Dark Vertical Band across Screen

Just recently (about the same time I installed the latest Nvidia drivers), a dark band has appeared on the right side of my screen. It goes from top to bottom, and is hard to notice on some black/white backgrounds. However, it seems to be getting worse and is more and more noticeable.

It's weird, because if the background is white or black, the band is almost not noticeable at all, but if it is a color (or even slightly off-white), it becomes very noticeable. Anything in the band is discolored/distorted.

When I take a screenshot, the black band does not show. This seems to be indicative of a hardware problem.

I tried clean installing the old drivers, but the problem persists.

Here is an example image (I created it in Paint.NET to demonstrate what is going on):

It's even worse in a web browser, covering everything from top to bottom.

Is my graphics card dying? Not sure what to do at this point.
Asus G51vx-rx05 with GTX 260M


I'm thinking of getting a cheap netbook along with a moderate gaming desktop if I get get enough money.

Think I can get a decent gaming rig for under $1000 (preferably through newegg or something similar)? Should I try to hold out until the Sandy Bridge processors become more mainstream?

 

this may be a known problem.

i recieved my brand new N73JQ last week, unpacked it and got the same dark band as you although not as wide. same location though. i didn't change any settings, just repacked it and called asus support. they picked it up free the next morning via fedex and is now being repaired.

i indicated i preferred a replacement since the unit is less than an hour old but i think they are going to repair it instead.

Pluberus, have you tried outputting a video signal through the HDMI to see if you get the same thing on an external monitor or TV?

i will publish the repair report if i get one.

 

It is a refurbished laptop that I got months ago so I doubt I'll get any support/refund/repair.

I don't have a cable to test the HDMI or VGA outputs, but I'm pretty sure those would work fine. I'm 99% sure its a hardware problem with the monitor/graphics card, just wondering if there is anything I can do.

When I take a screenshot via Prt Sc, the band does not show up at all.

Thanks for the reply. +Rep.

 

Most refurbs have a 90 day asus warranty

 

I bought mine more than a year ago I think.

 

If it doesn't show up on a screenshot, this is probably not a GPU problem, but an issue with your LVDS cable or connector. You can check out the G50 series disassembly guide and take off the left hinge cover to access the motherboard side of the connection. Press down on it a bit to make sure it's snug, and see if it makes a difference. If that doesn't work, it could be the other side of the LVDS cable at the LCD, or the LCD itself. The disassembly for the G50 and G51 is almost exactly the same.

Worst case you either need a new display cable or LCD, unless it's the motherboard side of the connection that's gone bad (which is unlikely).

 

I checked both cables, but nothing seems to be wrong. Pretty sure the LCD is the problem.

Thanks for your help.

 

ASUS stated that there were no parts available to fix the display problem on my N73 so they sent me a new replacement instead after 2 weeks.

they never said if it was the screen/card/connection....

so nothing to report.