Video Card Fried

Well my video card is fried I think. I have owned the laptop for a little over a year. I basically get a pixelated start-up screen, but the loading page is fine (the only time it's not pixelated or full of tiny blue dots). However when I log in I get a purple screen. The only time it works is when I'm in safe mode, but it is full of tiny blue pixels in the regular display. Long story short I want to prevent this from happening again. I own a dv9500t with a 8600M GS card and Vista Home Premium. The error first started when I was playing WoW and I thought I fixed it with a system restore, but when I started WoW again it happened again. However this time it was worse and there was no turning back. A lot of people told me it was because I played too much WoW, but I'm a little skeptical. I play about 35 hours a week (don't judge me I'm on summer vacation =D). I know laptops aren't meant for gaming, but I thought with a cooling fan I would be fine. I always had the fan on high all the time and all that jazz. Besides I only started playing WoW 2 months ago and I played Counter-Strike and plenty of other games before the meltdown. Anyways before I ramble on any longer, I would like some of your opinions. Did playing too much video games cause my laptop to meltdown?

 

Actually, gaming did kill it. Most nVidia cards, including yours, were recently discovered to be defective and screw up after a while.

You may be entitled to a free repair:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c01087277&dlc=en

 

Did you at least monitor your temps?

 

Yeah, I did. They were exceptionally high, but I paid no heed because I thought the cooling fan would save me. It ran about 70-85 degrees Celsius.

 

Thanks, but my model wasn't on the list. HP is charging me $325 so I could have used the free repair...

 

LOL @ cooling fan could have saved you.

No, it still does not prevent the gfx from becoming HOT inside all by its pretty little self.. and the die/packaging melted by you playing 35+ hours of WoW a WEEK.. thats roughly 5-6 hours a day? constantly.. ouch..

 

Still talk to them about it. Nvidia is offering resellers 200 billion dollars to fix the problem. If you tell them you know the specifics, they might more 'able' to help you.

 

Argh, guess it would be smarter to just buy a desktop for gaming eh? Just to salvage any little dignity I have left, I only play WoW before I go to sleep after a long day of summer jobs =).

 

I guess it never hurts to try, thanks! However, I think the problem after all was overheating and not nvidia faulty cards.

 

The problem was that the nVidia cards cannot handle the temperatures they were supposed to. 70-85C is not overheating. That is just hot.

I'd keep calling them about it, because you were sold a defective product from day one.

I know it is cruel, but this is something you deserve to get fixed.

If you purchased it with a credit card, ask them about the warranty program they have for electronic purchases. Many cards will offer a year or more in warranty coverage too.

Another option if you bought with a CC: chargeback. HP sold you a defective product and refuse to fix it even though their websites and plenty of articles out there show the laptop is clearly defective. Design defects shouldn't be limited to warranty length.

 

Well the DV9500 isn't covered under the extended warranty. HP is claiming that the DV9500 and up are not affected.

What bothers me about this is that you say it works fine in safe mode and on the boot up screen. This usually suggests a video-driver corruption issue.

 

Actually, the computer actually starts up in safe mode unlike the regular start up, but it has a bunch of blue pixels. You can still see everything, but the blue is very noticeable. Also, I uninstalled the card under device manager and reinstalled it, but it didn't do anything.

 

This makes me re-think getting a Vaio SR to play WoW on for hours and hours at a time..

 

I disagree I have a Compaq Presario R4000 that's given 2 1/2 years of service. It spent a lot of time running pretty intense games. And it's still running strong today.

Though I did blow out the cooling vents every few months to keep them from clogging with dust.

 

Hmm, now I'm not sure what to do then. Should I just get a desktop for gaming for the long run, or should I keep using my laptop?

 

use the laptop, but get an extended warranty for it, that's my suggestion. I've used laptops for gaming for the past few years as I've said with no issues at all. Now I don't game on the PC much anymore (Xbox 360) So I can't say about this DV9700t I'm using right now. But I'll probably be doing some pretty intense image processing soon and will be monitoring temps closely.

 

Well, I can't keep sending it to HP. I use the laptop as my main computer, I write papers, photoshop, TV, and just about everything I do is on the laptop.

 

Then go for a desktop but build it yourself to make sure you get enough cooling. Start shopping and researching at newegg.com They're awesome for building desktops. It'll take you a bit of time to layout a blueprint and then order all the parts, but once it's together you'll be a happy camper.

 

A bunch of blue pixels tells me a hardware defect. If it were fine in safe mode, I would assume a driver problem since safe mode does not use the drivers (while the 'normal' mode does).

 

Call HP support. You'll speak to India, tell them the issue, tell them you know the nVidia cards have these problems and HP and other manufacturers are being offered fix-it money by nVidia.

Ask to be elevated to a Quality Customer Manager. They will call you within 48 hours.

Be firm, but polite. State your case, and you will get satisfaction.

 

Whoa, good advice. I got in contact with a Quality Customer Manager and she was able to give me the repair free of charge. Thanks guys! All of you saved me $325, this is the best help I have ever gotten on a forum!

 

Wow, I was STUNNED when I found this post. It is nearly IDENTICAL to the issue I have encountered on my laptop..all the way down to obsessive WoW playing. I literally did everything imaginable to fix my notebook, and today did a system restore. Nothing helped, but as sad as I am that my year and a half old laptop has to be sent in, I'm very grateful that I stumbled across this post. I too would have probably ended up spending enormous amounts of money to fix it, but you all have had great advice, and I appreciate it too!