Lightning-damaged RTX 3070 boots again after Brother Zhang repair
Brother Zhang has posted another unusual graphics card repair.
The card came from a photo studio that was hit after a fault in the building’s lightning protection system. The affected unit was reportedly on the top floor, with the ground wire positioned too close to the lightning rod system. The incident damaged two desktop PCs, networking hardware, furniture and photography equipment.
The RTX 3070 arrived with heavy smoke damage. Its cooler and fans were deformed, and the PC itself had melted cables and carbonized residue around the motherboard area. After checking the card with a multimeter, Brother Zhang reportedly found no clear short circuits, which suggested that the GPU core may still be intact.
Source: Brother Zhang
The repair process involved what Chinese repair channels often call the “ boiling water method .” The card was cleaned in high-temperature water, treated with ultrasonic cleaning and then dried in a controlled-temperature oven. The method is used to remove carbon residue, smoke deposits and conductive particles from small gaps around components.
Source: Brother Zhang
After cleaning and drying, the card received a replacement heatsink and was powered on again. The RTX 3070 reportedly booted successfully. Brother Zhang said this kind of recovery is rare after a high-voltage event, and the card may have survived because the motherboard and power supply absorbed most of the surge.
Source: Brother Zhang
I mean this is ironic. This GeForce RTX 3070 survived a lightning strike and fire, while some GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 cards have been taken out by a small plastic power connector. They do not make graphics cards like they used to, or at least not the connectors.
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