How to: Replace your broken (8600M GT) graphics card (in the [I]FL90)

[Dr.Colossos]

I can't tell you if it is fixable. Return it if you can, or resell it and buy from the ebay seller mokkin (see above), that worked for me - I am not biased in any form, I am just telling about my experience.

Good luck

[columbus]

I just took my IFL90 apart and reassembled extra carefully and it now boots up (I can hear the windows sounds), but I get a black screen and the vga/svideo outputs do not work. I'm guessing the card was DOA so I will be sending it back unless someone has a suggestion for me

[Dr.Colossos]

It is not dead, I guess it is incompatible. Be it the vBIOS or whatever. But I agree, send it back, get it from the seller I suggested - or any other you think is best.

Good luck

[Dr.Colossos]

Got a ATI 3470 working in the FL90.

Cheap replacement, no upgrade for sure.

I still have problems botting Windos 7 normally - I get only black screen, but I didn't test much yet. Maybe drivers, I don't know. Any clues?

Windows loading screen works, do does POST etc. Only when entering Windows login phase, the screen tursn black just before that.

Safe mode works without problems, 640 x 480 has some problem as above.

Maybe someone can comment on this - I will do furthr tests and repost, but not befefore 'after-weekend'.

Cheers

Okay, I got a replacement for the original 3470, and now it works.

I got it in this auction from this seller.

Again, this is just a mere replacement, not an upgrade. But I got the FL90 with its T9300 back up running!

Also, as I said, the first card has a fault. The process of getting an replacement from the seller went without any trouble.

A good buy for someone who only wants a working machine, without any gaming.

EDIT: The foto shows Windows Device Manager, Display settings, and GPU-Z output. I used modded drivers from driver heaven. I didn't to any benchmarks nor heat tests. Does the 3470 have temperature sensors? GPU-Z has no readings. The heat sink fitted perfectly!

If you have any questions, post here or PM.

EDIT: external monitor works without problems, too - didn't try S-video yet ... and won't ever, I guess.

Cheers

[Sir_DoomsDay]

You can also try to hook up your laptop to an external monitor and then boot it - some folks reported that the replacement card booted into external monitor rather than the built-in display out of the box.

[Dr.Colossos]

Got a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 working in a Compal FL90.

I got the card from ebay, from this seller.

So far, not too much testing was done, but looks good, and is by far the cheapest way to get your aptop back to working - not gaming

[gdragt]

Hi!

Last week my 8600m gt died so I ordered a new laptop. Recently, I found this forum. I gave it a trie and baked my 8600m gt.. and.. it worked!! My laptop is alive again. Now I have two laptops :P

[Dr.Colossos]

It won't work for too long, I guess.

I would disassemble the FL90, get the "repaired" 8600M GT out, sell it on ebay, and get a cheap replacement like the 3400 or 3470.

It's an hour of work, and you actually can earn some money, doing so.

I sold "repaired" 8600M GTs on ebay for 100€. I didn't fool the buyers, I said in the auction that they were repair-ware, and still got a good price. You can get a ATI 3400 on ebay for 60€ including shipping from Taiwan (see post above).

After that you can either keep or sell the FL90, it's worth a least another 200€ - 250€ if you are lucky.

Good luck

[thedarknight_isep]

Hi there,

I made the replacement of my 8600GT by ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650. I followed every step you suggested on your tutorial and everything worked well.
The external monitor and the sound are working perfectly.
I just have on problem. I installed the CPU-Z software and it says that my normal idle temps are 60º and when playing L4D2 it goes up to 110º :S
I have Spire coolness notebook cooler.
One thing I noticed is that the fan doesn't speed up with the heating of GPU...
My CPU temps are around 35º~45º...
Thanks for your help and congrats for the great tutorial.

[Dr.Colossos]

Yes, there is this problem that the fan speed is only linked to CPU and not to GPU temps. But still, your GPU temps are far to high, I doubt a working fan could lower it to "normal" values.

So, option 1 is to try a tool called "Notebook Hardware Control" - I never used it, but it is capable of setting fan speeds. You could try to set it to full speed all the time, and then monitor temps again.

As said above, I think the problem is not related to your fan. I think the heat of your GPU chip is not transfered correctly.

Most common is, that your heat sink is not making proper contact. Did you double check that the heat sink really makes good contact with the card?

Did you make modifications to your heat sink?

Did you use thermal paste? If so, how much?

I think you need to reopen your laptop! Tough luck, but otherwise, wou will to, to remove your fried video card ...

Also, how long does it take the card to reach the 110°? 30 seconds, 1 Minute, 5 Minutes, 50 Minutes?

Cheers & good luck!