Questions about *dying* video card G73jh

I will start off by saying I really don't know all that much about computer hardware so if there is an obvious answer here, sorry I missed it.

I think my video card is dying. It started as weird colors and blocks on the black Asus screen during the PC turning on and eventually these little colored blocks started showing up on my desktop, there are about 100 of them in the bottom right of my screen as I type this. They do go away if I move the window or something but always come back. I didn't know what this meant at the time and didn't really try to find out until it started spreading to games, which as of now has made several of them unplayable.

Basically what I am actually trying to figure out is once the card fully dies, or fully does whatever happens in these situations, is the computer going to be unusable? I have online college classes starting again on the 7th and I am in no position to get another computer. I don't think I can return this one, I've had it several years. If the computer is unusable without the card, is there a way to replace the video card in a g73jh? Do I have any other options?

 

Welcome to the forum, just to rule out a bad LCD panel hook up your laptop to an external monitor or TV and see if the issue persists.

 

Thanks for the reply! I tried a different monitor, same problems on the desktop and in a game.

 

If it totally dies (no image on your screen) yes the card can be replaced BTOtech.com | G73Jh & G73Jw & G73Sw Disassembly Take Apart G73 g73jw service manual - YouTube ; but it may be hard to find a workable 5870M for the G73 due to its "custom connector" ... Experts here have made a 6970M work in the G73JH http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...um/641007-g73jh-6970m-upgrade-infomation.html

 

Ah alright, so video card dead = big paper weight. Well I am very glad to hear the card can be replaced, ebay had one or two and puts it somewhere between 50-250$ which is doable if the only other option is nothing lol. I really appreciate the help, thank you very much JOSEA!

 

You're actually more in luck than most people out there since your computer has a dedicated video card separate from the motherboard. Most laptops die from heat breaking the solder balls under the graphics processor, a lot of those laptops have integrated graphics. Since you have a dedicated graphics card you can either replace it or send out the card for reballing.

If you're interested you can read up on the subject -------------> Click Here
if not then just get a new graphics card and make sure to keep the computer clean. Dust is the enemy.

 

^^^ good points, and good luck Panda2142, I stand corrected see Tijo's post for correct info

 

The JH's card isn't reverse MXM, the connector has the same pin layout as the standard MXM, the G73s are an exception in that the pin layout is not reversed, but the cards still have a messed up form factor compared to standard MXM. If it was a reverse MXM like the G51, the 6970m and 7970m wouldn't work at all.

 

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

So I was not aware about the MXM pin/reverse issue. To be honest I don't even know what that is. I found this one on eBay, ATI Mobility Radeon 109 B96031 00D HD5870 Video Card GPU 700 MHz 1 GB Memory | eBay does that one have appropriate MXM pins?

 

You can also get the unit serviced by Asus even if it's Out of Warranty. You'll wind up paying for the parts + $65 labor + shipping.

 

Just going to leave this here, might help someone else?

I took the card out and removed the heatsink, cleaned it of thermal paste and stickers/plastic and popped it in the oven at 385 for 8 minutes. I balanced the corners on little tin foil balls so it wasn't touching anything inside. I re-pasted it and put it all back together and I have no more issues. Three start-ups in a row without artifacts, nothing on my desktop and I played a game that never didn't have the problems and it has none.

Thanks a lot Josea, I couldn't have done it without that BTOtech guide to disassembly you linked!

 

What you did is called a poor mans reflow, i hope you didn't put it in the oven that you cook food in since solder fumes are toxic. From experience this repair is not going to last very long, the solder probably has oxidized points or corrosion somewhere in the bga. This is the reason we use reflow flux, to help clean the bga pads and help the solder flow correctly. With enough heat you can fix the connection from the gpu to the board, but you still probably have small cracks in the bga.

When the issue comes back look into a reflow or reball. Actually you could probably buy the flux and reflow the card yourself (again in your oven) since you've done it already. Flux makes all the difference in the world and it's relatively cheap.

Here's a link to the right flux for you if you decide to attempt a repair once the problem comes back.
Kester 951 No Clean Flux for PS3 Xbox Reflow 1 25oz | eBay

I'm sorry i didn't give you this information before you attempted the repair.

Edit: Here is a video of how and why a reflow works http://youtu.be/T_KHCzGaPnc

 

Hah, that's me, the poor man.

How long do you figure this lasts? I found a lot of people saying it works but none saying how long it lasted for them. I'm not looking for this to last forever, but school was starting and class refund cutoff was the 15th. I figured I would rather have no PC and not lose a couple grand in financial aid than chance it dying a month into classes, which is why I did it. Just trying to hold out until I can get a cheap laptop for school work, 2-3 months maybe?

 

Yeah probably a couple months, but if you look at that link to the flux i posted you could buy that and do the poor mans reflow again. It would turn out better than the first reflow. Like i said flux makes all the difference.

 

Oh, I will most definitely be looking into flux. Thank you a lot for all the help you've provided me.

 

Your welcome, if you need anything let me know.

 

i have this problem sounds like yours http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/705028-can-anyone-fix-please.html#post9044372