Has my GPU failed me?

Yesterday when i was playing CSS on my computer (specs will be listed shortly), my game suddenly froze up and i started seeing a bunch of different colored pixels on my screen.

I then had to manually shut off my comp since it wasnt responding.

Today i installed new drivers and my laptop was running fine but about 1hour into play my GPU had the same problem, but this time my comp booted with blue vertical lines across my screen.

These lines come and go with booting (like for example now, i dont have it).

This is def not normal so im wondering if my card is about to die?

Have had this computer for about 2.5years.

Sony FZ290
CPU: 2.4 Ghz Centrino Duo Core
GPU: 8400M GT DDR3
RAM: 2GB DDR2

 

sounds like the video card is dying. happened to my 8600M GT on my Sager NP2090. A manufacturing defect in the 8 series is to blame. it's inevitable but eventually the card will stop working altogether. it's life can be prolonged if you avoid playing games or doing anything that increases power demand for the video card. if you still have warranty, i would get the laptop fixed/replaced. if not, it might not be worth forking over to fix out of pocket. depends what the price is though. Sager wanted $400+shipping for the graphics card alone. I said no thanks, sold it for parts and got myself a new laptop with an ATI card. I have sworn off all Nvidia products since then.

 

Sony and nvidia has extended the warranty to 3 years for their nvidia gpu's failing prematurely.

Here is the link: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=VGNFZ290&news_id=349

You are very lucky that this happened to you now after 2.5 years, so you should be able to fix this without any cost to you. I have the EXACT same model as you and mine has not failed yet....fingers crossed.

 

Sounds like a dying video card. Don't know much about laptop GPUs, but when this happens in a desktop, it's usually due to the GPU getting hot and just wearing out over time.

 

GPU: 8400M GT DDR3

There's the problem alright. Most of nVidia's 8000 and 9000 series GPUs have a serious defect in them that causes them to fail prematurely.

Give Sony a call and tell them to replace the motherboard under their nVidia GPU extended warranty.

 

Sony eSupport - VGN-FZ290 - News & Alerts

Here is the link for the issue you are having.

 

That is what my 8600m gt did when it died.

 

I purchased my notebook in Nov 2007, so the card has to fail by Nov 2011 to be covered under the extended warranty, correct? Or is it 3 years from purchase date?

I have not had any symptoms of distorted video yet. Once, my notebook did not want to turn on, but it eventually did after I unplugged it, disconnected the battery and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Has anybody had their gpu's replaced with little or no symptoms, or does sony want full failure?

 

Three years from purchase date. If you show any of those symptoms Sony will help you rule out other potential sources of the problem (drivers for instance) and then replace if it is proven to be a hardware problem (which it probably will be).

 

9000 -series too?

What I know, the affected series were 6xx0 series integrated GPUs and 7xx0 and 8xx0 discrete ones and chipsets (like NF430) of the same era. Including their desktop variants as well (GF8400 will burn in a laptop and desktop).

That is not "most of" but "all of them", since the issue is in the materials used in the manufacturing process and that was never altered: they just kept the chips pouring out of the factory.

I actually thought that was fixed when 9000-series came out but was it then? damn...

 

I forgot to mention that yes, i DID overclock my video card to a clock of 600/731.

For a certain period of time when i played games like Crysis and GRID about a year back. However i have reset my clocks to stock since then.

I have also undervolted my CPU (dont think this is a problem tho).

How should i proceed to erase ALL of the evidence?

 

On my Dell Vostro 1500 it has the infamous 8400m GS (discreet-non-soldered). I was playing a particular game and I noticed my screen became pixelated with all kinds of hieroglyphics. I traced it down to a game that was corrupting my video ram. If I stayed away from that particular game on my laptop I was fine. If I played it, within minutes the screen garbage would come back and I had to reboot.

While I agree with everyone that the 8 series notebook cards are a ticking time bomb you can get screen garbage while your card is still good.

 

I dont think that its Counter Strike that is my problem. I have been playing that game for the time i had this laptop without a problem.

I have also played a bunch of others such as Crysis, Grid, Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield 2, etc.

Im surely going to give them a call! Sure beats buying a whole new lappy!

 

I would definitely return your video card clocks and cpu undervolting, etc BACK to defaults if possible. And never mention to sony that you ever did any of this!

 

the 9000 series is perfectly fine.. i'm overclocking 25-30% on core and shader for 19 months with no problem and only ones that brick are some 9500M GS in Asus notebooks due to bad notebook design... but besided that , OP ur card i dying/dead.. time for a new one.

 

im relieved that you guys posted this notice from Sony, saved me from shelling out another grand or two for a new lappy! Reps for you all.

Now to call Sony and find out if they can repair it.

*fingers crossed!*

@sean473

I've had my card clocked to 600/731, 650/731 and then at one point even 700/800 for a good year a and a half without problems.

This year it failed on me but i had reset the clocks to default about 5 months back to cool down the temps.