HD 6870 displaying some lines & thick horizontal bars at bios loading till windows boot

had just bought this gpu (HIS IceQ X HD6870 1GB) from a forum member not long ago. off late it had started freezing, resetting my pc while gaming, mostly graphic intensive games like nfs - the run, cyrsis 1 & 2. it also started heating & going to 80C+
at first as i consulted some forum members but thought it might be due to some ingame bugs that it was freezing, resetting.
but just a couple of days back i had ordered a new ssd from primeabgb & a fan controller from a forum member. as both these arrived i opened case to install these & after spending a lot of time on the cable management when i powered the pc i got display in the form of some lines & thick horizontal bars. they appeared while booting in bios & also in windows.
am back to my onboard gpu
took pc to a friends place installed fresh os on ssd using onboard gpu, then after all drivers loaded & stuff i tried the hd6870 back on. but same result. pc seems to be working just fine with onboard. will check if its any other issue till then without hd6870.
but i am afraid its a bust gpu
plz help with ur valuable inputs/thoughts about this problem. and also help with address/details on how to send for warranty claim if neccesary.
(forgot to say, but luckily this gpu is not even a year old & is very much under warranty)

my system config:
processor: amd phenom II X4 955 BE
motherboard: GA-880GM-USB3
ram: corsair xms3 4gb ddr3 X2
smps: seasonic x-850
hdd: corsair force3 60gb
wd 1tb green
ups: apc 1100va

What a coincidence, I was for the last 2 days having similar sort of issue with my HD4870, the only difference is that the gpu temp reading was 90-91 at idle. I used to get the same horizontal lines whenever i started my pc, so what i did was, removed video card from motherboard and blow some air at the video cards fan side for 2-3 minutes and then restead it back on the pcie slot of mobo. Till now, it is working fine by staying at a temp of 92 max, but soon I have to purchase a new card because it will die soon from my speculations. Since my card was 4 years old, i cant get it RMA'ed, but you can, so go for it, ask your local dealer from where you bought it for a replacement.

that sounds weird, but good thing if it worked :). i hav already done more than that, as i like to keep my hardware very clean. i clean my hardware by using a blower & also use a clean soft paintbrush to remove dust from corners & hard to reach places & then use blower again. but unfortunately blower jus blew, so now jus using the brush & a hair dryer :p

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Originally Posted by unidentified

What a coincidence, I was for the last 2 days having similar sort of issue with my HD4870, the only difference is that the gpu temp reading was 90-91 at idle. I used to get the same horizontal lines whenever i started my pc, so what i did was, removed video card from motherboard and blow some air at the video cards fan side for 2-3 minutes and then restead it back on the pcie slot of mobo. Till now, it is working fine by staying at a temp of 92 max, but soon I have to purchase a new card because it will die soon from my speculations. Since my card was 4 years old, i cant get it RMA'ed, but you can, so go for it, ask your local dealer from where you bought it for a replacement.

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Since, i was to replace my video card, i thought why not give it a try by opening the inner parts and removing all dust from heatsink and clean the fans. So I dis-assembled my hd 4870 by unscrewing all the nails and then a friend recommended me to apply a WD-40 spray to clean the chipset and dust that are on the heatsink and and side-ways of the chipset. I sprayed WD-40 liquid on the said areas and cleaned all the parts with a toothbrush and then kept it open for 3 hours just like that, after that i applied little thermal compound on the chipset and assembled the video card, plugged it in my computer and guess what, no more horizontal lines, though 70-71 degree temp at idle. Atleast i know that this video card will work for atleast 2-3 months from now-onwards. I would recommend you to follow this method on your risk, since your video card is in warranty, you can get a replacement for it for sure, rather than try this risky method. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by unidentified

So I dis-assembled my hd 4870 by unscrewing all the nails and then a friend recommended me to apply a WD-40 spray to clean the chipset and dust that are on the heatsink and and side-ways of the chipset. I sprayed WD-40 liquid on the said areas and cleaned all the parts with a toothbrush and then kept it open for 3 hours just like that

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are you sure you dis-assembled ur hd 4870 by unscrewing all the nails or screws? secondly is it safe to spray wd-40? it can be used to clear contacts of carbon probably, but am not sure.
if anyone knows about this can plz comment. i mean spraying the wd-40.

btw, i forgot to mention that i have already sent gpu for warranty claim yesterday.

Well, as said earlier, i did it on my risk because i knew that it was time to buy a new graphics card and hence thought of why not giving it a try and running it till all its juices are finished. Also, doing such kind of things can temporarily suspend the warranty claim and hence it is always better to replace a card if it is giving some trouble if it is in warranty. So, you did a right thing, just wait for few days and you will obviously get a new card which will work good.