Options for failing video card??

Hello,
I have an older GW 450SX4 that we still use at home so that the kids can do homework and for wireless surfing but recently the LCD has begun to flake out. I suspected that the LCD itself was failing but after a swap the problem remains. This notebook has an ATI M6-P video card and I"m wondering if I have any options when replacing it or do I have to do a direct replacement. Any recommendations on the best place to buy a card?

Thanks,
Mike

 

GPUs are usually soldered to the mainboard and thus cannot be removed.

Most likely your GPU is losing its connection (or whatever it's called) to the mainboard. I believe that I have read of people resoldering the GPU to the mainboard, but correct me if I'm wrong.

If you wanted to replace it, you could resolder it, procure a new mainboard, or simply buy a new notebook.

 

In what way? If it starts to change colors (mostly purple), this indicates a bad connection between the display and the video card.

 

First, what the exact problem?(description/when it happens/when it goes away/patterns/etc-as much detail as possible)

Have you tried an external monitor(you might have to use the FN+CRT/LCD combo to display an image on the externla monitor) and seeing if the image "flakes" out.

Also have you tried update your GPU drivers?
I had this problem( see pic in NBR gallery) with my old Laptop(Tosh 1115 w/ATI M6-C) which was solved by updating the video card drivers with 3rd party drivers.

 

Actually, the picture in Kdawg's link looks a lot like my LCD right before it completely colors up and displays lines and squares in random patterns. I hooked up my desktop monitor and it occurs there as well. I may try to reflow solder connections on the motherboard but more than likely I will just buy a different mobo off Ebay. Before I do any of that though I'm going to take some cold spray and see if I can get the LCD to clear up by cooling a few components. Since the display is good for awhile when I turn it on it may be that I can identify a failing component or poor solder connection if the display returns as I'm cooling the components. We've done that at work more than a few times....sometimes it works other times it doesn't.

Mike

 

I have exactly the same problem. The screen doesnt stay visible long enough to do anything on it. Can you suggest any remedy? I spoke to gateway tech support and they said it will cost 300 plus taxes. I would rather buy a new one by adding another 200.

Any change this one can be fixed ?

/FHN

Edited/Updated: I have also noticed that if the laptop has been powered off for a while, the screen appears normal for a while (I am able to get to the windows login screen). If I have attempted once and then power off and power on again, the screen goes crazy a little faster that in the first case. I dont know if that is because of heating or not as mcoomer suggested.

Kdawgca: Where did you get the updated drivers from? May be they have some means of updating even ifthe display is completely messed up.

 

I have the exact same problem with my Gateway 450SX4. The video display looks just like the one posted by Kdawgca here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/345

It looks like that image and then turns into an unusable blur of lines and squares. Did anybody ever resolve this problem?

I am encouraged that Kdawgca found some third party drivers to fix the problem. Where did you find these drivers Kdawgca? I have found the drivers posted on the Gateway web site from 2003, but I suspect these are the same ones I am running. The 2008 ATI drivers will not install on this old system, the installation program dumps out.

This laptop worked fine for years. This problem just recently started happening so perhaps it is a video card problem?

THIS FROM THE SYSTEM SPECS:

System 450SX4
One Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU
Level 2 cache 512 KB
Intel® 845MZ chipset (MCH-M+ICH3-M)
400 MHz front side bus

Video: ATI M6-P
256-bit 3-D and 2-D graphics accelerator
Support 64-bit DDR SDRAM
Video memory 32-MB DDRAM
LCD display panel
14.1-inch or 15.0-inch active matrix (TFT) LCD color display
Maximum panel resolution: 1,024 × 768
Maximum color depth: 32-bit (16.7 million colors)
Supported video modes l 14.1-inch: XGA
l 15.0-inch: XGA
Maximum refresh rate 60 Hz
External video l Supports dual display and dual view
l Integrated TV encoder
External CRT resolutions l Supports standard IBM VGA compatible modes
l Maximum resolution: 1,920 × 1,200 × 21-bit colors
TV out (Composite video) jack Supports NTSC/PAL connection to standard TV monitors with RCA jack

 

OK, after a few hours of screwing around with this Gateway 450SX4 notebook, here's what the symptoms are:

The notebook sometimes boots up normally (maybe 50% of the time). As I use the computer, the LCD display begins to break up and digital noise appears like the image linked here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/345

At this point, XP still operates but you can't read the screen. This lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.

After that, the screen turns all blue or black, or all covered in lines and the operating system stops working (you can't see the desktop anymore). I have to do a hard boot by holding down the power button. It may or may not reboot correctly.

I plugged a second monitor into the computer and the image from the VGA output is exactly the same.

I tried re-installing the 2003 ATI display drivers but no change. The fan on the laptop appears to be working as usual. I wonder if the video card is coming unplugged? How do I access the video card? It's an ATI Mobility M6-P. Is that an integrated card or a removable one?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

If the artifacting and noise are present on the external screen, that rules ou the idea of having a connection issue. It seems like a surface mount transistor blew on your graphics card. That is usually how that happens. I myself had the same happen to me on a very expensive Quadro graphics card.
The reason the graphics are working for a short time, is that something blew outside of the gpu core, but still on the graphics card. So when xp loads, it needs to use the graphics card, and thus the graphics card gets that little bit of strain, and causes the artifacting and such.
There is no software that can fix this, this is a hardware problem. The problem is, is that your graphics solutions are onboard so to fix them, that requires a new motherboard. AKA, its not removable, sp there is no connection problems.

Sorry that we cant do anything for you

K-TRON

 

Thanks for the reply.