How Do You Know If Your Graphics Card Is Broken

The graphics card is one of the most important parts of a computer. It is responsible for the display of images on your computer screen. Not every computer has a graphics card. Some computers simply employ a display unit chip for that purpose.

The graphics card improves the quality of display by enhancing the color, texture, definitely and detail of the image displayed on your computer screen. If you are a computer gamer or a video editor or a graphics designer, then a graphics card is extremely vital for your computer.

Just like any other computer hardware, your graphics card can wear out This can greatly affect your computer’s functionality or result in crushing of your computer So how do you know if your graphics card is broken? There are a few red flags that should warn you of the imminent death of your graphics card. In this article, I am going to outline a few symptoms that you should look out for I will also give you a simple procedure you can follow to repair it

GPU Artifacts

Have you ever experienced some sort of freezes or distortion on images while playing videos on your computer? This is what is described as artifacting. Digital artifacts are more noticeable when gaming on your computer.This can result from either software malfunctions such as encoding or decoding of the video. It can also result from hardware malfunctions such as cabling errors. The other probable cause is a dying graphics card.

If you experience artifacts on your computer, first of all, check on basic power and cable connections. If artifacting persists, you might want to have your graphics card checked. It is probably because of overclocking, excessive heat buildup or accumulation of dust in the compartment containing the graphics card.

Black Screen

Sometimes, your computer screen may remain dark even after turning it on this can be a sign that your graphics card has stopped working completely. If this happens, try rebooting your computer and reinstalling video drivers. If the black screen is persistent, it could be a problem with the graphics card. You might have to replace your graphics card or have it checked by a professional computer repairer.

The Blue Screen Of Death

One of the most intimidating things for any computer user is the blue screen of death. If you are not sure what the blue screen of death is, it is a message informing you that your computer ran into a problem; which appears on a blue background after booting.

Most of the time, the blue screen of death shows up due to failure of the computers operating system or faulty internal memory devices. However, if you are certain about the validity of your operating system package, it could be an indication that your graphics card is probably at the verge of death. This could be as a result of running too many graphics-intensive tasks.

Excessive Fan Noises

The fan is meant to facilitate cooling of the computer hardware. You need to be keen to determine the level of the fan noises. If the fan’s noise is louder than the normal, it is an indication that a component such as the graphics is overheating.

This causes the fan to clock at a faster rate in order to dissipate the excess heat. When this happens, close all graphics intensive programs and let your computer cool down for a while. Try opening a programmer that requires video display. If the fan still produces noise that is louder than normal, your graphics card is most probably wearing out.

Crashing Drivers

Sometimes, while you are probably playing a game on your laptop, your screen may black out for a few seconds and then light up. It will most certainly show a text box informing you that the video drivers crashed.

This could be a problem with the drivers or the graphics card itself. When this happens, close the game and try reinstalling the video drivers. If the problem still recurs multiple times after reinstalling the drivers, it is almost certain that you need to get your graphics card checked.

Wavy Lines On The Screen

This is a rare occurrence. In some cases, a wavy or random colored line can appear on the screen. This can be attributed to a monitor malfunction. However, it can also be a sign that your graphics card is actually dying.

Before drawing a conclusion to replace your graphics card, connecting your computer to a different monitor if the wavy lines still appear on the screen, then you might want to have your graphics card checked for any faults.

How To Fix Graphics Card

If you are certain that your graphics card is faulty, then you must find a way to fix the problem. Before making a decision to replace your graphics card, you can try a simple repair procedure and see if it can help. Quality graphics cards can be quite expensive; it is wiser to try repairing the broken one and see if it can serve the purpose.

You can follow the procedure outlined below step by step. You however, have to follow each step to the latter bearing in mind that computer components are extremely sensitive. You can easily ruin your computer if you tamper or mishandle them.

Turn Off Your Computer

First of all, you need to ensure that your computer shuts down properly. Close all running programmers as usual. Follow the routine shut down instructions. Your computer can develop malfunctions if you disassemble it while it is still on

Disassembly

Now it is safe to remove the graphics card from the system. Lay your laptop on a flat stationary surface with the monitor facing down. Grab a screw with suitable head size and unfasten all the screws to remove the bottom lid.

Trace the graphics card and point it out from all other components of the central unit. Unscrew it from its place. As a caution, ensure you place all the screws in a manner that you can trace their original places during reassembly.

Clean The Graphics Card

Wipe off the thermal paste and dust or dirt that may have accumulated on the video can using a clear and dry piece of clothing. You can also choose to use ethylated wiping tissue paper to be careful not to spill any fluids into the sensitive parts of the video card. Remove any stickers that may be present on the video card

Baking

This is probably the most shocking part of the procedure. This is going to involve heating of the card in the oven. Preheat your oven to a temperature of about 390F. Place the graphics card on baking. Paper and heat it for about eight to ten minutes.

Once the set time has elapsed, let the graphics card cool. Do not fan it or place it in the refrigerator to cool. Let it cool naturally. After it has cooled, reapply a new thermal paste. Reassemble the graphics card into its original position.

Ensure that you don’t make errors during the assembly process. Avoid tampering with the other computer components. Ensure that you put back the screw as they were original. Ensure everything is tight enough. Finally, start your computer normally. After this whole process, your computer is bound to work. If it doesn’t work, then you definitely have to replace your video card. It may cost you a few hundreds of bucks, but is definitely worth your money

Well, it does not have to get this far off you take good care of your graphics card. The most primary care is to avoid running multiple graphics intensive programs on your computer It is also not advisable to run such programs for too long. Try as much as possible to set time limits within which you can play games on your computer.

If you notice that the fan’s noise is increasing drastically, it is definitely time to stop running the intense tasks on your computer let it cool for a while. Give it time to air out Place your computer on a wooden surface as opposed to a cotton surface that would insulate the heat that is being removed by the computer’s cooling system. Clean your computers central unit regularly. You can use a small vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dust that may have accumulated on the computer components.

Conclusion

Ensure you install legitimate video drivers on your computer This ensures that your graphics card performs its functions to the optimum. In addition to that, avoid disassembling your computers central unit as you may mess up with the graphics card

If you are a gamer, you probably understand how important a graphics card is to your computer Taking good care of it is of utmost importance. If the graphics card is at the brink of its death, you know exactly what to look out for Remember; your computer’s graphics card is the miracle worker that makes playing games and watching movies simply magical.