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Need Help!! clueless here needs advise

C

CompClueless

n00b
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
10
Hello:
So long story short...... our computer was having some "what i thought was monitor/resolution" issues.
I took it to Best Buy and the Geek Squad guy told me its the graphics card. but he also said it would be more worth it to sell the computer as is because supposedly its has some awesome i7 Processor and tons of RAM. (whatever all that means!)
Its a Dell StudioXPS 435mt

He proceeded to tell me the thing musta cost 1500-1800 when we bought it 3.5 yrs ago. I laughed NO WAY my husband would have spent that much money. We barely turn the machine on 2-3 times a week for basic email and web browsing.

Geek Squad guy said the tower we have is at a level for crazy gamers or photo editors..... I was still not convinced..... I called the hubby. he said "Yeah it was somewhere in that price range, he recalls more that 1500, less than 2000" I about had a heart attack!! When our tower went down 3.5 yrs ago he just called up Dell over the phone and ordered a new one, we know NOTHING about computers and he thought thats just how much they cost.
Needless to say, I just want to buy a new basic computer.
According to Geek Squad this thing is still very valuable.

what should I do, try to sell the whole thing? list it on craigslist? part it out? I wouldnt even know how to begin to take it apart or even know what is what inside there....

PLEASE ADVISE!
 
Well, that's a fairly new computer for what you appear to be using it for. I really can't think of one reason to upgrade over solving existing problems. What monitor/resolution problems are you having?
 
when I turn the computer on the monitor turns black and says something about "AC Input" when I press F8 over and over again I can get to the start up options and can turn it on through safe mode and sometimes through "start normally"
But the picture will be all scratchy looking and sometimes the icons on the desktop will be huge
 
heres the thing... ill have to end up spending a couple hundred dollars to have the thing fixed, the geek squad guy said a graphics card is around 80 then i gotta pay labor....
wouldnt it be more worth it to sell the thing and buy a new computer thats more basic for our use, then there will be no money out of my pocket...
 
CompClueless said:
when I turn the computer on the monitor turns black and says something about "AC Input" when I press F8 over and over again I can get to the start up options and can turn it on through safe mode and sometimes through "start normally"
But the picture will be all scratchy looking and sometimes the icons on the desktop will be huge
Click to expand...

Well fixing the blurry desktop, icons, and magnified desktop is easy. When you boot through Windows Safe Mode you're very limited in driver support and it reverts things to what Microsoft generically supports. Think of it as debug mode. Sometimes those settings stick even if you get out of the mode and boot normally. Through Windows 7 you just need to right click the desktop and select Screen Resolution and then up the resolution to the max your monitor supports.

As far as the AC Input is concerned, it could just be a failing monitor. Do you have another monitor that you can use to test that's the case? If you can narrow it down to a monitor replacement you saved yourself money. Try plugging the monitor cable that plugs into your computer into the motherboard instead of the video card. Could rule out a monitor problem and be just your video card going bad.

CompClueless said:
heres the thing... ill have to end up spending a couple hundred dollars to have the thing fixed, the geek squad guy said a graphics card is around 80 then i gotta pay labor....
wouldnt it be more worth it to sell the thing and buy a new computer thats more basic for our use, then there will be no money out of my pocket...
Click to expand...

Don't go through Best Buy or the overpriced Geek Squad who should feel ashamed of themselves for the prices they charge. This sounds like a very minor issue that could save you the hassle of reselling and getting screwed on the next machine you buy from them. Replacing a monitor is about the easiest thing you can do on a computer. No driver worries or settings to change, it should just work if it works.

The first step is seeing if it's a video card issue or monitor as I trust not a single word from the Geek Squad who fixes peoples machine for $140 by running a diagnostic CD.
 
CompClueless said:
heres the thing... ill have to end up spending a couple hundred dollars to have the thing fixed, the geek squad guy said a graphics card is around 80 then i gotta pay labor....
wouldnt it be more worth it to sell the thing and buy a new computer thats more basic for our use, then there will be no money out of my pocket...
Click to expand...

A new graphics card is $20-$30 tops. Here's one that will work just fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102882
$20 after a $15 rebate. it takes a whopping 5 mins to install. Is that really worth paying $80 + labor to Best Buy?

This sounds like a monitor or driver issue. Please visit this website and install the newest drivers:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

It's also very easy to test a different DVI video cable (connects the video card to the LCD).
Please try plugging your LCD into a laptop or another computer and see if it works.

Also, used value for that computer (even with a $200-$300 gamer's video card) is probably only $400-$500 tops. There's no way you could get equivalent performance for that price if you were to sell it and buy something more "basic".

That was a huge waste of money if you don't play games or do video encoding frequently. The i7 920 is a hot processor and uses a lot of electricity compared to lower power cpus that are more than adequate for basic computing today. Even 4 years ago an i3 processor would have been enough to suit your needs.
 
Posted this in your other thread that got locked...


myself said:
If it is the graphics card, you could just buy a new one. The service manual for the XPS 435mt is on Dell's site and gives a pretty good desciption on how to change out pretty much anything and everything.

Appears to be a PCI-express graphics adapter, and those are readily available from stores like Amazon and Newegg from ultra-budget to crazy expensive. I'd recommend getting something quite basic and cost effective, since you stated the computer is used primarily for email and web surfing.

Here's a review of the XPG 435mt that lists the original system specs.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like you should just reset the resolution and or refresh rate. When you press F8 to get the startup options, try going to the "enable low resolution mode (640x480)" option. If this works, you will not be in safe mode. You will be in normal mode with the lowest refresh rate and resolution that windows supports. You should be able to set your refresh rate and resolution from there. If you give us your monitor's model # we can tell you what settings to use, and how to set them. Hope this works for you. :)
 
Thanks everyone!

Ok, 1st thing I did was try the resolution settings and stuff like that through the control panel and "right click properties" that changed the icon size back but the problem of the monitor shutting off and screen turning black still happened.
2nd I bought a new monitor and tried to see if that was the problem. No luck, computer still doing the same thing with new monitor, fuzzy scratchy picture.

Also a blue screen with loads of crazy letters and words pops up for a few second occasionally.

So then I was convinced it was the tower. That's when I took it to best buy.

I just reset it back to factory settings.
Same issue!

Next step I should try graphics card???
 
If it's not fuzzy on the boot options screen or when you see that blue screen, it's possible it just need the drivers reinstalled also. But a new video card might be easier, if you can't see to uninstall the old drivers. Do you see the Dell logo when it boots up?
 
does this thing have onboard graphics?

look for another video connector, it would be in that little rectangular area with the audio jacks and USB ports on the back
 
Without knowing what kind of setup it is, if I were in your shoes and had no idea how to fix it I would find out how much I could sell it for. If I could sell it for $500+ then I would do that, then order a new Dell with a new warranty for whatever I sold it for. Computers are a lot cheaper now and it doesn't sound like you guys really need all that much in a computer anyway so a $500 computer from Dell would suit your needs just fine.

That would by far be the easiest thing to do, though if you are listing it on Craigslist, then you'll need to know the exact specs of the system since you're selling it at that price. Luckily Dell's have a service tag on them, go to Dells site and enter that server tag number. It will tell you the specs of the computer when it shipped. I would just post that information into craisglist, the target audience that you'll be selling a "repairable" computer too will know what they are looking at.

Further more, installing a new video card is extremely simple. Simply order a cheap video card from a place like www.newegg.com or www.amazon.com. Turn the computer off, take off the side panel, pull the old card out and slip the new card in. If it's Windows 7 it will most likely install descent enough drivers for you by default.
 
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ok yes it is scratchy right when i turn the computer on and the dell logo comes on. then the blue screen pops on for a second and it too is scratchy.

when the blue screen just went away after being up for like 2 seconds then the screen went black and it said 1. analog can not display.....
then 10 secs later it went to black screen with option to "start normally" i didnt have a chance to push anything cuz then it popped back to the microsoft start up...

now its grey background with start up repair display box. and still scratchy screen
 
also i tried to connect the monitor to the tower using different cord... right now im using the blue prong style...
and it would connect just kept showing "self test screen" with the different colors
 
thanks for the info ... thats my idea too. to just sell it and be able to buy a new one. thanks for the info on how to find the specs.

if I went the route of replacing the video card.... sounds silly but i dont even know what that is or looks like to be able to "pull it out and replace it"
 
Crazy characters all over the screen is a failed shader unit on the video card. Just replace it.
 
If you end up selling it and getting something else to use at home, I think the Vostro 270 from Dell is a decent deal and can be had for around $400-$450. Should be fine for basic tasks. You can use your current monitor (assuming the problem is with the GPU), keyboard, and mouse.
 
Last edited:
Ok stupid question.... The a "video card" and "graphics card" the same thing???
I ordered the one that someone posted a few posts back!
When I get it in I might b back to get some info on the install and to give an update...cross my fingers!
 
Yes.

Video card, graphics card, GPU all mean the same thing.
 
Congratulations, finding this forum will probably save you over $100.

A clue, but separate from your video problem: Microsoft Security Essentials. Free anti-virus software.
 
Thanks everyone that replied to my thread. it was so nice for someone to take time out of their day to respond to me! I am truly a computer dummy when it comes to something thats broken and needs repair.
You all saved me a ton! Thanks for not letting the Best Buy Geek Squad bend me over!

I ordered the graphics card that an earlier person suggested. It arrived in 3 days and It was a piece of cake to take the old one out and put the new one in!

VIOLA! all fixed! :):D for less that $40!

much appreciated!
 
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