Member Avatar for Zath

3 of my videocards have been overheating to the point where it doesn't work anymore. This has happend all in about two weeks. I had the first video card for a while and it stopped working a few weeks ago. So I bought another one thinking it was the video card but that one stopped working too. So I bought another one and I noticed the the heatsink gets very hot. I ordered a fan for it but it was too late. And also, I used agp and pci video cards and same result. Is it possible that the motherboard is to blame? I have a crappy WinFast motherboard. I had if for a while. So is it the motherboard?

Dino

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As and pointed out, the problem is most likely systemic rather than three unrelated bad cards. The goal is to isolate the variable that’s killing GPUs: power delivery (PSU or motherboard), poor cooling/contact, or a persistent manufacturing defect. Below is a focused, safe checklist to diagnose the fault and decide whether to replace the PSU or the board.

  • Visual inspection first: with the machine unplugged, look for bulging or leaking capacitors, scorch marks, melted plastic, or discolored PCB near expansion slots and power connectors. Bad caps or burned traces are a strong sign the motherboard’s power circuitry is failing (Capacitor plague).
  • Eliminate configuration causes: clear CMOS/reset BIOS to defaults to remove any accidental overvoltage/overclock settings that could overdrive cards.
  • Isolate by substitution (change one thing at a time): test a known-good GPU in the suspect system, and test the suspect GPU(s) in a known-good system. If a known-good GPU dies only in the suspect board, the board is the likely culprit — a suggestion echoed by .
  • Check the PSU and rails: either use a dedicated PSU tester or measure rails with a multimeter while the system is on (done carefully). ATX rails should stay near spec; large deviations under load point to a failing PSU or undervalued unit (ATX / PSU info, Power supply unit).
  • Cooling and seating: ensure heatsinks are mounted properly, thermal paste is intact, fans spin, and case airflow isn’t obstructed. Repeated thermal failure can come from poor contact or dead fans.

If tests point to unstable voltages or a PSU that misbehaves under load, replace the PSU with a quality unit that supplies sufficient +12V amperage. If a known-good card dies only on this motherboard and visual inspection shows damaged power components, replace the motherboard. Take ESD and safety precautions when swapping hardware.

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Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

It could be the board. One (slightly expensive) way to figure out would be to get a known, working vid card, use it on another system, and if it doesn't blow up there, use it on your system. If it does blow up in your board, get a new board.

Member Avatar for dcc

Hey dino...what make and model are the graphic cards, and what make and model is you PSU?

Member Avatar for Zath

Hey dino...what make and model are the graphic cards, and what make and model is you PSU?

One of the video cards was a PNY GeForce Ti4200 8x ddr 64mb, an XFX Geforce FX5200 128 mb DDR and the last one was a some cheap ATI card. It's wierd because that cheap one had both ATI and Geforece on the box. I don't know the make and model for my PSU.

Member Avatar for dcc

If your PSU doesn't have enough wattage it can produce these results.

Let's try this from another angle, what make and model is your computer?

Member Avatar for Zath

If your PSU doesn't have enough wattage it can produce these results.

Let's try this from another angle, what make and model is your computer?

My computer is custom built. I bought the power box and motherboard seperately. I guess im gonna buy a new power supply and see how things work out.

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