My laptop is dying

Unfortunately it seems as though it’s nearly time for my laptop to die. Earlier today, while processing some photos, I saw the temperature of the graphics chip exceed 80 degrees celcius. It stayed at 83 degrees for some time, and then the screen began to artefact. I have subsequently removed the bottom panel which normally covers the cooling fan and heatpipe arrangement, and placed the laptop, open and on its side on my desk, with cables sticking out vertically, using an external monitor.

I thought maybe it was just the temperature at that point in time causing the issue. At present, the graphics chip sits at 54 degrees celcius, but similar graphics artefacts are occasionally occuring. This makes me a sad panda. Although I have had this laptop for just short of two years, I don’t really want to buy another. What really annoys me about this is that I know it’s not my fault the thing is dying.

I look after my things. This is the reason it’s dying. nVidia and Dell fucked up a few years ago; nVidia made some dodgy graphics chips and then those dodgy graphics chips made it into several models of Dell laptop, mine included. Although Dell admirably extended the warranty on all affected laptops for 12 months for this particular issue, I still feel as though I’ve been cheated somewhat. I still have a desktop system that I built late in 2004. It’s still running perfectly fine because I thought out the system before I purchased it, built it properly, and looked after it. Despite the fact that I use my computers more than the average person (that system in particular was operated nearly 24/7, literally for about 4 years), they stand the test of time. Not so with my laptop, because nVidia and Dell fucked up.

So, although I really like Dell laptops, and I have since bought other nVidia products, I might have to look elsewhere for a future laptop, if indeed I buy one at all. My needs have changed and I rarely make use of a full laptop system anymore. I could probably do with a basic netbook, although even for simple tasks the abysmal screen resolution on those things would annoy me. I think I’ll have to have a ponder.