GRV616S Radeon 9000 Problem, memory loss 64mb to 32mb

[Erikki]

Hello everybody

My name is Erik and i'm a happy user of a vaio GRV-616S.

But now i have a problem with my radeon mobility card 9000.

It started with errors on my schreen, when i scrolt up/down with my mouse my schreen turn light yellow with strips in it.
At first i thougt it was a conflict between drivers, but coulden find any thing.
My second thougt was memory problem, i got 1 GB internal memory, 2x512. so i started testing this removing, 1 and changing slots........ and the end the problem was gone.
So i thougt memory problem , mayby one bank is nog perfect but it works for now.

So i was happy again and starten to play a game, but then i noticed some performance loss. to check this i look and background prog, software enz... and the end i tried 3Dmark2001. normal i have a score aroud 8000 but now i only had 4800.
so i check drivers and notice than i only have 32mb video memory. I'm sure that i have 64mb memory. looks like one memory bank of 32MB broke down. didn't know that the video card would still run then.
I reguly removed dust, so cooling was never a problem.

anyone any thougs about this? is there a way to fix it??

thx Erik

[kee-lo_]

Hi Erik, and welcome to the Club

Sounds to me like the on board memory on the Radeon has died - which isn't easy to replace.

This shouldn't affect system RAM.

[Erikki]

thx

i know that the main ram is not effected only i didn't know that if memory faild on a grafic card it would still fuction, but with less ram.

if you open the laptop is there a way to confirm this?

I bought this laptop 2 years ago mostly because of the radeon 9000. can it be repaird, or do thay have to change the mainboard for that?

thx Erikki

[seb21__]

I think a repair is possible. But I don't know the price.

[kee-lo_]

It would be well over ¿700

[seb21__]

LOL, that would be a new Mainboard. But if is only the RAM chip damage. Then it would be cheaper to change this one. I'm sure Sony would do this, but you would pay for a new Mainboard.

I think it would be usefull to check, what is damaged before I would send it back for repair.

Would it cost more than 200¿ I would ask me, wheter it would be better to safe the money and buy a new laptop. 700¿ would be definitely to much for laptop with this age.

[kee-lo_]

Yeah ¿700 is a lot, but a lot of people have said they paid a lot to have the motherboard changed after warranty, so it wouldn't suprise me if Sony did charge that.

[Erikki]

thx for the replies

700 thats is really a lot!!!!

Is there a service manual(repair manual) available for the GRV616S??.
I want to know how to remove the Radeon memory.

I open the laptop and it looks like you can remove the memory, mayby i can do it my self if i'm able to find the hardware.

further more i saw that there is some kind of plastic/rubber plate between the memory/GPU and the coolrib/coolfan, it doesn't look like good heat conducter to me, is it not beter to put some artic silver(cool paste) on it, and then direct the metal coolrib/coolfan??

[kee-lo_]

further more i saw that there is some kind of plastic/rubber plate between the memory/GPU and the coolrib/coolfan, it doesn't look like good heat conducter to me, is it not beter to put some artic silver(cool paste) on it, and then direct the metal coolrib/coolfan??

Hmmm, does anyone remember that service manual site?

That doesn't sound like a good heat conductor, plastic gets hot and can melt!