Is my laptop GC dead?

Tomko99

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Jan 27, 2016
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Hi.

About two months ago, I powered my Fujitsu laptop and the screen wouldn't start. It would go a dark shade of grey, then a go black, then a shade of grey, then black again and it would stay at black.

All the lights on the laptop worked fine, and I could hear the cooler running.

So I turned it off. Took out the battery, did the whole, empty the static thing, hard reset. Hold the power button.

Same.

So I took out the RAM sticks. Powered it with one in, then the other. Cleaned out the RAM slots. Replaced the RAM sticks with some I had around. Nothing.

Same.

So I took a VGA cable. Plugged it to my TV and it transfered the video. It worked. When I unplugged the VGA cable. THE SCREEN ON MY LAPTOP WORKED FINE.

So for two months, I would power the laptop PRESS FN+F10 to transfer the video to a outer source (which was not connected) and the screen would come on. IT WOULD WORK.

I went like this for 2 months. Everything worked fine. When ever I would power off the laptop, put it to sleep or on hibernate and the power it back ON, I would have to do the same thing, FN+F10, to get the screen working. It would do the whole grey, black screen routine if I didn't.

Now, today I power it on and it's ALL BLACK. I tried the FN+F10, nothing. I tried to plug in the VGA to my TV. Nothing. Just a black screen. All the lights work on the laptop, cooler spins. Black screen.

Tried to put a lamp to the screen to see if there is some picture there, like a really weak one. Nothing. There is none.

So, my question is. DID THE GRAPHIC CHIP on the laptop DIE? Or do you guys think it's a screen, LCD issue?

Thanks.
 
Solution
If external screen shows nothing either, it's definitely not a fault with the laptop's built-in screen since both screens dying at the same time is extremely unlikely. Plus, you also said you can't see anything on the laptop screen even with a lamp shining on it, so it's not a screen backlight problem, it's just not getting any video signal at all.

So I'd have to conclude that, as you feared, the laptop's graphics chip has died. That component feeds a video signal to the laptop screen and to external screen.

A dead, integrated graphics chip on a laptop usually means a new main board (or a new laptop) I'm afraid.
Get a quote to have a new board fitted if you want to try and get it repaired, but it may not be cost-effective.
If external screen shows nothing either, it's definitely not a fault with the laptop's built-in screen since both screens dying at the same time is extremely unlikely. Plus, you also said you can't see anything on the laptop screen even with a lamp shining on it, so it's not a screen backlight problem, it's just not getting any video signal at all.

So I'd have to conclude that, as you feared, the laptop's graphics chip has died. That component feeds a video signal to the laptop screen and to external screen.

A dead, integrated graphics chip on a laptop usually means a new main board (or a new laptop) I'm afraid.
Get a quote to have a new board fitted if you want to try and get it repaired, but it may not be cost-effective.
 
Solution