Soldering Up Challenge S1E4 — MSI RTX 3080

Summary

The presenter repairs an MSI RTX 3080 that had seemed functional after an earlier repair but stopped displaying a signal the day after it was sold. When the card was returned, it showed no display, was not properly detected, and its fans ran at full speed.

Diagnosis and repair

• Initial resistance, voltage, oscilloscope, and thermal-camera checks appeared normal. The presenter also checked the PCIe data and clock connections and the PEX reset signal. These checks suggested a possible GPU-core BGA problem.
• The core was reballed, but memory tests still failed. Suspecting the BIOS, the presenter replaced the eight-pin BIOS chip and flashed a new BIOS. The card then passed one test without errors but still had no display.
• Further voltage checks with the card installed in a PC revealed the underlying problem: the core voltage was missing because the core was shorted. The board had warped into a dome shape, causing solder balls beneath the core to bridge. The uneven board also explained poor connections near the core and BIOS chip.
• Rather than attempt repeated reballing and board-flattening on the warped PCB, the presenter transferred the chips to a donor board. After checking the connections and flashing the BIOS, the card produced an image.

Testing and key takeaways

The repaired card passed a quick Unigine Heaven check without visible artifacts, followed by tests in 3DMark, Unigine Superposition, and Black Myth: Wukong.

The presenter notes that a card that works after being purchased as broken may still have an intermittent or unresolved fault. They also point out that powering a newly reballed card from a bench supply and verifying all voltages could have exposed the short sooner.

The video includes a practical repair walkthrough covering continuity and diode-mode checks, BIOS-chip replacement with a soldering iron, BIOS flashing, core reballing, and post-repair testing. The presenter cautions that the modified NVFlash tool used can flash incompatible Nvidia BIOS files, so it may cause problems if used without care.

Main speaker/source: The video’s presenter and repair technician from the Blighted Agent channel. The buyer is mentioned but does not provide the repair commentary.