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November 11th, 2013 02:00
Graphics Card Replacement for Inspiron 1720 & Vostro 1700
I think my Inspiron 1720 graphics card has failed: constant blue-screen shutdowns with the message “Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.” make the machine unusable. I have tried uninstalling and installing older and newer drivers and Windows generic, current and rolled-back, all to no avail. I have also taken the machine apart and reseated the card - with no effect.
The card is an NVidia GeForce 8400M GS, which only seems to be available used. I have seen a lot of references to this card’s tendency to fail, so that is not an attractive option. Related higher-spec cards are 8400M GT, 8600M GS & 8600M GT. My question is are these cards compatible with my computer, and are there any others? The Service Tag is <ADMIN NOTE:Service tag removed per privacy policy> - I am hoping that a Dell expert will respond to this cry for help, to compensate for the miserable response of the website to my attempts to find a replacement part, i.e. nix. Dell’s after-sales service for older computers is sub-standard, particularly regarding information it would cost them nothing to not delete. I am not going to buy Dell again for this reason!
DaveMech
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ejn63
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November 12th, 2013 05:00
The 8400GS and 8600GT were both offered in these models and will work -- that said, they're all relatively old parts now (notebook makers only produce parts during a production run - not afterward), and depending on the number of hours on the cards, they may be problematic at longevity. Just about no one will guarantee used parts for more than 90 days.
ejn63
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November 11th, 2013 04:00
Unfortunately, all of these nVidia chips - the 8400 and 8600 lines - are defective in engineering, so a replacement will simply fail again. If you intend to keep the systems a while, replace the mainboards with the Intel-integrated video version - these will perform quite reliably. You'll need a new heatsink assembly to make the switch.
As for supporting older systems, most manufacturers keep spare parts for 3-4 years at best - this system is quite a bit older than that.
DaveMech
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November 12th, 2013 04:00
Thanks ejn63. I appreciate that a replacement card would most likely be no more robust than the original. However, the card that just failed was the original and so has lasted over 5 years. Our use is very light, and we don’t expect to keep the laptop for very much longer before passing it to an elderly relative whose use will probably be even lighter. Therefore the reassurance that all the cards mentioned would work OK (for a while) or not, would be helpful for procurement.
Joensab
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November 16th, 2013 12:00
The replacement video-card, the 8600m gt is an excellent card that I have used VERY intensively for over 4 years now...much faster than the 8400 and is currently being sold (new old stock)extremely inexpensively on eBay. Good luck.