Thinkpads Forum

I've just acquired a T61 with a Nvidia chip, it has static along one edge of the SXGA screen, however the image is fine on an external monitor. Is this a symptom of the graphics chip failing by degrees, or is it a damaged screen? Mfg date is 3/08. Thanks.

Could be either, but most likely it's the chip failing. I don't recall ever seeing a LCD panel defect that I would call "static". Can you post a picture?

Here is a link to a Youtube clip showing the static on the right side.
http://youtu.be/53AP-edS45Y
Image is fine using an external monitor.

I'd say it's the GPU.

If you really want to prove it one way or another, put in a hard drive, load the OS and nVidia drivers, then stress it out with Furmark or Freestone for a few hours, while observing the chip temperatures.

TPFC would be one helpful addition to the list above, running at "manual" mode.

Good luck.

You can also try flexing the LCD by twisting the lid. Don't do it hard enough to break it, but if a gentle twist changes things, then you probably have a bad lcd. I'm not saying this is likely, but it's a simple test you can do in seconds.

If it's the gpu there will be fractures in the internal circuits but since it still works (parcially), the fractures aren't in a fatal location or are still conducting some electricity. Resistance across these points will generate heat and when stressed with furmark it will generally cause spikes in temp. From my experience, when running an nvs140m with furmark with the fan set to manual mode speed 7 using TPFC, you'll see a very stable smooth temp graph. The GPU with a proper cooling system will generally run 55-65c degrees steady while furmark is running (disable fuzzy donut by hitting spacebar) and fan on constant.

I've seen failing chips instantly shoot up over 90c degrees, and I've seen some that looked stable but would spike now and then, and I've seen furmark finish off a chip that was basically just hanging on by a thread.

By the way, if you happen to have a lid for any T60/61, or even R series, you can plug that into your motherboard and get an immediate answer. It doesn't have to be the proper size, it will still work since they all use the same connectors.

Thanks Tuus. I've got a new screen on the way. I'll report back my findings after surgery. Regards.

Screen was bad.
03/08 Nvidia GPU appears fine, for now.