Hola all, I think my video card in my Dell 5150 has died. Any ideas on where I can buy another in Cancun? Gracias Rob
From Dell Mexico via the web. They deliver via Estafeta (meaning you have to sign for it). They've been very reliable from all accounts I've heard. I recently bought a monitor from them.
http://www.mundocomputacional.com/ AV. XCARET in back of IMSS, SM. 20 MZA. 20 TEL. 887 37 80 They're behind IMSS on the leg of Xcaret leading back to the ZH. They are a reasonably full service shop. Also on the corner of Palenque and Coba, there's an official HP service center that also sells parts like video cards. Further down the block there's another indie that also is well stocked. Sorry, but I haven't saved the names nor numbers. Also TECNOLOGIA INFORMATICA GLOBAL SA DE CV Quintana Roo Cancun Av Xcaret Loc 2 lote 112 Centro 77500 Teléfono: +52-998-8873780
Is this a laptop or a desktop computer... for a desktop you can buy virtually any video card to replace the defective one.. if its a laptop, you'll have a harder time.... either way ordering online at www.mercadolibre.com.mx is almost always cheaper then buying anything locally. Honestly, if its a laptop, unless you feel that you are qualified to crack it open and change out the video chip, I'd suggest you wait until your in the states rather than gamble with it at some place here... If its a desktop you can get low end video cards at the site I mentioned for $20-$30 dollars all day long.. and they are pretty straight forward to install, if you have even a little computer knowledge... BTW what makes you think that the video card is the problem.... many things can cause the monitor not to come on... if that's your only symptom. Most often (for desktops) its a matter of a lose card connection, memory/RAM lose or dead, or a failing power supply... and never underestimate what simply cleaning the dust out and cleaning the contacts of the ram can do...
Life is right. Get a proper diagnosis first. If your video card is simply unseated it would be a shame to buy a new one.
Hola all, Thank you for all the replies. I think it is my video card. I know it's not the monitor and I have been in and out of the case a few times. I couldn't find any info to ensure it was definitely the video card. I have a few old video cards around here, but they look to be too old to stick in the Dell. I will try cleaning the contacts better though. The computer was in storage for the whole summer, so it probably got a little grungy. I had a ram problem when I first booted up after all that time, but I re-seated the ram and all was well....temporarily. I will try again. The Dell usually lets me know if it's a memory problem, but it is not helping me on this one. Gracias, really appreciate the help. Rob
So it's a desktop machine. And the symptom is that the video doesn't come on (doesn't put anything at all on the monitor). And the system was in storage all summer. Storing computers in this heat and humidity is a tall order. I think the only reason my computer keeps running is that I almost never turn it off. I think if you need to store a computer here you need to do so in a full-time air conditioned space. I'm guessing your problem has something to do with storage, maybe try cleaning all the contacts really well and reseating that video card. I'm sure Mix and Life will chime in with good suggestions.
From what you said I would lean towards the memory... its actually quite rare for the video card itself to die completely without warning. If you've got more than one stick of ram take out all but one and make sure its down good with clean contact both on the ram stick and on the receiving terminals. You might want to get a Q-tip with rubbing alcohol and clean the surfaces. You should also take note of what the lights on the front of the case are doing.. if your "activity" light is not lit, or is solid.. ram is a good bet.... if its doing a fast constant blink.. the power supply should be checked.. or if the fans dont even start to spin, thats a sure sign for the power supply or a ground fault in the case, any beeping other than the normal ones, means that something isnt down good. Dont for get to check the obvious too.. like the plug for the monitor to make sure no pins are bent, and that everything is secure on both ends..
Thanks for the diagnosis. Here is what really makes me think its the card. The computer seems to boot up normally...except that I can't see it of course. After it totally boots up, I am able to turn it off by hitting ctrl-Esc then U then U enter. So it's like all is well...I just can't see it. Also, the last image it showed looked kind of like this... except worse. I had booted it up several times successfully before that. I will try cleaning the contacts in the way you suggested. What do you think? Gracias Rob
If you feel as though the machine is successfully powering on and you are receiving only a single beep when you hit the power switch you are passing the POST (power on self test), which would probably not happen with bad RAM. Don't be afraid to toss an old video card in just to make sure it's not the motherboard. But again, a motherboard fault would probably cause a POST fail or no activity at all. So to recap: If, based on your experience with the machine you're getting a good boot, i.e. no patterned warning beeps after you hit the switch, the odds are it's the video card, which doesn't report to the BIOS, so you won't get a beep code on a failure. Try an old card, as long as it's slot matched, i.e. don't force a PCI card into an AGP slot. If the current card is an AGP card, yank it. If you don't have a free PCI slot, yank something like the sound card to free up a PCI slot and give it a try. In any case, yank the video card before trying a new one. I know I'm being didactic, but I don't know your level of comfort, so I apologize in advance. Good luck! One other comment. I would rather walk to Texas than give my credit card number to Mercado Libre. The one and only time I did, someone else charged 4500 dollars in video equipment on it. Fair warning.
