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Inspiron 9400 Replacement Video Card

post #1 of 7
4/26/12 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all

So the 7800 Go in my 9400 went out again. It originally happened last week and with nothing to lose, I tried the baking method. It worked... until now.

Despite this being a 5 year old laptop, I really need it working again. Before I baked my card, I figured I'd replace my card via eBay or something. Now that it's busted again, I'm once again thinking of just replacing it. I found a used 7800 GO for $99 which is around what I'm willing to spend.

I know the nVidia cards are known to be flawed and there was a class action and all that. I guess the problem is heat, right? This is my 3rd card to fail. The other 2 times, I was covered but this time I'm on my own. While in the past I've been very insistant on getting a new 7800, now that I know more about the flaw I'm thinking I should try a different card.

I know the x1400 is a "Lesser" card, but is it more reliable? My laptop isn't for gaming, I only use it for animating in Maya, which I assume the x1400 can handle. Has anyone went from a problematic 7800 to an x1400? If so, how do you like it? There seems to be some conflicting info on weather it has 128 MBs of RAM or 256?

I can get a refurbished x1400 from Dell for about $140. I haven't checked eBay for prices, but which route should I go?

Also, do ALL nVidia Cards from that era have the same issue? If I could get a GTX or Quadro or whatever for a good price, would it be worth it?

I want a card to last me until I replace my Laptop, which might not be for another year or two. If an x1400 is reliable and will run what I need it to, then that's where I'm leaning.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 7
4/27/12 at 3:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeonstar View Post

Hey all
So the 7800 Go in my 9400 went out again. It originally happened last week and with nothing to lose, I tried the baking method. It worked... until now.
Despite this being a 5 year old laptop, I really need it working again. Before I baked my card, I figured I'd replace my card via eBay or something. Now that it's busted again, I'm once again thinking of just replacing it. I found a used 7800 GO for $99 which is around what I'm willing to spend.
I know the nVidia cards are known to be flawed and there was a class action and all that. I guess the problem is heat, right? This is my 3rd card to fail. The other 2 times, I was covered but this time I'm on my own. While in the past I've been very insistant on getting a new 7800, now that I know more about the flaw I'm thinking I should try a different card.
I know the x1400 is a "Lesser" card, but is it more reliable? My laptop isn't for gaming, I only use it for animating in Maya, which I assume the x1400 can handle. Has anyone went from a problematic 7800 to an x1400? If so, how do you like it? There seems to be some conflicting info on weather it has 128 MBs of RAM or 256?
I can get a refurbished x1400 from Dell for about $140. I haven't checked eBay for prices, but which route should I go?
Also, do ALL nVidia Cards from that era have the same issue? If I could get a GTX or Quadro or whatever for a good price, would it be worth it?
I want a card to last me until I replace my Laptop, which might not be for another year or two. If an x1400 is reliable and will run what I need it to, then that's where I'm leaning.
Thanks!

Bake the card again, this time don't touch it for at one hour after it's done. Use better thermal paste and probably a copper shim for heat conduction and dissipation. Don't push the system performance all the way like when you first have the notebook, throttle and keep everything at 85%-90%

It's an old reliable car .. a rebuilt (new) engine or transmission does not mean you can now run the poor thing to 100mph like you use to winknudge.gif

And to the above - no to both 7xxx card flaw and x1400 "lesser" card statement. As far as being reliable, both are just the same in the context of their working configuration.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 7
4/27/12 at 9:41am
Thread Starter 
When I baked it before I was very careful and took my time. I let it cool for way over an hour and I did use good thermal paste, AS5. Only thing I wasn't sure about was the amount. I know with CPUs, I have always used an amount the size of a grain of rice. Wasn't sure if a GPU required the same or more so I went for more, much like it had on it before.

Last night was the first night I had really used my laptop for anything other than the web since I baked it a week ago. I turned on my second monitor for the first time since baking (a 1280 x 1024 4:3 monitor) and loaded Maya. I hadn't even started working when the problems came back.

So what is the issue with the 7800 anyway? Is bad sodering? Memory? I kind of recall that this card is clocked down because it gets too hot and that was an issue when I first bought this laptop. It's been so long though, I have trouble remembering.

All the nVidia Cards that will fit in the 9400 do NOT have issues with failing like the 7800?

After writing my post last night, i went on eBay and found an x1400 for under $50. I couldn't pass it up so I went ahead and bought it. I know it's not as powerful as the 7800, but if it's more reliable, I'll take it. I haven't gamed on my laptop in years so gaming performance on the x1400 is not important to me. I just need it to be stable, and run Maya 2012.
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post #4 of 7
4/27/12 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Crap. I think I bought an x1400 for the wrong Laptop.
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post #5 of 7
4/27/12 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeonstar View Post

Crap. I think I bought an x1400 for the wrong Laptop.

ouch!
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post #6 of 7
4/27/12 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeonstar View Post

When I baked it before I was very careful and took my time. I let it cool for way over an hour and I did use good thermal paste, AS5. Only thing I wasn't sure about was the amount. I know with CPUs, I have always used an amount the size of a grain of rice. Wasn't sure if a GPU required the same or more so I went for more, much like it had on it before.
Last night was the first night I had really used my laptop for anything other than the web since I baked it a week ago. I turned on my second monitor for the first time since baking (a 1280 x 1024 4:3 monitor) and loaded Maya. I hadn't even started working when the problems came back.
So what is the issue with the 7800 anyway? Is bad sodering? Memory? I kind of recall that this card is clocked down because it gets too hot and that was an issue when I first bought this laptop. It's been so long though, I have trouble remembering.
All the nVidia Cards that will fit in the 9400 do NOT have issues with failing like the 7800?
After writing my post last night, i went on eBay and found an x1400 for under $50. I couldn't pass it up so I went ahead and bought it. I know it's not as powerful as the 7800, but if it's more reliable, I'll take it. I haven't gamed on my laptop in years so gaming performance on the x1400 is not important to me. I just need it to be stable, and run Maya 2012.

I must say that there is no flaw issue as far as 7xxx card concerned. Would you share the steps you took for baking? Have you looked at NBF bake /baking tips and personal input?

cheers ...
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post #7 of 7
4/27/12 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah. sad.gif Correct one ordered. But it was $85 instead of $50. Still a good deal compared to how high I've seen the x1400. I'll have to return the 6400 x1400. I had no idea there was a difference. Sigh!
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