E1705 video problems, new VGA card? (Pics, 56K grab a coffee)

I was just given (free!!!) an Inspiron E1705 -- 2.16Ghz core2, I'm putting 2GB ram in for $40, have a spare 320GB disk laying around, even came with a power supply. The original owner had video problems with it within months of purchasing, and rather than going after the warranty, simply shelved it an bought a new one (!). So basically I am looking at a barely used notebook that does 1920x1200 on a 17" screen -- free! Needless to say I'd like to put a few buck in it and make it work.

Here's the problem:













I've done a little research and it seems like artifacts aren't terribly uncommon on this model, and most have said its fixed with a new video card. Trouble is, the only one on Ebay ($40) also has artifacts as per the seller, and the online retailers want up to $536 (not a typo) for one. Really?

Any idea if, first of all, based on the pics, the problem is, in fact, the video card?

If so, any idea where I can get a (preferably) 7900 as a replacement? Failing that, any alternative cards that may work? It'd be a shame to let this system go unused, but I can't justify $200-500 for a new card when the exact same model notebooks are going for $200-500!

Thanks!!!

 

If those artifacts show up on an external display... then yeah, it's almost certainly a GPU problem. You can try reseating the GPU and seeing if that helps, but I bet it needs to be replaced. I think you can get like a cheaper X1600 or something for the E1705, but it's still $100+ on eBay, etc.

You could try baking your GPU, but might render the GPU totally unusable (as it's still limping along now), so try at your own risk.

EDIT: The cheapest card is an X1400, and that still costs almost $200

 

Baking the GPU? Can you explain that? How is it done, and with what purpose in mind?

And yeah, display is messy on an external display as well, so the video card has definetely gotta go.

 

OK. Found a bunch of threads on baking. Cool.

Its a 7900... Heatsink/pipe on one side, etc.

Question is, we are baking to re-flow and potentially broken solder connections, right? Do I need to bake with each side facing up, ie, since there are surface mount components on both sides of the breadboard, does each side need to be facing up at some points to let gravity do its thing?

Anything on this card that needs to come off prior to me baking it (heat sink, pipe, stickers, etc)?

Thanks.

 

Put the GPU side face up and make sure you don't overheat/overbake it. Otherwise, it's probably best if you can strip the card down the PCB, but the heatsink assembly should be able to survive the bake.

 

Bake it! I did it and so far it seems that my video card problems are resolved. I was skeptical at first...but do this:

1) remove card
2) use cookie sheet with aluminum foil
3) create 5 equally sized foil balls
4) place card on 4 balls, with the 5th ball supporting the heatsink
* turn card upside down
5) preheat oven to 400 degrees F
6) place cookie sheet with card on it in for 10 minutes
7) remove from oven and check placement of the heatsink
* these usually come unattached during baking
8) use oven mit and tongs to turn card over and re-seat the heatsink
9) allow to cool for 20-30 minutes
10) check to see if heatsink has re-settled and is stuck to card
** if not, purchase some decent thermal paste and use that
11) re-install card in computer and test (you don't need to screw in everything to do this...just re-attach keyboard cable and other cables , hook up your monitor to the connector, and boot (white button).
If this works you are probably golden; if not try again later and check the results.


BTW: If this doesn't work and you want to replace your graphics card, just know that the ATI X1400 is rated at ~140 while the Nvidia is rated ~440 on the Passmark benchmarks...so you'd be giving up a lot of power for the $30-$100 difference in price on eBay.

Oh. BTW: Once you've done all of this, don't forget to TURN OFF YOUR LAPTOP in the future so it doesn't overheat at night. Closing the lid into standby mode for long periods seems to cause this problem with the cards.

 

I baked mine twice now and it worked both times. However, as the frequency suggests, it doesn't work forever. Sooner or later it breaks again.