FLASHZ06 Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 My Dell 9400 started showing a pattern of small blue dots and will only boot in safe mode. After some research it seem that this is a heat related issue and may have damaged my video card. It is a 7900 gs I have not overclocked it. I talk to Dell and my laptop is 6 months out of warranty and they will not help. I have 2 questions 1 I was thinking of reinstalling the OS but the errors in the bois lead me to believe that will not change thing is this correct or should i try it. If i have to replace the video card then i would like to not reinstall OS? 2 Dell wants $ 509 for a new 7900 GS and other retailers on the net want $ 385 or more. This does not seem to be a good option becuase of the age of the components in my laptop? Things i have done 1 reflashed the bois on video card 2 reinstalled video card drivers (driver 175.32 and the dell supplied driver) 3 checked the video card fan (running good) 4 check all cable connection inside if laptop and video card connection Errors I have on laptop 1 small blue dot pattern on desktop and some windows spots 2 cant change the res in normal mode with windows driver 3 white small marks or line pattern in bois and sign in screen 4 Nvidia control panel will not start (safe mode only becuase will not boot in other mode) 5 will not boot in to normal windows screen goes black at login screen I read this forum all the time but, I just register to place this post. I welcome any and all advice. I don't think i want to invest $ 400 in a new video card for this aging laptop but I am open to someone selling one for a reasonable price. I really like this laptop it is a powerhouse for the price at the time I purchased it. Dell didn't design the cooling well and now many consumers are paying the price. I will say this HP fixed my wife's laptop motherboard a year after the warranty was up. They where have alot of problem out of that model laptop (DV6000 AMD). Dell was rude and had no worries about my laptop problems. They told me if I felt that Dell designed a bad produce to get a Lawyer. I was told this by a supervisor in the warranty claims department. He wouldn't even let me finish a sentence and explain my point on the laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morris Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 where you live?( which country?) I have a 8600m gt 512MB available for $250CAD(includes shipping to US and Canada), but please check if it will for sure work with your laptop. the product is a 8600m gt with Acer bios, works with alot Alienware, but I can't be sure about dell. it is MXM II, should fit in MXM III slot fine, my require a motherboard BIOS update. Let me know @ morrismurphy@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliveanddead86 Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 The dell 9400 uses MODULES, not MXM for gaphics cards. your best bet would be to use ebay to find a new dell 7900GS, or even a 7900GTX like I just bought. It will fit in, with a minor bit of plastic being cut out for the left heatsink, which goes above the CPU heat sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLASHZ06 Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Thank you for the offer. It seems that dell had this video card board made for them. I may be wrong but I think only a video card designed for my model of dell will work. It has a plug type of connection on the bottom of the card. I ran a memory test on the ram and it confirms that I have memory errors about 14000 when I stoped the program. So the card is no longer good and reinstalling Windows will not help. I was looking at this laptop for a replacement if i cant purchase a video card for my Dell for a good deal. Does any one have any advice about this product? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834152073 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliveanddead86 Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 (edited) Like i said before, dell make this card in a module... http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZdellQ...fromZR40QQ_mdoZ I bought my 7900GTX from ebay, keep tabs on that site until there is a cheaper one available, or possible those 2 which are "AS IS" would be a viable option... remember that dell XPS M1710 cards WILL FIT in the dell 9400, they have exactly the same shape body, with the same base, practically the same motherboard, expect the xps has the LED connections, plus 4gb ram can be added... Edited November 14, 2008 by aliveanddead86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLASHZ06 Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Like i said before, dell make this card in a module...http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZdellQ...fromZR40QQ_mdoZ I bought my 7900GTX from ebay, keep tabs on that site until there is a cheaper one available, or possible those 2 which are "AS IS" would be a viable option... remember that dell XPS M1710 cards WILL FIT in the dell 9400, they have exactly the same shape body, with the same base, practically the same motherboard, expect the xps has the LED connections, plus 4gb ram can be added... might I ask what you consider a reasonable price for a 7900gs or a 7950 gtx? Thank you for your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliveanddead86 Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 I originally got my 7900Gs for about £120, or back then (2007), roughly $240, and my recent 7900GTX was $290, or with the current market, £200... The 7900GTX has 512mb ram, compared to 256 of the 7900GS, hence why it costs more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.