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    Broken GPU in VGN-FZ31Z?

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Pavel.Prochy, Oct 12, 2010.

  1. Pavel.Prochy

    Pavel.Prochy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi guys,

    I have Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31Z for 2 years and this Sunday I got yellow stripes on my screen ( [​IMG] and [​IMG]). I was worried about screen so I plug in an external LCD screen but it didn't work. Later on I find out that OS doesn't see my graphic card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS) - that was also reason why I couldn't connect external LCD screen, hibernate notebook etc.. Anyway...few hours later it worked again normally. But today again the same case like at Sunday. Do you have any experience why this happened? I have read that it can be, because of cooling system!? Thank you in advance.

    Pavel
     
    Pavel.Prochy, Oct 12, 2010
    #1
  2. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    moral hazard, Oct 12, 2010
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  3. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

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    Sony will replace the motherboard under an extended warranty they announced covering the NVIDIA chips. There is a "sticky" thread about this. Go back to the list of threads in this forum and look at the very first thread at the top of the page.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, Oct 12, 2010
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  4. Pavel.Prochy

    Pavel.Prochy Notebook Enthusiast

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    ScuderiaConchiglia : I've just read from thread you refered me to. If I understood correctly does it mean that I have to buy extended warranty and then send laptop to VAIO? That's kind of not worth it, because extended warranty costs the same (maybe less) then new graphic card, which I can replace myself. Thank you
     
    Pavel.Prochy, Oct 17, 2010
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  5. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

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    No, Sony extended the existing warranty JUST for Nvidia issues on FZ and other selected models.

    And no you cannot replace the graphic card because there is no graphic card to replace. The Nvidia GPU is attached directly to the motherboard. It is not a separate piece that you can detach.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, Oct 18, 2010
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  6. Pavel.Prochy

    Pavel.Prochy Notebook Enthusiast

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    OK, today I called SONY tech center and in 2 days, courier should come to pick up the laptop and then my problem should be fixed. Hopefully it will
     
    Pavel.Prochy, Oct 18, 2010
    #6