Inspiron 9400/ATI x1400/video flicker on external dual lcds

Zero instructions.  I was sick, so for once I let a (Dell trained) hardware tech do it.  That experienced tech took about an hour, I think to remember.  So I'd guess you'll be busy for a while.  Starting by taking off something between the screen and the keyboard, or the screen, then the keyboard.  Have enough space for all that stuff.  Plan on being on that task for a while, more than an hour, maybe less than an hour if you keep the motherboard in (which in my case was replaced too).  Second time you do it you can do it in 20 minutes.  Remember to shut down (not suspend) and to take out the battery :)  Good luck!

I've actually got a tube of IBM conducting paste left over from the CPU replacement that we had to do on the original 60Mhz Pentium (that had the floating point error in it). That was a few years ago. ;)

 

Did your kit come with detailed instructions on how to get into the 9400 case? Any tips or gotcha's?

I had for all for 1st and 2nd fan the same settings (since before I saw the inside).

 

1 Slow  2 Slow  3 Fast  4 Fast

 

CPU off 38 on 45 55 65 75

GPU off 40 on 50 60 70 80

Memory off 40 on 50 60 70 80

Chipset off 40 on 50 60 70 80

 

I've seen the inside, and it is quite interesting.  The fans are on the back left and right corners.  I forget which direction they and blow, but I think to remember they have multiple inlets in case someone clogs one.  Don't clog them nevertheless.

 

But, most surprisingly to the layperson, the fans don't blow into the "main area" inside machine, i.e. not over the "important" chips.  Actually that's probably good as they'd be clogged with dust in a year or two.  They blow through ribs that are on a curvy metal stick that leads into the machine and is heat conductor paste glued onto the CPU (left side, fan 1) and onto the GPU (right side, fan 2).  Also, the Inspiron 9400 with built-in Intel graphics which we have don't have fan 2.  Only the Inspiron 9400 with PCI-Express card (ATI, Nvidia) have that second fan.

 

That said, if you're running high fan speed on fan 2 at 45 Celsius you're probably running colder than I did, and you might achieve your goal.

 

The flickering on one monitor on the replacement unit ATI with mobo was so bad I just didn't want that kind of machine any more.

 

I am happy with my power saving built-in Intel graphics.  I like these Inspiron 9x00 series.

 

And the memory chips.  Nice temperature reading, but as far as I can tell there isn't any air blowing there.  Might be wrong, but seems they are far away from the fans.

I found preliminary instructions by what notebook vet said at www bay-wolf dot com / 8500video dot htm sorry for the spacing and dots... just wanted to make sure that the address wouldn't be denied by dell or bay-wolf...

 

anyway... this can take you as far as removing the keyboard as it's instructions for an 8500/8600. I have a clue as to what to do with the rest, and I think it's a tad involved to do it safely...

 

I agree with Glen if we can get the nvidia card, it's better than dealing with dell support...

 

YET... I have not gotten any flicker at all in about 48 hours... as I said I am testing the temperature threshold at 45 on the gpu... I've got the 1st at slow rev and the 2nd at high rev if it peaks 45 deg cel... will keep you posted...

 

what values did you guys test on the i8kfan fan util?

 

if anyone knows where to get the 7900 go please let me know... I would sure be interested in the upgrade...

The fanGui thing made my machine much worse. The cooler the temp the more the flickering. At one point, with the fans running, I was getting flicker every 10 - 15 seconds. I only considered reinstalling the fanGui thing to film the flicker for Dell support.

 

The Dell part number (I  believe) for that NVIDIA card is A0757714 .

Note that I tried to source the NVIDIA card from NVIDIA, but they refused, saying they only sell mobile products throught OEMs.

 

The price wasn't that bad through Dell: C$240.

This morning, my 9400 came back from suspend mode and then after a few minutes of checking e-mail, crashed with the Blue Screen of Death error:

 

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL ...

 

I Googled the error and found a variety of possible causes, which included ATI video drivers. I am still using the Omega drivers. What changed recently was that I installed the latest XP updates from MS yesterday. Might be related.

 

At the moment, the system rebooted OK, but I will monitor. Since I have a solution to the ATI drivers on its way, I hope to put that theory to the test shortly.

Good news. Found a Dell Inspiron 9400 service manual online. This should make card replacement easier:

 

http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/ins9400/en/sm/index.htm 

 

 

I would agree with NotebookVet... the main areas of the laptop don't seem to have good air circulation...

 

The junction between the cooper and aluminum sinks to the pci-express gpu doesn't seem to be the greatest. I could see that if the contact created was not optimal that there may be heat problems to the GPU. Maybe could vary enough that people may see different extents of problems? Who knows...

 

Glad to hear you can in fact ge the nvidia card and the manual is great to have too...

 

 

Unfortunately, the Dell part number that was provided to me for a replacement NVIDIA video card for the my 9400 ( A0757714 ) turned out to be for a retail, desktop video card and NOT for a notebook computer.

 

I will continue to attempt to source the correct replacement part.

Well, with some assistance from Dell, I have successfully located and installed an NVIDIA replacement video card for 9400. The correct part number is DG008 , LPN 364545988.

 

The replacement went fairly smoothly. The online manual was very helpful. The process took about 40 minutes. The old ATI video card came out in one piece (with heat sink and cooling fins) and the new NVIDIA card snapped into its place. No messing with heat sink compound was required. I did not disassemble the unit.

 

I did have some challenges finding the correct drivers. I eventually located a download on the Dell support website: NR126106.EXE which installed the a driver set that seems happy with this card.

 

So far, no flicker in about 2 hours of operation. I have had some initial problems with configuration, as my Samsung 214T is reporting that the NVIDIA card is trying to run it at 1920 x 1200 resolution (connected via DVI). The video drivers are reporting that they are running at 1600 x 1200. I don't know why the mismatch, but the monitor is not happy.

 

Picture quality seems a little off (ghosting around text). this may be because the monitor is actually converting the 1920 x 1200 signal down to 1600 x 1200. I will try the analog input and see if it is any different.

 

I'll report back when I have more hours of testing under my belt.

Day 2: No flicker, so far. I did get the configuration issues sorted out. DVI is now matching monitor resolution (1600 x 1200) and ghosting is gone. Image is clear and bright. So far, so good.

You're right, if you only swap the GPU then 40 minutes is possible.

 

I had to swap the mobo (hence the CPU as well), so the tech who did it took > 60 minutes and had to mess with heat conducting paste on the CPU (not the GPU).

 

My situation was "an experiment to cover all bases" ... now we know it wasn't the specific ATI X1400 or the specific Inspiron 9400 mobo, but probably all ATI X1400 in Inspiron 9400 have a problem with large external screens (and it isn't the screen because even internal LCD flickers).

 

Your situation is "the normal solution", just swap the GPU.

Glen,

 

What was the cost of the nvidia card?

The cost in Canadian dollars for the NVIDIA card from Dell was $265, or about $25 more than the retail desktop version.