Laptop Repair?

My laptop died last night. My best guess is that the graphics card died. It has a dedicated AMD graphics card (Radeon HD 6470M)... but I don't really understand laptop graphics "cards" to know if this is a replaceable component or not.

Symptoms: Computer barfed and appeared to crash with a black screen while surfing the internet last night. Turning it off and on again did not help. Native screen does not work at all. Computer will start in safe mode if hooked up to an external display (I am on it now). If trying to start in normal mode, it crashes.

Are graphics cards for laptops actually cards like in a desktop machine that I can open up the case and swap in/out? Or am I looking at needing a new laptop? Fortunately, being able to log on in safe mode means all my files are still available.

Some of them can be changed, usually on higher-end laptops, but for most laptops they can't. If you tell me the model I can check. Most likely you'll need a new mainboard though, and a new laptop usually makes more sense than a new laptop mainboard.

HP Elitebook 8560p

It's a business class laptop, but I doubt it really qualifies as high end. It's also over 3 years old and AMD doesn't have the OE graphics card listed on their site anymore.

Bad news, you got onboard video. The part that used to be listed was the mainboard with the AMD graphics adapter on it (#646967-001).

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Well... Balls. Time to start shopping for a new computer. Which sucks since i rather liked this one.

Sorry for your loss. May I suggest a Lenovo?

Shotgun?

Here is a list of the problems that I have had with Macbooks over the years:

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+1 for a Lenovo. Their hardware quality is top-notch.

I have an HP Elitebook 8470p I'd sell you for what I have in it. It needs a valid Win7 product key, but presuming your dead pc has Win7 you should be able to transfer it. $275 plus shipping, if you're interested.

In reply to petegossett:

That might work. I'm going to try stuff this evening to rule out a driver barf or malware.

One of the big reasons I went with this laptop was that it was a business class that actually has a dedicated video "card". I was not able to find that at a sane price with Lenovo or Apple. I don't like Apple anyway.

I might go modest Lenovo PC for work and DJing, and build a modest tower rig for gaming beyond FTL.

From what I understand, you get no activity on the laptop screen during POST (as in, before you see the Windows loading screen), which rules out any kind of software problem.

GameboyRMH wrote: From what I understand, you get no activity on the laptop screen during POST (as in, before you see the Windows loading screen), which rules out any kind of software problem.

Correct. But would a buggered card allow external display?

My wife had the back light on her Acer puke once. It was fairly easy to fix. It would run a external display fine but the main screen was black.

As far as replacement, you might look into Asus. They are still listing business class laptop for about $249 on Amazon. Works fine for internet and office duty. Will probably suck for gaming. I use one as my beater laptop in the shop. Linky

Turn the laptop on, wait a few and then shine a flashlight at the screen. If the back light went out you should be able to see something and if that is the case a new back light will not be much money.

It's not the back light.

I'm debating if it's worth it to actually take to a repair shop. I suspect they'll just say it's not worth fixing.

So, replace it with something like an Alienware 15 that can actually run games and serve my occasional business needs? Or get a modest laptop and build a new desktop gaming rig? I suspect both options would be comparable cost.

Beer Baron wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: From what I understand, you get no activity on the laptop screen during POST (as in, before you see the Windows loading screen), which rules out any kind of software problem.

Correct. But would a buggered card allow external display?

Yes it's possible for it to fail this way. I've even had bad cards that would only crash when you launch a game, or would make the textures in games look distorted. Both hardware problems.

Beer Baron wrote: I'm debating if it's worth it to actually take to a repair shop. I suspect they'll just say it's not worth fixing. So, replace it with something like an Alienware 15 that can actually run games and serve my occasional business needs? Or get a modest laptop and build a new desktop gaming rig? I suspect both options would be comparable cost.

Get a modest laptop and build a desktop gaming rig, that way you can have a compact cheap laptop that doesn't guzzle energy and spew heat, and an uncompromised and cheaply upgradeable gaming desktop.

I have had an ASUS laptop that has been great. I7 processor. Did not come with any software. At the time I got it base on performance. Basically you could at the time get dumbed down laptops with a lot of preloaded software for the same price as a really powerful one that had no pre installed software (just the OS installed)

Now that I have said this it will probably freeze up and die but to date it ahs been a good workhorse that I carry all over the place. I use it as my primary computer at the office as well as at home for work (I have a home office that I probably work out of 2-3 days a week)

Don't know what the current offerings are from ASUS but based on my experience with this one I would put them at the top of my list of ones to look at when mine dies.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

That is the direction I'm leaning. I'm less hardcore about my games than I have been in the past, and it is kinda convenient to have all my data on a single machine. Plus, I haven't built or specked out a pc in ages.

And having a business class laptop has spoiled me against the cheap keyboards and track pads on consumer laptops.

On the other hand, I have a sweet custom case in the basement with 12 year old hardware in it.

I bought an Asus laptop in 2009, I had to replace a RAM module that went bad and put a new battery in it after 3 years, but other than that it's had no problems.

My Asus transformer (the windows based one, not the andoird) has been abysmal in terms of quality.

The screen cracked, and I think my kids can take responsibility for that one. The HDMI out failed, the connector between the screen and keyboard failed, the "H" key sometimes doesn't work unless you whack on it, and sometimes it doesn't turn on when you ask it to.

If you are thinking about taking to a repair shop, don't and let me know and I will be happy to take a look.

The laptops I've had with display issues all seem to point to the same thing; heat. Google says that the poor cooling causes the solder to fail and the general consensus is to chuck the laptop and buy a new one. Since I was given these laptops I decided to try and fix, which involves disassembling the whole thing to get the mainboard out and buying another used mainboard and hoping for the best or reflowing the solder on the mainboard by wrapping everything except the area the video chip is in with newspaper then foil and letting it sit in the oven for a little bit.

Both laptops worked after the oven treatment, one relapsed a few months later, the other I damaged upon final reassembly. Not worth it.