Monitor/Video Card Help Please

Hi all - Having some issues with my Alienware M14x's display. My screen flickers in purples, greens, and other pukey looking colors and the v-sync appears to get all screwy. I've attached a screenshot (well a phone screenshot).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all and have a great day!

D

 

That's a mess, not sure if it's the GPU or screen failing or simply a loose connector, but I'd ask around in this section:

Alienware 14 and M14x Forum

They should be able to help you out, good luck!

 

I'll repost there. Thanks for the assist!

 

Hi all - Having some issues with my Alienware M14x's display. My screen flickers in purples, greens, and other pukey looking colors and the v-sync appears to get all screwy. I've attached a screenshot (well a phone screenshot).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all and have a great day!

D

 

Merged into AW. I would suspect a screen issue more than a GPU issue, but what does it look like on an external display?

 

Great question. I've been unable to generate the issue again running it through my TV via HDMI cable so far. It only happens every so often though so I'll keep testing to see if it happens.

 

Have you got a phone or tablet near the computer? My M17x screen does very funny things when I run my phone over the keyboard.

 

I usually keep my phone near me but I've had it fritz out like that without my phone around. Could it be related to dirt/dust buildup or overheating? I tend to run a cooling pad under it when I play games (though it freaks out sometimes when I'm just browsing...mainly in gmail for some reason).

 

Could be - i'm not sure about the 14's cooling system as I havent actually taken my 14 apart to see but I know the 11 gets blocked up very quickly and without regular maintenance can get very hot. If you have never cleaned it out i'd reckon it needs to be cleaned.

 

I reckon you're right cowpoke I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

1st of all since the problem does not occur on your tv (since HDMI uses the Nvidia GPU), and the Nvidia GPU is default disabled (only runs with specified programs), the problem is not your nvidia GPU, quite sure about that.

Now there might be a small chance if it's your on board intel GPU. But I would doubt it though. A small question regarding that. Have you seen the problem occur immediately when you boot? So when you see the boot option page and other booting text written in white on the black screen? Or does it start when the Alienware logo appears indication of "starting windows". Because then the GPU gets actually activated, if the problem exactly starts then it might be a GPU problem of the Intel HD graphics.

Otherwise, it seems like a failure of a stable connection of your monitor, since you say it only appears now and then. Or it indeed might be a problem of your monitor.
Anyway, it most likely is a hardware problem. So I recommend you to call costumer support and talk about the issue. Perhaps you can solve it on your own if it doesn't require a part of your computer to change. Since there are enough Alienware m14x teardown videos on youtube, you should be able to manage on your own.

But if it does require a part to be changed. I hope you still have warranty, otherwise reparations can get pricey.

 

OP - did you get any resolution to your problem? - as it is intermittent, and as an external source seems to be okay, I would hazard a good guess that you perhaps have a loose or intermittent LCD display cable/connection on the internal screen. You could try reseating the connection to see if that helps, otherwise, it might be time to call Dell.