Sager NP5720 - Video Card Questions

Hey guys,

I have a Sager NP5720 with a 7800GTX. A while back, the screen went black (no backlight); I posted here at that time for help. My extended warranty was voided as the company I purchased from went under.

I opened up the laptop myself and removed the video card. Doing so results in a completely white, backlit screen. A couple of times, upon reseating it, the computer would boot up fine until I turned it off again (at which point the screen was dead again). There came a time when the screen stopped coming on at all no matter how many times I reseated the graphics card. I've gone through an entire tube of thermal paste. This process led me to believe that my video card is the problem. The fans and such are completely responsive upon booting up even though there is no screen. It seems as if the operating system is still booting but there is no way for me to tell as I cannot physically see it.

I have been unable to find a replacement card for the Sager. There are a few companies overseas that advertise I can send them my laptop and pay a diagnostic fee and they will look over it for me. That would have cost me $250+ dollars for shipping both ways, the diagnostic fees, plus any replacement parts. This is not worth the risk/cost to me.

Since that wasn't worth the risk, I tried the "oven" method. I stuck my card in the oven via the instructions to no avail. I attempted this fix a second time which also did not help. I'm assuming that if my card wasn't destroyed before it surely is now.

Yesterday, I found this listing: Laptop Alienware D9K D900K 256MB 7800GTX Video Card 31 D90TN 206 | eBay
and I have a couple of questions:

• This card is for a different laptop, but it has the same plugs in the same location and is stamped with the same model number that my card has on it. The heatsink is way different, but I can just remove it and place mine on. The internet suggests that cards from different laptops will not work. Would this card be compatible with my laptop?
• At this point, my Sager is 6+ years old (only 2GB of ram and such). Is the value of the laptop still worth the $120+shipping investment? For instance, if I got this laptop running and decided I want to sell it, would I be able to get at least $200 for it?

Many thanks!! I'm not too desperate to fix this thing (meaning I don't NEED a laptop it would simply be nice to have one). I just have it sitting here as a paperweight. I either need to fix it or get rid of it. I'm unsure as to what the smarter option is.

 

I wouldn't spend 120 on a GPU.

 

You don't stand to make much of a profit if you shell out $120~ for the card. I would see if Meaker or one of the more seasoned users here knows whether that card is compatible; general rule of thumb, it's best to not stick a card designed for a different board in a different manufacturer's system.

 

I doubt it would sell for $200 just due to size and lack of processing power, if you don't need it my advice would be save the cash for something else.

I believe that alienware used the same OEM manufacturer back then so the card may work but it's going pretty far back into the mists of time even for me. Today's integrated graphics will likely give you a better experience.

 

Thank you all so much for the advice! I will go ahead and scratch the idea of bringing this thing back to life. It's sad as I really enjoyed the beast.

I'm going to go ahead and try to get rid of it, I guess. How would you guys suggest I market this thing? Technically, I don't even know 100% if it is the graphics card; it's simply my amateur hitch. Should I sell it as a single piece or try to part it out? Any idea of how much I should ask for it or the lowest value I should accept for it? I see two on Ebay in working order (one for $400 and one for $450).

 

I don't why anyone would pay that much. Low end laptops have better performance than that now. After 6 years, it's junk status. Still, any money is better than none.