GPUs as they age over the next few years. Slots, look at all the RTX 40 series and RX 7900 series cards weighing over 1.5kg.
The best way to deal with this issue is to purchase a slack-relief bracket or use a vertical GPU mount to mount your GPU vertically. Or perhaps because card manufacturers realized years ago that this could be a problem, many enthusiast graphics cards now have a “stand” that can be placed underneath the graphics card to reduce the strain. contained. For Asus short small support Some cards have MSI (opens in new tab), colorful (opens in new tab), Galax (opens in new tab), gigabyte, PNY (opens in new tab)and others contain various other support mechanisms.
Whatever the solution, if you want to extend the life expectancy of your GPU, it’s important to avoid bending the PCB and keep the card perfectly straight. Otherwise, the GPU may die prematurely.
