Is my video card going out?!!?

[Ben R]

Well..recently..my computer will shut down with the defualt FS9 no addons or nothing..and i have a feeling my video card is going out..

Could anyone give me some other symptoms of what usually happens when a video card on a laptop goes out?

Thanks,

Ben

[Ashar]

You'll have to be more specific Ben...What do you mean by shutting down? Is it restarting or just dying out and not turning on...It might be a PSU problem...

[Wii]

Tisk, tisk, should've bought a desktop. How old is your laptop? It MIGHT be time to replace it.

[Ben R]

sorry guys.

Well..sudden shut off with me having to take the power cable out then back in then it will most of the time work..:S

The laptop is about 5 years old and i am getting a new one for xmas but right now, FS isnt playable so i cant play it..unfortunately..

[Mees]

Woah dude, you think you can play FS without certain 'inconviniences'(spelling?) on that...?..

[MWISimmer]

Maybe your battery has seen better days. Have you had the same one for the life of the laptop?
Rechargeable batteries have a shelf life, even laptop ones...

[Ben R]

The battery went out ages ago and i never found the need to buy a new one but it has happened again after i switched my desktop background..and i have no idea whats going on..any game is unplayable..

[MWISimmer]

A good and consistent power supply is the key to all computers performance, be it a laptop or desktop, battery or PSU. Just have a look back at some of NickN's posts before he left.
I'd still bet that's your problem.

[Ben R]

Could be..but why is this only happening on certain applications? It's worked fine up until about 2 days ago..

[MWISimmer]

Some applications require more processing/graphical power than others, hence more juice.... especially games.

[Ben R]

Ah..okay mate thanks..will look into buying a new battery

Cheers!

[MWISimmer]

Before you rush out and spend your hard earned (or your parents') cash, try and find somebody who has the same laptop and do a battery swap to test. Or take it to a PC repair shop for the same test.