Is this a GPU issue?

hey guys so ive had a family desktop for about 4-5 years now and i think the GPU is acting up. Well im not sure if it IS the GPU but heres a picture of the problem

Not sure if its visible but there are multi-colored lines going horizontally and veritcally across the screen. Sometimes its worst than this.


Is it time to buy a new GPU?

 

Might very well be, the time frame you've had the GPU certainly makes it overdue for failure seeing as these GPU's and their notebook counterparts all had defects whereby the outer chip packaging would not expand and contract to sudden heat or cold very well, cracking the soldering and eventually breaking the interface between the GPU and the silicon. Perhaps your monitor is "going" however, so maybe plug whatever video cable flavor you use (VGA, HDMI, DVI) to another monitor and inspect the screen for corruption, if it doesn't show at all, it's just the monitor. Looks like you live in Canada, so do i, high five, i'm in Collingwood. an 8400M GT getting that high of a 3DMark06 score is pretty impressive, it may even have been stressed from overclocking as much as you did to it, my 570M still beats you in the overclocking score department, i can get 6500 in 3DMark06 if i overclock to max.

 

http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2006/08/17/bad-video-on-lcd-screen/comment-page-8/

This might help identify which sort of problem it might be.

To be honest, I'm more inclined to think LCD or inverter issue than GPU issue when I see lines.

 

Yeah check to see if you see the same artifacts on another monitor. If you do, then it's more than likely the GPU. Also try a different monitor cable to just for giggles.

 

Nono the 8400M GT doesnt belong to my old desktop its my laptop's.

My desktop is the one with the problem. It has an ATI

 

I'm surprised nobody noticed this earlier, given how it's mentioned in the first line. Then again, it might have been better had it stayed unnoticed as desktop discussions are banned on NBR and I expect a zealous moderator will come by soon and lock this thread.

But before that happens, since you managed to take a screenshot of the problem, it's probably the GPU, but as the others have said, try it with a different monitor and cable first, if possible.

 

Oh ok thanks i havent noticed the desktop discussion

 

The Desktop subsection in this forum is closed. Discussion on desktops is pretty much limited to Desktop Review.

And I think it is a GPU problem. The number of times I have seen people who had those symptoms always turned out it was their GPU dying.

 

But if you guys look at the picture really close, you see that the lines are only in the browser windows itself... Maybe a driver problem... Because the taskbar look to be textured right, and the menu bar and other icons look to have the right texture depth. Do you have a larger photo?

 

Thats quite an observation! Although i do admit this photo only has the lines on the web browser, this has been happening during the Windows XP (yes i have XP) boot up screen.

Sometimes the case worsens and sometimes it gets better. I think my GPU is infact dying but its not fully blown yet

 

Yes it's the GPU, the 8400m has the known faulty G86 core.

If your GPU is removable then you could try the "oven trick".

Otherwise this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=437683

Also check your warranty, they should even fix it if you don't have warranty. Because it's a known fault and they should have recalled the notebook but instead offer to fix it for free.

 

It's certainly dying then. Does it happen in BIOS?

Just to be sure, you could try reseating the LCD cable, but I doubt it will help.

 

Only thing is that he said this is on an ATI card. But I guess since you said it happens on the boot screen and other places, then it might be dying then This would really make since if we were in fact talking about the 8400m but hmm..

 

Lol, I didn't see that post.
I thought he was talking about his sig rig.