P-7805u graphics problem for 2 weeks

Hi there.

I've been using P-7805u since January of 2009. It's served me well for a while now, but for the past 2 weeks i've been seeing a lot of problems with the graphics card.


Specifically, whenever I try to move the computer even slightly (i.e. pushing it back/readjusting the display), I see graphic artifacts. Sometimes it goes away, sometimes I have to restart the whole computer.

For about a week or so, it was 100% replicable physically, but if left alone, it could actually run pretty demanding games just fine.


However, within the past 2 days, the problem's been getting worse. Now, even if I don't touch it, if I run any slightly demanding application (i.e. 3dsmax), the display just dies. Sometimes it says "graphics driver has crashed and recovered" but still shows the artifacts. The mouse stops moving, and the only thing I can do is restart the computer.


But things like browsing the web etc at 1920*1080 is still working fine. It's only when I try to move the computer (even slightly - 1 inch) or turning on demanding applications (recently) that I'm seeing the problem.


I went ahead and bought some thin screwdrivers to see if I could disassemble the computer by myself. I know about this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gat...embly-guide-covers-all-17in-fx-notebooks.html

And will try to follow the guide.


Do you think there's just something loose with the graphics card heatsink? I don't want to take it to the computer shop unless absolutely necessary... It'll take a lot of money plus a lot of time...

 

Is it still in warranty, if so send it to Gateway, mine needed a motherboard replacement right out of the box, if not try checking the LCD cable, make sure it is not loose or wearing out due to being opened and closed, but it sounds like a failing GPU to me. Mine would get a checkerboard effect, grid lines, or random irregularity's to make the screen unusable, and it usually locked up.

 

The fact that moving your computer causes the artifacting says "bad connector/cable" to me.

 

I don't know what was the problem, but I just spent the entire afternoon disassembling everything and putting new heat sink paste and securing all the connections.

And it's working for now...

 

There is another post somewhere abouts that is reference to the video cable coonection causing artifacts and securing the connection is the fix..........