Replacing Geforce 8400m GS GPU on a Vostro 1400?

So I have a broken Nvidia Geforce 8400m GS GPU on my Vostro 1400 out-of-warranty (even with Nvidia extension) laptop and Dell wants $240 to repair it.

That money could probably go to a new laptop, but I was still wondering if there was a way I could go for a do-it-yourself repair. How would I go about replacing the GPU? Is there a guide for this somewhere I could look for?

I'm guessing I will need to order a replacement motherboard from Dell to do this, but I'd rather attempt repairing the laptop on my own rather than send it to Dell's out-of-warranty repair depot. I've taken apart PCs before, but have never taken apart a laptop.

Thanks for any help.

 

Yes, you will need to replace the motherboard to replace the GPU.

Dell has service manuals for all of it's notebooks, and the Vostro 1400 is no exceptions. The service manual will detail removing and replacing the motherboard:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/vos1400/en/index.htm

It looks like a working motherboard will run you close to $200 on eBay, though, so it may not be worthwhile... you can also use Inspiron 1420 motherboards; they are a little cheaper.

 

I've been able to find some refurbished motherboards for sub-200, ranging from $140-175. I'm still thinking of buying one and trying my hand at replacing the motherboard.

I was thinking of getting an Intel video board, but it seems those are different than the Nvidia motherboards (missing some usb card extension), so it looks like I'll have to get another Nvidia board.

 

There's no usb card extension missing in Intel mobo.
The only difference is the fan assembly.

Why don't you try to bake it to make it back alive?

 

If the only difference is fan assembly, could I replace my nvidia board with an intel graphics motherboard? Is it as simple as just swapping the motherboards, or is there more to it?

I don't really want to bake the motherboard because it sounds like a temporary fix that means the problem will probably come back anyways.

 

The part number for the fan for the Intel motherboard is YY529 and should be available through Dell Spare Parts if needed.

I would go with the Dell repair for $240. That would involve replacing the motherboard and would have at least a 90 day warranty.

 

I'd put the $240 into a new notebook.

 

I have put the $240 into a new sub-notebook that's fairly more mobile than my bulky Vostro 1400. However I still would like to fix the Vostro 1400 if the price isn't too steep (like under $150) because all the other parts of the laptop are fine except for the GPU, and it seems like a waste for the laptop to become a large paperweight because of it.

Is it too complicated a process to replaced my Nvidia board with an Intel one? Should I get a replacement Nvidia board (provided I can find one for under $150)?

I haven't replaced a laptop motherboard before (although I've taken a part PCs before), but I'm willing to try it out now that I've looked at the service manual.

 

If the layout of external ports on an Intel motherboard are the *same* as the nVidia version, then I'm somewhat certain that a swap is possible like that. I'd be a bit worried about the internal layout too (i.e. maybe the LCD connector is in a different location, or the processor in a different location, whatever). If it all appears to match up there's a good chance you can do this.

I wouldn't put any money in a self-motherboard repair that involves no warranty and has one of those nVidia GPUs on it. An Intel motherboard might be a different story. Maybe you can hunt down an Intel equipped Vostro 1400 on eBay that is being sold for parts?

 

I'm unsure if the external ports are exactly the same (does the intel have S-Video?). Is there some way I could find out?