Has your Nvidia GPU melted down?
Nvidia's second quarter business update, released Wednesday, was mostly bad news for the company. But there's potentially bad news for consumers, too. Nvidia revealed plans to take a $150 million to $200 million charge to cover anticipated repair and return costs arising from a "weak die/packaging material set in certain versions of its previous generation GPU and MCP products used in notebook systems."
The release goes on to explain that the cards aren't faulty on their own, but that the materials have demonstrated higher-than-normal failure rates in combination with other components in certain laptop configurations. (Clear as mud, no?) According to a follow-up from the IDG News Service, the problem is associated with the laptops' thermal design; Nvidia has reportedly provided laptop manufacturers with a driver that will cause system fans to start operating sooner in hopes of mitigating the problem.
Which manufacturers got the driver? Good question. The company seems determined to avoid listing the specific GPUs affected or the manufacturers whose laptops have shown problems. I've contacted Nvidia to see if we can get any more information, and I'll post an update when I hear back.
Meanwhile, let me know in the comments if you've had temperature-related issues with an Nvidia card in your laptop. Be sure to include your laptop model number--maybe we can find a pattern.
Update: I heard back from Nvidia representative Calisa Cole, who said that obligations to customers (i.e., manufacturers) prevent them from providing specifics about the models affected. But she did confirm the driver changes, saying, "We have switched production to a more robust die/package material set and are working proactively with our OEM partners to develop system management software to provide better thermal management to the GPU."
Michelle Thatcher has been reviewing technology products for nearly a decade. Her current focus is laptop reviews, with some kitchen gadgetry and Web 2.0 thrown in for good measure. 
The monitor has gone bad again, and quite possibly the GPU again. But to stick to the subject instead of ranting off, I'm running on a nVidia Geforce 7800M, just like ninjatorpedo.
A specific detail to my first service of the GPU was that the heat sink (which is actually kinda huge when you crack open the laptop to take a look) actually warped part of itself (the pipe that leads to the vents) and wasn't in the correct shape any more.
Currently, I'm experiencing higher than normal temperatures in that particular area again. I've managed about 30 Dell laptops for clients as well, so I'm kinda curious to check into this with more detail. I got some beef with Dell.
There were some talk going around about that particular card when it debuted, primarily it's power consumption (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3103).
If one were to take a look at the case for the e1705, I thought their idea to make the fan placement symmetrical was stupid. If anything, a bigger fan or two small ones would have been good for the GPU area with a better vent. system.
I'm not stating that the problem's strictly with the e1705 yet, since I can't back that fact immediately. Also, my comment on the fan system is a little tangent from the article itself, since the article states that the materials decomposed faster than expected.
..Well maybe a better vent system would have prevented that, but.. bah never mind.
I myself am on my 4th mothermoard (the GPU is soldered to the mobo - GPU goes soutn, the entire mobo gets replaced)
Here is some gory details:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=204772
I know HP put out a BIOS update to correct the thermal policy of the computer. I updated 3 days ago, and I'm still having the problem. After talking to HP, they don't have any idea what is causing the problem. I'll for sure call back about this news though!
My message to all folks with an nvidia GPU, keep your warranties up to date, you may neva know when the GPU might meltdown!!!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3571343
From my perspective it's both nVidia and Dell's design causing this. As in my post I am disappointed that Dell has not put out an official statement and still selling the laptops.
My message to all folks with an nvidia GPU, keep your warranties up to date, you may neva know when the GPU might meltdown!!!
tom, dick and harry=1 dell and nvidia= 0
What a rip off !!
Im going japanese!
helloo to lowsy integrated vid graphics. (bohooo)
btw my friend had the lowsy neo with integrated via chrome vid graph had this vertical lines issue TWICE but recovered and running up to now for more than 8 hrs?!
In that case it was a replace the motherboard.
very common problem.
I own A Toshiba P100-10P laptop, which has a N Vidia 7900 GS graphics, and it started heating insanely after only few months of usage, and started turning off by itself, also it was buggy when playing games or working in Premiere right from the start, so I sent it to repair, and they did seam to fix the problem, but still, you would not expect something like that to happen with 2000 $ laptop, now would you. They should be a shame of themselves.
From now, on it's Asus or Apple, never will I go for Toshiba products again. Thaey should at least given me a replacement laptop, instead of making me wait for 30 days to get my brand new laptop fixed.
- by Lerianis July 7, 2008 4:17 AM PDT
- Sounds like there is a serious problem with the 7000 and 8000 series of notebook graphics processors from NVidia. NVidia should immediately recall all these laptops before they moved to their 'more robust' packaging, and preemptively cut off the problems in question.
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