Is this my GPU?

[nickspohn]

I know this is a mac forum, but i just have a quick basic question

Is this my video card? i cant install drivers or anything or ill get a bsod. my dell xps is useless without my 7900gtx... so before i spend $300 i just want confirmation.

and yes, i do plan on getting a macbook pro when the new ones come out, but i still need this computer and it would be nice to have along with the mbp

 

[JNB]

If you've recently changed settings, make sure you're not over-driving the resolution or mis-specifying other display properties. If it "just" started doing this, it could be as simple as a bad connection of card to board, or board to monitor. It could be a dodgy board, but that's honestly the last place I'd look. Simple & cheap is where you want to start.

 

[nickspohn]

i havent changed anything. i was playing a game and i saw the screen flicker, then it went to a BSOD.

it looks like this CONSTANTLTY, within a second of me hitting the power button. 1600 x 1200 is the highest res i can use, but that's about it. if i install gpu drivers my computer wont even work and i have to boot into safe mode to uninstall them. then it works fine..

as you can see as well, i just reformatted and still no luck, but i figured that wouldn't fix it anyways..

 

[JNB]

Does it do that in lower resolutions or in Safe Mode?

And forgive my cluelessness on the Dell line, is that a desktop or notebook?

 

[nickspohn]

Does it do that in lower resolutions or in Safe Mode?

And forgive my cluelessness on the Dell line, is that a desktop or notebook?

does it in any resolution, any screen, in safe mode, on a BSOD, on the start up screen, on the dell logo screen, on the login screen, on the screensaver screen, everywhere.


It's a laptop. its a 17 inch, and a 7900GTX is a powerful card in a laptop, thus its expensive to replace. i dont have a mind paying for it, but as ive gathered from other forums, it HAS to be the gpu.

 

[JNB]

Well, then, the card is going south or the connection's bad on the mb side or display side. I don't know of any utilities that can test the card or display for Windows offhand.

Last TS step without cracking the case I suppose is to power down, let it cool to ambient, and see if you still have the problem from a cold card.

After that, if you're up to opening it up, I'd reseat the card on both sides. A little alcohol swab on the contacts never hurts, either.

 

[nickspohn]

Well, then, the card is going south or the connection's bad on the mb side or display side. I don't know of any utilities that can test the card or display for Windows offhand.

Last TS step without cracking the case I suppose is to power down, let it cool to ambient, and see if you still have the problem from a cold card.

After that, if you're up to opening it up, I'd reseat the card on both sides. A little alcohol swab on the contacts never hurts, either.

ive had this problem for about 2 weeks now. its had plenty of times to cool down, it's always been showing this.

i think its fried to be honest. i overclocked about 2 years ago and its been fine. and also, this all started while i was playing a game.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

i think its fried to be honest. i overclocked about 2 years ago and its been fine. and also, this all started while i was playing a game.

There is your answer right there.

the overclocking starting a break down over the next 2 years when the card was pushed.

It happened during gaming which means there was more heat generated and the overclocking made it worse.

Other forums which I assume are PC related forums have pointed to the GPU. Not to insult the people here but those forums general have a larger number of people who can tell you what is wrong than here. You are much more likely to get bad infomation here than there.

That being said it looks like a graphic card problem to me. Only other thing ti seems it could be is a monitor problem.

 

[0098386]

I had a similar problem to this but a restart sorted it out.
I've also "blown" my graphics card due to overclocking a Geforce 2 many years ago, it couldn't handle UT2004 so I threw the speed up a little. It still worked but it couldn't display textures at all. I tried everything from underclocking to cleaning out dust from the case.
I left it. I stopped playing games on it full stop. A few months later I started playing another game and it worked again. I don't know if it cooled down or whatever but it all worked out okay.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I forgot to add my last graphic card starting doing weird things as well. Not like what your card is doing but things like it would blue screen the computer during gaming, Some time the screen would screw up.

The fan on my card went out and it caused it to fail over time.