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Re: GIMP - Failed to create thumbnail folder '/home/tahr/.thumbnails/normal'
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Adam
Aug 21, 2017, 3:30:56 PM8/21/17
to
On Mon, 21 Aug 2017 10:52:38 -0400, Paul wrote:
> Adam wrote:
>
>>
>> On to another problem encountered today. I started up the system and
>> it froze. So, I tried starting again. It got a little further and the
>> screen looked like a mosaic for a few seconds. Does that mean my video
>> card is near the EOL ?
>
> Inspect video card while system is powered.
> Is the fan spinning ?
>
> Pull video card with system powered off and inspect.
> Is the heatsink clean enough for air movement ?
> Does the fan move freely with finger access ?
>
> If the fan fails, some plastic fan shrouds start to melt from the heat.
> And the over-temperature is what makes video fail. Once the GPU spends a
> while at 200C, that'll finish it off. The heatsink delays the approach
> to high temperature, but on ones with the smaller heatsinks, they can
> get pretty hot, and (apparently) hot enough to melt the plastic. I've
> not had one fail like that here yet.
>
> Video can also fail due to solder joint failures.
> Some models of video cards are known for this, and if you use a search
> engine on the model number, you'll find reports of it. NVidia had a
> series of GPUs where the underfill was an issue and there was too much
> stress on things. The Easy Bake Oven method was used to repair those
> (amateurs using their toaster ovens, to attempt repair). A really
> horrible method, but you cannot fault them for trying. Some Easy Bake
> Oven repair attempts, only last a month or two.
>
> *******
>
> You can boot with a Linux LiveCD, for a second opinion on the hardware.
> That's to eliminate a recently downloaded update as the cause.
>
> *******
>
> I've not tried lm_sensors based stuff lately, but in principle, the
> video card has a thermal sensor,
> and is capable of temperature readout. Which is another way of
> determining whether the video card cooling is working.
>
> I have a couple fanless ("gutless") video cards,
> and those are relying on air movement within the computer case. One is
> unconditionally stable. The other one will crash the computer, if the
> video card is called on in such a way as to be "flat out".
> So you could also have a fanless card for all I know,
> and as demonstrated by mine, the card could be marginal right out of the
> box. I have since taken to mounting an 80mm fan next to such things and
> then there are no more problems.
>
> The thermal paste on the heatsink can dry out and the GPU may not be
> making good contact any more (this might make the GPU 10C hotter than it
> used to be). So that's another possibility. On the fan-equipped card on
> this computer, I took it apart about a year ago, removed the four screws
> on the heatsink, and (carefully) re-did the paste with some Arctic
> Silver. The card still works,
> so I didn't manage to ruin it. The trick on that card was to:
>
> 1) Prepare GPU, putting a grain of paste on it.
> 2) Place fan cooler assembly face-down on table.
> 3) Lower video card on top of it, being careful (use
> flashlight), to precisely align holes in the card, with holes in
> heatsink.
> 4) Insert two screws on one diagonal. Tighten finger-tight.
> Use the holes on the second diagonal to check alignment as you work.
> 5) Install second set of screws on the other diagonal.
> The screws can be spring loaded. The objective is, to *not* slide
> the two parts of the assembly all over the place, wiping off the
> paste in the process.
>
> At first I was worried I wouldn't get it back together again properly,
> but the process went off without a hitch. Just lucky I guess.
>
> *******
>
> There aren't a lot of nice solutions for video card testing. Not in my
> opinion. I wish we could tell it was really broken. The Linux LiveCD
> test should be a start at determining basic health.
>
> Paul
Thanks (Guru Paul), just wanted to give a quick response until I have
more time to troubleshoot.
I probably should start looking for a backup video card. Any
recommendations ?
Current video card is...
=========================================================================
Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 Video Card - 1024MB, GDDR5, PCIe, mini-
Display Port, HDMI, Dual DVI (A271-6850)
=========================================================================
Also, I have added newsgroup alt.comp.periphs.videocards.ati.
> Adam wrote:
>
>>
>> On to another problem encountered today. I started up the system and
>> it froze. So, I tried starting again. It got a little further and the
>> screen looked like a mosaic for a few seconds. Does that mean my video
>> card is near the EOL ?
>
> Inspect video card while system is powered.
> Is the fan spinning ?
>
> Pull video card with system powered off and inspect.
> Is the heatsink clean enough for air movement ?
> Does the fan move freely with finger access ?
>
> If the fan fails, some plastic fan shrouds start to melt from the heat.
> And the over-temperature is what makes video fail. Once the GPU spends a
> while at 200C, that'll finish it off. The heatsink delays the approach
> to high temperature, but on ones with the smaller heatsinks, they can
> get pretty hot, and (apparently) hot enough to melt the plastic. I've
> not had one fail like that here yet.
>
> Video can also fail due to solder joint failures.
> Some models of video cards are known for this, and if you use a search
> engine on the model number, you'll find reports of it. NVidia had a
> series of GPUs where the underfill was an issue and there was too much
> stress on things. The Easy Bake Oven method was used to repair those
> (amateurs using their toaster ovens, to attempt repair). A really
> horrible method, but you cannot fault them for trying. Some Easy Bake
> Oven repair attempts, only last a month or two.
>
> *******
>
> You can boot with a Linux LiveCD, for a second opinion on the hardware.
> That's to eliminate a recently downloaded update as the cause.
>
> *******
>
> I've not tried lm_sensors based stuff lately, but in principle, the
> video card has a thermal sensor,
> and is capable of temperature readout. Which is another way of
> determining whether the video card cooling is working.
>
> I have a couple fanless ("gutless") video cards,
> and those are relying on air movement within the computer case. One is
> unconditionally stable. The other one will crash the computer, if the
> video card is called on in such a way as to be "flat out".
> So you could also have a fanless card for all I know,
> and as demonstrated by mine, the card could be marginal right out of the
> box. I have since taken to mounting an 80mm fan next to such things and
> then there are no more problems.
>
> The thermal paste on the heatsink can dry out and the GPU may not be
> making good contact any more (this might make the GPU 10C hotter than it
> used to be). So that's another possibility. On the fan-equipped card on
> this computer, I took it apart about a year ago, removed the four screws
> on the heatsink, and (carefully) re-did the paste with some Arctic
> Silver. The card still works,
> so I didn't manage to ruin it. The trick on that card was to:
>
> 1) Prepare GPU, putting a grain of paste on it.
> 2) Place fan cooler assembly face-down on table.
> 3) Lower video card on top of it, being careful (use
> flashlight), to precisely align holes in the card, with holes in
> heatsink.
> 4) Insert two screws on one diagonal. Tighten finger-tight.
> Use the holes on the second diagonal to check alignment as you work.
> 5) Install second set of screws on the other diagonal.
> The screws can be spring loaded. The objective is, to *not* slide
> the two parts of the assembly all over the place, wiping off the
> paste in the process.
>
> At first I was worried I wouldn't get it back together again properly,
> but the process went off without a hitch. Just lucky I guess.
>
> *******
>
> There aren't a lot of nice solutions for video card testing. Not in my
> opinion. I wish we could tell it was really broken. The Linux LiveCD
> test should be a start at determining basic health.
>
> Paul
Thanks (Guru Paul), just wanted to give a quick response until I have
more time to troubleshoot.
I probably should start looking for a backup video card. Any
recommendations ?
Current video card is...
=========================================================================
Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 Video Card - 1024MB, GDDR5, PCIe, mini-
Display Port, HDMI, Dual DVI (A271-6850)
=========================================================================
Also, I have added newsgroup alt.comp.periphs.videocards.ati.
Paul
Aug 21, 2017, 4:45:13 PM8/21/17
to
sort by ratings ? That ought to uncover something
a bit more trouble-free.
My video card reference sites are dead, so that's about
the best I can do now.
When you go with low-end cards, they can be one or two generations
behind in terms of feature sets. Yet, if you buy the expensive
stuff, you're not likely to get a lot of value from it. A Vega for
$500 with liquid cooling, would be a nice hood ornament, but that's
about it. Probably screaming OpenCL performance. But codes that
run on video cards, practical OpenCL codes, don't get that large
of an acceleration factor.
Paul
Adam
Aug 22, 2017, 2:56:18 PM8/22/17
to
On Mon, 21 Aug 2017 16:45:14 -0400, Paul wrote:
> Adam wrote:
>> [quoted text muted]
> Adam wrote:
>
> Scan Newegg, click the selector for AMD cards, then sort by ratings ?
> That ought to uncover something a bit more trouble-free.
>
> My video card reference sites are dead, so that's about the best I can
> do now.
>
> When you go with low-end cards, they can be one or two generations
> behind in terms of feature sets. Yet, if you buy the expensive stuff,
> you're not likely to get a lot of value from it. A Vega for
Thanks (Guru Paul), I don't need expensive bleeding edge technology since
> Scan Newegg, click the selector for AMD cards, then sort by ratings ?
> That ought to uncover something a bit more trouble-free.
>
> My video card reference sites are dead, so that's about the best I can
> do now.
>
> When you go with low-end cards, they can be one or two generations
> behind in terms of feature sets. Yet, if you buy the expensive stuff,
> you're not likely to get a lot of value from it. A Vega for
I'm not a gamer. But, I do prefer quality, good performance and price.
Something better than my current AMD video card with DisplayPort/HDMI/DVI-
D is what I'm looking for.
How about brand ? Sapphire vs Gigabyte vs EVGA vs MSI vs other ?
Who makes the best AMD cards ?
BTW, I removed the video card. It had some (not too much) dust so
I blasted the dust out with compressed air as best I can. The fan spins
nicely when hit by compressed air. If that doesn't improve things,
I'll try removing the heatsink and redoing the thermal paste.
Paul
Aug 22, 2017, 3:39:26 PM8/22/17
to
Adam wrote:
>
> How about brand ? Sapphire vs Gigabyte vs EVGA vs MSI vs other ?
> Who makes the best AMD cards ?
I prefer to use the Newegg customer reviews, because those
>
> How about brand ? Sapphire vs Gigabyte vs EVGA vs MSI vs other ?
> Who makes the best AMD cards ?
reviews are for actual product, and they tell you what
the quality is like *today*.
Brand means nothing, in a competitive environment. Anyone
can have an off-day and make crap.
Sapphire used to do contract manufacturing for ATI. When
you saw "ATI branded" video cards at the store, they
were made by Sapphire. But that doesn't mean much now.
I would think any of those companies could make a good
video card. Check the reviews.
Paul
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