Comments on: Nvidia Laptop GPU’s failing in the field could affect Dell Customers http://www.colindiponio.com/2008/07/04/nvidia-laptop-gpus-failing-in-the-field-could-affect-dell-customers/ North West Computer Consultancy Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:09:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Colin DiPonio http://www.colindiponio.com/2008/07/04/nvidia-laptop-gpus-failing-in-the-field-could-affect-dell-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4164 Colin DiPonio Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:02:54 +0000 http://www.colindiponio.com/2008/07/04/nvidia-laptop-gpus-failing-in-the-field-could-affect-dell-customers/#comment-4164 Thanks for that useful information Hamid. Colin Thanks for that useful information Hamid.

Colin

]]> By: Hamid http://www.colindiponio.com/2008/07/04/nvidia-laptop-gpus-failing-in-the-field-could-affect-dell-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4163 Hamid Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:44:37 +0000 http://www.colindiponio.com/2008/07/04/nvidia-laptop-gpus-failing-in-the-field-could-affect-dell-customers/#comment-4163 Here at ndc we refurbish hundreds of Dell laptops every week. Previously we used to refurbish other brands but to be honest the problems we are seeing with the Dell laptops are the same as we have seem with other brands previously. GPU problems have always existed as the chips tend to run quite hot, the issue isnt so much to do with the nVidia chip itself but the solder balls attached to the BGA IC. As the chip gets hotter so do the solder balls, this coupled with the pressure of the heatsink above the IC leads to problems with the solder balls. The issue becomes more prominent when the laptop experiences hot/cold temperature changes. Numerous times we have had a laptop running fine for days, switched it off overnight only to find the following morning the fault has re-occurred. The reason the problem isnt as apparent on the ATI based laptops (although it still exists) is the chips are not as high performance and do not run as hot as the nVidia chips. Take for example the older Inspiron 9400, the ATI X1400 had a lower failure rate than the nVidia 7900GS alternative, but the performance of the ATI is a fraction of the nVidia counterpart in 3D graphics test. Other issues like the air vents being blocked dont help either. A lot of people tend to use the laptops in bed whereby the duvet smothers the venting, or against a wall where hot ait just builds up. Generally speaking if the laptop is treated carefully the issues don't arise often. Rarely have we seen the actual nVidia or ATI IC go faulty, usually it is just the solder balls or the solder balls attached to the associated onboard memory IC's. It is just a a generic problem to all BGA type IC's, and obviously the hotter they run, the more the chance of the problem occurring. Here at ndc we refurbish hundreds of Dell laptops every week. Previously we used to refurbish other brands but to be honest the problems we are seeing with the Dell laptops are the same as we have seem with other brands previously. GPU problems have always existed as the chips tend to run quite hot, the issue isnt so much to do with the nVidia chip itself but the solder balls attached to the BGA IC. As the chip gets hotter so do the solder balls, this coupled with the pressure of the heatsink above the IC leads to problems with the solder balls. The issue becomes more prominent when the laptop experiences hot/cold temperature changes. Numerous times we have had a laptop running fine for days, switched it off overnight only to find the following morning the fault has re-occurred.

The reason the problem isnt as apparent on the ATI based laptops (although it still exists) is the chips are not as high performance and do not run as hot as the nVidia chips. Take for example the older Inspiron 9400, the ATI X1400 had a lower failure rate than the nVidia 7900GS alternative, but the performance of the ATI is a fraction of the nVidia counterpart in 3D graphics test.

Other issues like the air vents being blocked dont help either. A lot of people tend to use the laptops in bed whereby the duvet smothers the venting, or against a wall where hot ait just builds up.

Generally speaking if the laptop is treated carefully the issues don’t arise often. Rarely have we seen the actual nVidia or ATI IC go faulty, usually it is just the solder balls or the solder balls attached to the associated onboard memory IC’s. It is just a a generic problem to all BGA type IC’s, and obviously the hotter they run, the more the chance of the problem occurring.

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