15inch Powerbook G4 screen artifacts problem

[chekinshet]

I have owned my 15 inch PB (1.25Ghz) for about 3 years now with no issues. However, just recently I have encountered weird artifacts showing up on my screen (I attached a screenshot below.) It started pretty small, usually when FireFox was opened, and a reboot or going to sleep mode would remove the artifacts. Now, however, the artifacts are appearing pretty much all the time, with no common applications being open (I have tested this by powering up, not running any programs and letting the system idle.) Additionally, the artifacts move about when the mouse is moved, or any type of movement is being displayed (flash, video, etc.)

The very odd thing is, I have noticed that if I apply pressure to the underside of the notebook (approximately between the 6 & 7 number keys position wise) the artifacts will reduce or even disappear.

I'm trying to be as detailed as possible, so if any additional information is needed, I will be more than happy to provide it.

Has anyone else encountered this issue and successfully rectified it? If not, any thoughts on what might be the problem? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Eric.]

Sounds like a hardware issue if putting pressure on the bottom is moving something. Maybe the GPU's heatsink is not making full contact anymore? Artifacting usually happens as a side effect of an overheating GPU. Can you monitor the GPU temperature?

 

[chekinshet]

I think that you are correct, and as I'm no longer under applecare, I was thinking of opening it up and checking whether there is enough / too much thermal paste.

I'll check up on Temperature Monitor to see if indeed the GPU is overheating when the artifacts start up.

Thanks!