Asus G72GX...GPU going bad?

Got my G72 a few weeks ago...been loving it! However, it would appear as though the GPU is going bad. In games it seems to be doing fine, however, lately its been artifacting on the desktop (nothing too major, little icons here and there) and also when I scroll down pages in my web browser the screen for a split second will flash what looks like a purple and black checker board...

Laptop has no heat issues and has been on a cooling pad its whole life, so heats not an issue here.

Is my GPU going bad? Anyone here from Asus and can help with a RMA? All Ive heard from them are horror stories and would like this to be a quick and painless as possible all things considered.

If anyone can help or has any tips Id like the hear them! Thanks!

 

Wow...soon after writing this the fullscreen split second artifacting has increased tremendously! Its happening on its own now, with nothing going on...just happens!

Any RMA tips as now it apparent there is obviously something afoot here?

I hope I dont get screwed...thats what Im worried about...Ive heard of people getting back refurbished units that were more problamatic than the one they sent in and also getting back units that were in pretty bad shape. Well, not from RMA's, but my best friend recently got a refurbed G71 and it was just plain nasty...food crumbs in the keyboard, a cracked palm rest, bad screen...just dont want to have to play cat and mouse for months to get mine fixed or replaced with junk...

 

I'd ask for an actual exchange for a new unit if at all possible. If it's only been a few weeks then such a request is more than reasonable. A refurbished unit to replace a new one is unacceptable.

 

Well, I must add that the unit is not THAT new. I bought it used off of Craigslist in like-new condition. And this is true. The guy was very honest and said that he hadnt used it much. He bought it (November 2009) for gaming but very soon there after his girl bought him a 360 and PS3...so he used it for all of like a week or so. How do I know he isnt lying? You should have seen the laptop when I first got it. If it had been repackage as new I would not have been able to tell it was used. Not a scratch, fingerprint, smudge...nothing...was in PERFECT condition...not only that but a quick registry sweep showed that the only game he had on it was Splinter Cell and thats it...and the laptop worked perfectly up until rather recently...dont know what could have caused it, but for these types of things theres not always a reason...sometime stuff just messes up lol!

Anyways, Im going to call them tomorrow to initiate the RMA process...a new laptop would be nice, and I know they have plenty of G72's as well...which is kinda a shame cause getting a new G73 as replacement would be quite nice :-D

 

Has it been registered?

The RMA process is painless. My friend's G50vt-X6 (my old machine) had a faulty GPU, and the GPU was replaced within a week.

Where did the original owner get the G72 from?

 

It was originally bought from Best Buy...well, it was a trade in for a MacBook Pro he had before...I even have a recopy of the receipt from said Best Buy.

Laptop to my knowledge has not been registered...how big of a difference in the RMA process does this have?

 

Hmm. The problem is that Worst Buy doesn't give the Asus 2+1 warranty; warranty is done through the store.

My advice would be to talk to Asus themselves. You would still be able to get it repaired through them, but it might cost you.

 

ok...JUST got off the phone with them...not too clear on what you meant Forge? I called them gave them all the info pertaining to the issue and when and where the laptop was bought (they had it in their system) and I had no problems getting a RMA number and what not...even got a shipping label as well...so it would appear that I need not go through Best Buy for repair and all that.

 

Yeah, you may be surprised when you get billed for the repair, or maybe not. I know sometimes you can register asus BB laptops for ADW even though technically you shouldn't be able to ... and sometimes you can't register a regular re-seller asus laptop for extended service because they claim it was a BB model (Had both happen ... wouldn't register my n10j, but registered my brothers g50/51(?) awhile back)

 

Well, that's good then, Android. Justto be sure, shoot them an email or call them to make sure you're not going to get billed for it. One of the reasons the Worst Buy Asus laptops are cheaper is that they don't carry the warranty.

 

Had NO idea I could be charged...figured it was covered under warranty...in fact, the guy asked me if I took it to Best Buy and told him I did but that they were going to charge me an arm and a leg and he said something about it still being under warranty...so who is under warranty for? Best Buy or Asus? I already got RMA number and shipping label from Asus...should I call Best Buy and make sure they did what they should have done? The guy at Asus said NOTHING about me possibly being billed and said that I was still under warranty and all that...

So what now? Send back to Asus or call and varify that Best Buy shouldn't be taking care of this for free? Im guessing the warranty is under Asus and not Best Buy as Im sure the guy at Asus would have said something, right?

 

I honestly don't know. The RMA I dealt with was with a Newegg-bought computer, which came with the full warranty. I haven't had to RMA my G51vx-RX05.

 

Ask yourself this question, do you really want the BB Geek Squirts working on your Laptop?

I'd call ASUS back and find out for sure that the repair is going to be free of charge.

 

ok...I got the laptop mailed off today...we'll see what happens...heres hoping to a smooth RMA!!!

 

Keep us posted. I have a Worst Buy bought computer, so I've always wondered how warranty would affect me.

 

Wow...called them today (well yesterday, since its 4AM now LOL) and according to the RMA person on the phone, the laptop had been repaired with a new GPU and was being sent via Fedex that same day. WOW...I was really expecting some hell on this...why? Well, for one I had broke and removed the "WARRANTY VOID" sticker on the CPU heatsink (which I was ready to deny LOL) and the fact that the laptop is indeed (as confirmed by phone from Best Buy) as not actually covered via Asus's warranty and RMA department.

I got nothing...although the customer service wasnt the must professional (got a few robot type people) but hey, problem fixed with NO fuss and VERY quickly at that! I am truly impressed...has Asus gotten better with RMA's lately or am I just one of the lucky ones???

 

Perhaps.

It also probably helped that they had the part in stock. But, don't jinx it, you don't have it in your hand yet. You'll need three chickens, baking soda and a quart of vinegar.

Congratulations on the quick turn-around.

 

I would say you are very lucky considering you voided the warranty and you weren't the original owner. But I'd wait to see what you get back first. Hopefully the replacement will solve the issue you were experiencing.

 

Yeah, I did ask the woman on the phone and she said that they did indeed completely replace the GPU and they are NOT sending me a refurbished or recertified unit. Which just sucks cause they didnt restore the OS so I deleted all personal data (not much there) and also deleted all the games I had on the hard drive...which were like 15 games, a lot Steam downloads :-(

Oh well, we'll see how good the RMA was after it gets here...Im just saying though that they did fix it quite fast and efficiently!

 

Well, got my laptop back yesterday. AWESOME. Fixed the GPU, laptop is in perfect condition loving it! Asus RMA came through with flying colors!

ONLY issue I have is that they sent it back to me in the box I sent it in with. Same packaging materials and everything minus some packaging materials (foam and foam peanuts)...actually kinda surprised it came back OK and not broken...meh, it made it and it works, they just need to work on their return packaging a little more...in either case though its fine.

Also kinda ticked off that they didnt reformat the drive and reinstall Windows after they told me they would...so I deleted all my games and personal info for no reason and now have to reinstall everything, and I had about 15 games installed and some saved games...

Again though, in either case, its fixed!

 

Sounds like all in all, you had a good experience with ASUS. Nice to hear something positive once in awhile.

 

Also, another thing that irked me too was that they put in the electrical wire for the back-lit keyboard in upside down. I had to pop the keyboard off and re-do it...kinda weird that you have people that can replace the GPU but cant put it all back together correctly...hopefully Im not missing any screws somewhere :s

Either case, its fixed now and it was ZERO hassle, something that A LOT of people dont get, so its all good, no biggie!