Backlight and Possibly GPU problems on Sager NP5793

I bought my notebook from another member here in NBR about close to a year ago and he used the laptop for about 8-9months so I guess it's been running fine for about over 1.5 year until now...
About three weeks ago backlight on the notebook screen went off while I was using it.
I figured it could be just a bad inverter problem so I've decided to purchase new one.
But, alas even after replacing the old inverter with new one the backlight didnt' work.
So I've decided to order a new LCD screen(17'wxga+ for M57RU) from ebay and used an external monitor while waiting for the new screen to arrive.
I didn't run into any problems while using the notebook on the monitor except some times the external monitor went into some kind of DVI power saving mode or sleep mode while booting so I had to hit Fn - F7 key multiple times to get it work.
After 7th or 8th days of using the external monitor, my laptop has frozen on middle of gaming. On the external screen it was showing all kinds of colourful artifacts and sounds were repeating over and over. I had no option but give hard boot.
Laptop didnt' seem to had any issues after that incident, no artifacts on screen.. or I though.. when I played same damn game again(nwn2 storm of zehir) it happened all over again!!
This time I couldn't boot on normal window xp mode, only safe or vga mode and external monitor didn't work nomore.
After uninstalling video driver on safe mode I was able to boot on norm mode.
But I couldn't install any of new drivers or stock. laptop screen went blank on already lightless screen on middle of the installations. Couldn't boot after so had to remove them in safe mode.
Finally received the new LCD after couple weeks but backlight still didn't work!?
Sorry for a such long post, Hopfully someone can figure out what's happening with this laptop.

Thanks in advance

 

Firstly, go grab the Service Manual for this Clevo M570RU notebook (from theriko's sig)

Now about the LCD backlight.... you should check the LCD cables that are connected to the notebook's motherboard... they might need to be unplugged and re-secured
- its possible that the cable could have been damaged or have become faulty over time

as for your videocard/gaming issue...

I really hope you are being good about monitoring your temps (while in-game) and doing routine cleaning of the notebook vents/fans (compressed air will clear out most of the dust)
- I recommend to do a cleaning of the vents and fans every two months or so.
- and re-applying thermal compound for the GPU and CPU once a year or so.

And for lockups... make sure to do some hardware testing:
- for HDD: go to START > Programs > Accessories > right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator"
...... (in Command Prompt) type: CHDSK C: /F
...... then say YES, and restart your computer to let Windows fix any HDD errors that might have occurred from crashes or lockups
- for Memory: get MemTest86+, burn the bootable ISO onto a CD, and let your system auto boot from the CD to check for any memory errors.

here is my typical post:

___________________________

If you are overheating... usually any temp over 90C degrees is bad.

when was the last time that you cleaned out the fans and vents thoroughly...?

if never, then thats why.

1) remove battery
2) remove/unscrew the panels on the bottom of the notebook to get to fans and vents ( if possible, if not its okay.. skip step 5)
3) use flashlight to look through vents for the dust (if you cant see the light on the other end, then the vents are clogged up)
4) go outside, get some compressed air (cans or compressor @ 50 PSI) and give the vents a good airing out all directions ( concentrating on the vents)
.... you might want to brace the fan blade(s) when airing it out (with a toothpick or paperclip to prevent it from spinning out too much)
.... or use short bursts (1-2 secs) of air instead of bracing the fans.
5) go get some Q-tips and swab the fan blades and the area around it
6) then go do a second airing with compressed air (all directions again focusing on the fans and vents) to push out the dust that was dislodged from the Q-tips

7*) Now go use the flashlight again and look through the vents (shine the flashlight from the fan, you look through the other end) for anymore dust clogs.

8) Then start up the notebook... and let the fans cycle up (use the Fan Toggle at max speed if your system has it) to push out any other dust that might have been stuck.

If all goes well you should be able to close up the notebook and...

you're done.

*repeat this step until its cleaned out.

Thats pretty much it.

Just make sure to do this every two-three months... it should take about 15-20min per cleaning if you want to be thorough.
________________________

Gaming notebooks are a new thing, you must realize that you have to take some extra care of them over typical use notebooks:

1) Battery: to maintain the longevity of any rechargeable battery
- you must NEVER overcharge it [especially for long durations of time while it still be in use] by keeping it plugged into AC
- remember to give a full charge cycle (discharge it under 50% and charge it back to full) once a week if you constantly leave it plugged in.
- OR you can just charge it to 50%+ and remove the battery and store in cool dry place.. not the fridge [remember to use it occasionally 3-4 time a year to charge and discharge it].

2.) Heat: to prevent a healthy notebook from overheating
- ALWAYS use the notebook on a clean, hard & flat surface
- NEVER use on soft surfaces (laps, beds, couch, etc.) that can block the fans on the bottom
- RECOMMENDED to be used on a notebook cooler... namely the Zalman ZM-NC1000 or ZM-NC2000
- check your fans underneath occasionally (at least once a month or two) for any dust clogs [clean them out with Q-tips and air cans/compressors]
- do a yearly re-application of thermal compound for the GPU (and CPU if you want)
- ALWAYS monitor the temps (CPU, GPU, HDD, etc..) to watch for fluctuations, which would indicate overheating by dust usually

By doing these simple things, your entire system will easily last for more than 3 years.

 

Hi Lalary. Make sure the cable doesn't get pinched between anything. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5246273&postcount=18

 

Hey at least you have an M17x to fall back on! But it sounds like the GPU if you can't even run an external monitor. So have you tried plugging the external monitor up after you see the screen go black on your actual laptop LCD? That way you can for sure rule out the screen, although the backlight going out is iffy ( are you sure it was the backlight and not just the whole screen?). Then you have a hardware failure..which seems to me like it overheated from what you're saying.

 

what GPU is it?

EDIT:
Nvidia 8800m?

 

Thanks for the input guys.

About the GPU issue, I don't think it was caused by overheating.
I do cleaning at least 3 or 4 times a year and last time I cleaned this laptop was about 2 months ago.
When I opened the cover I didn't find much of dust on the vents or fans.
I did monitor GPU temp for Neverwinter Nights 2 game before these incidents occurred and highest temp I saw was 75C-78C degrees.
Ever since I've own this notebook highest gpu temperature was 89C while playing another game but didn't bump into any problems.

And here's a funny thing... I don't know if you guys are familiar with NWN2:storm of zehir xpac game. In the game there is overland map feature(kinna like those overhead world maps from Final Fantasy series).
The game was running fine when I was in town or some combat area but when I ventured into overland map for the FIRST time, the game paused for few secs and the external screen started to show all these artifacts.. like all these words on the map grounds(probably from game menu) and changing colors such as bright pink/blue/green but I was still able to see 3D objects in the game.
The laptop didn't freeze right away. Took about 40 secs til the system became unresponsible. In that time I was able to move my mouse pointer and even ran into a random battle by mistake.
It was pretty much a same story on second time too, freezing on the overland map...

So...I'm thinking this could be some kind of corrupted video driver issue...
But what do I know..I'll just leave it to more knowledgeable people around here.
I'll check those cable, HDD, and memories for now.

Thanks again and cheers,

EDIT:
Notebook specs on the sig,

 

Looks like either it's a driver or undervolting problem.

 

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I have the same issue as the person who started this thread.

My Sager NP5793 was great for almost two years now. While on the laptop, before the backlight stopped working, it would turn the backlight off, and then the backlight would turn on again after about 3-4 minutes alone or sometimes after putting it into sleep or standbuy for a while. This happened for about 2 weeks. Then the backlight completely stopped working. I called Sager, and ordered a new Inverter board since that was the cheapest thing that could be bad. After putting in the new inverter board and checking all the wires, it still didnt work. The inverter board is working because If I leave it on for a good time, it begins to heat up and become warm.

I called another rep at sager and they said it would cost me upwards of 570 dollars plus 80 dollars for labor, and also the shipping of my laptop, to replace the screen (I have a 1920x1200 glossy). I found the same screen, or at least I think, on ebay for about 120 bucks. I can replace it myself if need be because I've replaced a couple in the past couple of years for friends. Since the person who started this thread said his backlight still didnt work after replacing the lcd screen, I'm wondering if I should even try. I'm pretty sure I'm not having GPU issues because my laptop works fine when plugged into an external monitor.

Is there any chance I can get just the backlight? I have replace just the backlight for some people and it successfully worked, and its much cheaper than buying just the screen. Sadly I cant seem to find anyone that sells it.

Thanks in advance.