Preface
The main point of this article is that replacing a graphics card is surprisingly easy, even for people who don't have much experience replacing PC parts.
Please note that this is not a detailed explanation of how to replace the part, but rather a personal memo.
The monitor on the BTO PC I bought from Dospara's online store in the first half of this year has been malfunctioning for a while, and I've been using it while wondering if there was anything I could do about it.
The symptoms include the computer suddenly becoming unresponsive, freezing for a while, and then becoming responsive again.
Sometimes it would recover on its own, and other times the monitor would go completely black before starting up again.
When playing online mahjong, the freeze period during which you can't control your character and sometimes make unintended moves has always bothered me.
The Windows Event Viewer contains"The display driver stopped responding, but has now recovered successfully."I'm getting this error, and I've figured out that it seems like the NVIDIA driver or graphics card might be causing the problem.
However, I tried changing settings based on information I found online, but it didn't improve the situation.
Although it was inconvenient, it wasn't critical, so somehow I just let it go for almost six months.
And then, last Sunday, something went wrong with the monitor.
Pink lines appeared in the areas where black was drawn, and furthermore, the secondary monitor I was using in my multi-monitor setup also stopped displaying anything.
After troubleshooting, I concluded that the problem wasn't with the monitor, but rather with the graphics card.
Therefore, this time I decided to buy a graphics card separately and try replacing it myself.
My computer tinkering level
I like computers,I've never built anything from scratch myself.
My experience so far has been limited to things like adding extra memory, replacing an HDD with an SSD, and replacing old, underperforming fans.
I like machines like these, so I don't mind opening up my computer case, looking inside, and tinkering with it.
I have absolutely no knowledge about things like parts compatibility or whether products from a certain manufacturer are bad.
Prior research
First, when considering replacing my graphics card, I did a lot of research on what to replace it with.
The one that was installed up until now was an RTX 2070.Quite unnecessarily high-endIt was (apparently) like that.
I don't play PC games that heavily utilize 3D graphics, so I figured it didn't need to be anything too fancy.
Considering the price range and reputation, I'd say around 30,000 yen."ASUS GeForce GTX 1660Ti"I decided to buy it.
Before purchasing, remove the laptop cover.I checked to see if there was enough space for the new graphics card.
The thickness can vary quite a bit depending on the size of the fan, so I made sure to compare it with my current one and take that into consideration.
I also checked for power supply capacity issues and whether the power connector was the same type.
There seem to be various types, such as 10-pin and 8-pin, but I chose the same one because it was easier.
Graphics cards aren't cheap, so it would be a real waste to buy one and then find out you can't install it.
Actual installation
As usual, I bought it on Amazon, and it arrived very quickly.
It's a sturdy box with bright colors (though that's not really important).
This is what it looked like when I opened the lid.
Since it's a precision instrument, it's best not to touch it with bare hands, so I kept it in a bag until just before installing it.
Disconnect all cables from the computer, unplug the power cord, and remove the cover.
They explained that not doing this could lead to electric shock or equipment malfunction.
Then, I removed the power cord attached to the graphics card.
I was afraid to use too much force, so I pulled it out very carefully.
From what I can see, it looks like you can also plug in a graphics card that requires a 10-pin connector.
After unplugging the power cord, I then removed the part that was secured to the computer case with screws.
I forgot to take a picture, but it was secured in two places and could be removed with a regular Phillips head screwdriver.
Next, release the lock at the base.
Since it moves slightly from side to side, you can successfully remove the graphics card by pulling it straight up while it's in that position.
At this point, I took extreme care not to apply too much force, as this could damage not only the graphics card but also the motherboard.
If it feels unusually stiff, there might still be screws holding it in place.
Then I inserted the new graphics card into the place where I had removed the old one, but what surprised me was the part circled in red.
The screw holes on the case and the holes on the graphics card's mounting bracket did not align, making it impossible to secure the card with screws.
I thought this was a problem, but it turned out the graphics card simply wasn't properly seated. Once I seated it properly, the screw holes aligned and I was able to install it successfully.
I wondered if this was the "parts compatibility issue" I'd heard about, but that wasn't the case, and I was able to install it without any problems.
In conclusion
After completing the installation and starting the system, the problem was completely resolved, and the monitor now displays without any issues.
I was worried about what I would do if the same symptoms reappeared, but since it has improved, it seems that the graphics card was indeed the problem.
Replacing the graphics card was surprisingly easy, so I don't think I'll need to do it again anytime soon, but I'm confident I can do it myself in the future.