Interesting. I did the same with a 6600GT and after that it was defect. I used a purchased can called dust off which is supposed to remove dust in computers. It does use compressed air and I noticed that it also cool parts and makes them wet in a way. Is this a coincidence or as I suspect that this cans can destroy the videocard?

I would recommend that as a rule you should never use compressed air from cans to clean your computer. This was no coincidence.

Hello> Sucking the dust with powerfull vacuum cleaner is the safest way.Please be very carefull doing this, there is truly a lot of static generated in a vac cleaner hose.

As long as the vacuum cleaner has a grounded plug (which they all do) and you don't actually touch any components with the tip of the vacuum cleaner, you have nothing to worry about. I work in a PC repair shop which uses a shop vac for cleaning computers and we've never had a computer suffer component failure because of using a vacuum.

As long as the vacuum cleaner has a grounded plug (which they all do) and you don't actually touch any components with the tip of the vacuum cleaner, you have nothing to worry about. I work in a PC repair shop which uses a shop vac for cleaning computers and we've never had a computer suffer component failure because of using a vacuum.

The grounded plug is for safety, it has nothing to do with ESD. When you are working in your shop I assume you have ESD mats and you and the computer are grounded when working on the equipment, that is why you have not experienced any failure do to vacuuming. However the average home user does not have that luxury. I would recommend leaving the computer plugged into the wall but turning the power switch to off, this way there is a direct path to ground so that static is readily dissipated, and do be careful.I am a bit surprised the compressed air damaged the computer, as I have used it for years and never had any problem with it.By the way my sisters boyfriend had his laptop fried from having in on the carpet and running the vacuum cleaner right next to it. The shop that repaired it said that was probably the cause, I concurred that it definitely could be the cause.

The grounded plug is for safety, it has nothing to do with ESD. When you are working in your shop I assume you have ESD mats and you and the computer are grounded when working on the equipment, that is why you have not experienced any failure do to vacuuming.

What's that old saying about assumptions? Often times we vacuum desktop PCs on the floor due to limitations of bench space (it's hard to have a giant Dell XPS tower fully opened on one's bench). Thousands of PCs serviced since 1990 - zero dead due to ESD.

Here's what I've learned over the years on PC cleaning and a few dollars I didn't have in replacement costs due to my errors (live and learn as they say):Ground yourself and the computer before touching internal components, especially if it's on a carpet. And keep the curious cat away from the open case (mine always show up when I have my case open and want to rub against it, excellent stuff). Also, wearing that big wool sweater is probably not the best thing because clothing that easily gets static can zap components - happens rarely, but it happens. Same reason they tell you to ground yourself when filling up at the gas station - chances are low, but consequences high. On the same vein, it's far better to clean during humid days than dry days, just because humidity will reduce the chance of static. It's actually hard to get a static discharge if you have one hand on the computer case, the other doing the cleaning.Air cans can sometimes damage the components because of the liquid that's in them that often comes out, especially when the can is full and not held up right. If your board was just running, the chemical capacitors that are hot can simply pop because of the freezing temperature of that liquid (thermal shock). Keep the air can a few inches away from the components, hold the can perfectly upright (can be hard to do) and wait for the computer to have a chance to cool down. The power regulators by the CPU are probably the hotest items on the board. I destroyed an ABIT board this way when a capacitor just blew up on me - my air can spilled some liquid on the capacitor and it went boom.I use both a vacuum and a regular airtool compressor to blow the dust bunnies out. I block fans from spinning using a toothpick (if behind a grate) or my finger (if I can reach them). This will prevent possible damage to the fan. I destroyed a small fan this way - it seems the larger fans don't care that much but the smaller ones do. Avoid touching any components with the vacuum, or sucking stuff out (mother board and disk drive jumpers are a favorite, and they are hard to find in the bag, let me tell you).In most cases, the only way to clean heatsinks, especially the ones with close fins, is with compressed air. Vacuums simply don't displace enough air in a small area to be effective there. 40 PSI is more than enough to do the job - no need to peel paint here.Clean outside if you can - I know this sounds silly, but the stuff you blow right out of your box will likely sucked right back in.I don't think there's a right way to do this and there are quite a few wrong ways :)Sorry about your board. It sounds to me like the fan in the card is toast and the fail-safe has kicked in. Not that you would want to try this, and this is a bit risky so be the judge of that, but I would verify the bad fan theory by doing the following:1) take the black case housing apart and disconnect the 3 prong fan connector. The screws are on the back of the board (at least on mine).2) use another case fan or a vacuum to move air through the heat sink before you try to boot (that chip gets really hot really fast) - you need cooling, even at idle.3) see if the computer boots with the video card fan disconnected. If it does, the fan is toast. If it doesn't, it's a different problem.Hope this helps.

For anybody who's interested: I got my replacement card from TigerDirect and it exhibits the same behavior!!! May be a bad line of cards from Sapphire as the S/N's are only about 30 numbers apart. It obviously wasn't the short blast of compressed air I gave it! I've update my BIOS, chipsets, even put my old E8500 CPU back in, and no joy from the 5870. I have now ordered a VisionTek which will be here on Tuesday and will report back what I find out.This has turned out to be a great thread on cleaning. IMHO, I wouldn't recommend compressed air on a completely encased video card like the 5870, and I would NEVER use a normal floor vacuum on a high performance computer -- EVER!

If you've replaced the card and it still doesn't work, the problem is clearly NOT the card. You likely have a motherboard or RAM issue. Remove all of your memory modules but one and see if the system displays video then.

Normally you might think so except that, as I said before, I'm running a 4870 just fine in the same slot. Remember the computer completely boots, but no video, no POST screens, no VGA, nothing.

Still doesn't mean the problem is with the card. The 5870 has higher power draw than the 4870, could be your PSU.Could also be an incompatibility with the motherboard. Try updating the BIOS. Lots of 5870 users with problems have found doing so has fixed said problems. No guarantee it will work for you, but it's worth a shot.

I did all that, as noted in my previous post as well, thanks.

I see the BIOS flash now. Did you try another PSU, or try the card in another system?

I see the BIOS flash now. Did you try another PSU, or try the card in another system?

The card won't fit in any of my other systems and the PSU is fine. Besides, the 5870 ran fine with my E8500 for almost 3 months and now it won't display with my E8600 or 8500 in there. It's obvious that it's some sort of compatibility or VGA BIOS issue that has just receintly developed. I guess the only thing left I can do now is wait and see if the Visiontek card exhibits the same behavior. If that's the case, I'll probably just send all 3 cards back, or consider upgrading my MoBo. If not and the Visiontek works fine, I know something is wrong with the Sapphire chips, eh?

The vendor is irrelevant. All ATi graphics cards are manufactured by PC Partner, the company which owns Sapphire.

The vendor is irrelevant.

That is NOT true. All chips/cards/components are NOT created equal -- And I do not wish to debate it ad nauseum with you -- I have a problem here, and I'll know for sure on Tuesday what my options are.

I wish you the best of luck in getting your problem resolved, but must restate my belief that your problem lies elsewhere. As for all chips not being equal, I'll agree with you in the strictest literal sense but in this case one HD 5870 is the same as any other, except for the sticker on the fan shroud and the warranty that comes with the brand.