NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Home (Inspiron, XPS, Studio) › Dell Inspiron 9400 Video Card Replacement! Help!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Dell Inspiron 9400 Video Card Replacement! Help!

post #1 of 18
9/8/09 at 12:47pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

I am a long time Dell Inspiron 9400 notebook user. I bought this notebook on February of 2006. So, the notebook is now about 7 months out of its 3 year NBD warranty, which sucks massively as the nVidia GeForce Go 7800 video card has developed some display glitches. I am having random BSODs with error code: BAD_POOL_CALLER - Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout failed. After restarting the machine, I can see lots of display glitches both on my external 27" Dell monitor and the notebook screen.

I have run extensive diagnostics - no issues were picked up with CPU, RAM or HDD.

Mind you, the motherboard on this notebook was completely replaced last year due to faulty USB ports.

Questions:

1. What are the chances of paying Dell to extend the warranty? I still would not want to completely ditch this notebook for another year or so.

2. I obviously have to pay for a video card replacement out of my own pocket. What are my best options? Just find a suitable video card on eBay - is that it?

3. Considering I no longer use this machine for gaming, mainly for web browsing, and .NET application development & testing, what is the cheapest video card that will do the job?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 18
9/8/09 at 1:45pm
An ATI X1400 128 MB video card will be fine for websurfing m word processing, spread sheet applications and such. You can probably find one for less than $150 on eBay.

Replacing the card is not difficult to do. You'll just need a small phillips screw driver and a small flathead to pop the hinge cover up. Ground yourself and take your time. When I take mine apart, I leave the monitor bolted to the palmrest, just disconnect the antennas and the video cable...

You can also do a search for "baking" your 7800 card in the oven or with a heat gun. It basically resets the solder and "some" have found positive results. If the card is toast now, you have nothing to lose and you'll need to disasemble anyway...

Good luck!
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 18
9/8/09 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acclimated View Post
An ATI X1400 128 MB video card will be fine for websurfing m word processing, spread sheet applications and such. You can probably find one for less than $150 on eBay.

Replacing the card is not difficult to do. You'll just need a small phillips screw driver and a small flathead to pop the hinge cover up. Ground yourself and take your time. When I take mine apart, I leave the monitor bolted to the palmrest, just disconnect the antennas and the video cable...

You can also do a search for "baking" your 7800 card in the oven or with a heat gun. It basically resets the solder and "some" have found positive results. If the card is toast now, you have nothing to lose and you'll need to disasemble anyway...

Good luck!
+1, check out the baking thread in the section.

cheers ...
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 18
9/8/09 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post
+1, check out the baking thread in the section.

cheers ...
Any particular link you would recommend? There seems to be a few of these threads on "baking" a video card.

Thanks in advance.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 18
9/8/09 at 7:18pm
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread229404.html

cheers ...
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:14pm
Thread Starter 
It is working again. Should I still bake it?

However, if I try to boot Vista x86 into SAFE MODE, I get a BSOD with BAD_POOL_CALLER as the error code.

What should I do? Decisions decisions!
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Would this modified Dell 6800 Ultra 256MB video card be suitable as a replacement?

http://bit.ly/bpILH
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:18pm
not for the 9400
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digitalman View Post
Would this modified Dell 6800 Ultra 256MB video card be suitable as a replacement?

http://bit.ly/bpILH
Maybe I shouldn't bother with such expensive used video cards.

What about this option:
http://bit.ly/2OqyLT

Will it work? If anyone knows of any other least expensive replacements, please let me know.

Thank you so much!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:29pm
yes that ATI X1400 card will work, it is not a gaming card though. its good fr surfing etc.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 18
9/8/09 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave-p View Post
yes that ATI X1400 card will work, it is not a gaming card though. its good fr surfing etc.
Cool, thanks! What about for .NET dev work, watching movies? I think it should be more than fine. Just checking to make sure.

Well, the weird thing is the card is working again without any glitches. No BSODs for awhile now. Damn! Should I just order the ATI X1400 video card anyway or try the baking method?

EDIT: Bugger! I better not jinx myself by saying the card is working again. :P
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 18
9/8/09 at 9:36pm
Digitalman,

I have an ATI X1400 video card in one of my machines.

If you want it, I'll let you have it for $145 (S&H included).

Just let me know. I can send you an invoice from paypal if you PM me your email address.






Reply
Reply
post #13 of 18
9/9/09 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digitalman View Post
Cool, thanks! What about for .NET dev work, watching movies? I think it should be more than fine. Just checking to make sure.

Well, the weird thing is the card is working again without any glitches. No BSODs for awhile now. Damn! Should I just order the ATI X1400 video card anyway or try the baking method?

EDIT: Bugger! I better not jinx myself by saying the card is working again. :P

based on the on and off again problems you may find the baking might just help fix the card for the short term

also

I believe there is some people around that will repair the card for around $ 150.00 not sure who, but there has been several posts here about it.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 18
9/9/09 at 12:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acclimated View Post
Digitalman,

I have an ATI X1400 video card in one of my machines.

If you want it, I'll let you have it for $145 (S&H included).
Hi mate,

I would be interested. I will let you know when I make up my mind in the next few days.

Thanks heaps!
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 18
9/9/09 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Just an update - a sales rep called me today and sent me a quote for a refurbished ATI X1400 256 MB Video RAM card. Guess what the cost was? $471.90 AUD ~ $407 USD.

If the card messes up again, I will either bake it or most likely have to take Acclimated on his offer.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 18
9/9/09 at 1:04pm
Yep - we all become half-bake bakers out of necessity
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 18
9/22/09 at 5:28pm
I just want to let you know that I had a problem with my 7900gs in my Inspiron 9400. It was working perfectly fine and then WHAM the whole screen goes crazy. Colors weird and lines all through the screen. I call up Dell and they say the card will cost 500$. I'm like "WTF"? That much for a 4 year old card? So begin my search on here and find this whole "bake your video card" thing. I decided "I've already got a broken card why not try it out."

I make an aluminum "platform" for the card and preheat the oven to 380 degrees F (I had seen 200C but my oven wasn't Celcius and I didn't trust my crappy oven to get the temperature dead on 392 degrees F so I set it lower.) Put it in there for 7 minutes, pulled it out and let it cool for 45 minutes. I then put it in the laptop and booted it up and BAM everything was working again as usual.

Whatever wizard figured this out I give super props to. You saved me 500$ or having to get a 140$ ATI card that was far worse.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 18
9/23/09 at 2:09am
Another good half-bake story. This is getting good.

cheers ...
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Home (Inspiron, XPS, Studio) › Dell Inspiron 9400 Video Card Replacement! Help!