How to Replace a Fujitsu N6410 Laptop Video Card

Your laptop's video card sends a video signal to your LCD screen. The quality of your laptop's video card largely determines the speed and quality of the video signal on your LCD screen. The Fujitsu LifeBook N6410 laptop comes installed with an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400. The video card is built into the motherboard assembly. This means that you must disassemble the entire laptop to gain access to the video card. This may affect your laptop's warranty agreement. Contact Fujitsu directly before attempting to replace your video card.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips-head screwdriver
• Flat-head screwdriver
• ESD wrist wrap

Instructions

1. Shut down the laptop and disconnect the power cable. Close the LCD panel, and then place the laptop face down. Locate the battery on the bottom casing of the laptop. Press on the locking button until the button clicks and the battery pack is released from its compartment. Lift it out of the laptop.

2. Flip the laptop over and open the LCD screen. Carefully insert a small, flat-head screwdriver into the four corners of the keyboard cover. The keyboard cover is the thin plastic strip between the LCD screen and keyboard. Pry up the keyboard cover until it is separated from the laptop. Do not remove it completely from the laptop. There is a thin wire attached to the keyboard cover that, if broken, will require you to send your laptop in to be repaired.

3. Remove the three Phillips-head screws from behind the top row of keys on the keyboard. Grasp the keyboard behind the top row of keys, tilt the keyboard upward and place the keyboard face down over the palm rest. Locate the keyboard ribbon cable, and use a small, flat-head screwdriver to disengage the locking tabs on either side of the ribbon connector where it connects to the motherboard. Disconnect the cable from the motherboard. Remove the keyboard and set it aside.

4. Locate the cooling fan near the top and center of the upper laptop casing. Remove the aluminum bar that sits to the left of the cooling fan. Grasp the bar with one hand and slide it toward you until it comes loose. Set the aluminum bar aside.

5. Remove the Phillips-head screws securing the cooling fan/heatsink combination to the motherboard. Disconnect the cooling fan's power cable from the motherboard. Lift the cooling fan/heatsink combination out of the motherboard and set it aside. This will reveal both the CPU chip and the video card. The video card is the large chip on the left.

6. Remove the four Phillips-head screws securing the video card to the motherboard. Lift the video card straight up until it is disconnected from its socket.

7. Repeat this procedure in reverse to install the new video card.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear an ESD (electrostatic discharge) wrist wrap when disassembling the laptop. It will help prevent electric shock from static electricity. It also prevents any electrical damage to your laptop's internal hardware.

References

• I-Hacked: Disassemble Fujitsu N-Series laptop
• PC Mag: Fujitsu N6410 Laptop