Figuring out which NVIDIA GPUs are defective -- it's a lot
By Nilay Patel 
posted July 31st 2008 6:13PM
posted July 31st 2008 6:13PM
So now that HP's joined Dell in releasing information on which laptops have those defective NVIDIA GPUs, we can sort of piece together which chips are faulty -- and just as had been rumored, it looks like basically every Geforce 8600M and 8400M chip is affected. That's not good news for NVIDIA, which has been saying that only "previous-generation" chips were problematic -- unless the chipmaker is planning on updating the hugely popular 8x00 series sometime, say, now, that's not exactly true, now is it? Other affected chips appear to be in the GeForce Go 7000 and 6000 lines, as well as the Quadro NVS 135M and the Quadro FX 360M, but that's just looking at model numbers, and we can't be exactly sure. We'd say that if you've got a machine with any one of these GPUs, it might be wise to call in and see what your laptop maker is going to do -- and it would be smart for NVIDIA to come right out and say exactly how big and how bad this problem really is.Read - Dell list of machines and patch
Read - HP list of machines, extended warranty info
Sh*t.
You took the words right of my mouth. The 7600 in my Pavilion DV9074ea has been toasted twice requiring a motherboard change both times. I've told HP many times that my laptop is hotter than it should be but they have always told me that the excessive heat is within the limits. Nvidia is in some big ass mess now.
Any word on VAIO units affected?
Is this really as big a problem as Engadget is making out to be? I've got a GeForce 8600 on my lappy and it seems to be running fine...
Should I be worried? And what exactly CAN they do to fix whatever is wrong? I mean either way we'd have to part with our laptop for a few days (if we're lucky) and weeks if it goes the typical route right?
Do you game?
I have an 8600m too and it has been fine! It gets to like 90º C on Crysis, but it hasn't gone kaput...
I thought it was number of temperature cycles that mattered, not necessarily just how hot it gets...
My cousin's computer uses one of these, and he returned the first one for graphics issues (it made a clicking noise when he used anything that required major graphic use), and now this second one freezes up if we try to use it for games too long (Halo, MoM, Wow, ect.).
CURSE YOU NVIDIA!!!
: - (
Random heat-related failures in an entire product line due to engineering negligence is generally something to be concerned about.
If you aren't upset now, you will be a month, a year or two down the line when your GPU randomly separates from its bonds to the substrate and renders your notebook an aerodynamically-inept Frisbee.
That said, I'd consider it slightly serious.
I don't game on my laptop....at least not right now.
I might play Spore when it comes out.
Shit I just read that last post.
My laptop does get hot very quickly. As very intense heat.
Now I'm angry...I think I'm gonna call my laptop manufacturer soon. Cuz this is ridiculous. Why would they sell me the product if one of the components is known to have issues.
I own an xps m1330 with one of the faulty 8400m chips. And that thing got hot, fast. On vista, the gpu reached 100C when i tested it. In ubuntu, it got around 95C. Finally it crapped out and only displayed vertical color lines. So they replaced it, but I've no idea if I got a replacement without the defect (probably not).
In any event, I'm not installing that BIOS. I'd rather wait for the chip to get fried again.
"Engineering Defect"???
and nVidia has the most rigorous screening for hiring engineers
this doesn't sound good
It is as bad as engadget says. I've had to have two laptops replaced. No... there won't be any warning sign... you'll just power up one day and see a bunch of artifacts all over the screen (yes.. during boot). Sometimes the screen will just go black after a few minutes.
One laptop had the 135M on board... so the whole mainboard had to be replaced.
What we're talking about here is basically a design flaw that causes heat to prematurely kill the cards. So it's a big deal in the same way that the RRoD was. These seem to be lasting a bit longer, but massive dieoffs much sooner than GPUs would usually be expected to call it quits sound pretty likely.
Dell's response so far as pretty much been to release an update that blows the fan constantly, presumably trying to push back the inevitable deaths as long as they can. Or at least long enough to push them out of warranty... If they don't get a warranty extension on GPU replacements, I think I see a class action suit in someone's future.
i had 2 Geforce 8600M crap out on me in the same dell laptop... nice to know i'm not alone
You won't really be playing SPORE on a normal laptop.
The Games for Windows panel in Vista shows my laptop with a rating of 3, when the creature creator demo requires a rating of 4.
首先
was this typed from a defective GPU?
He keeps posting it in other threads too, a quick Google Translate says it means "At the neck" in Japanese.
no... it means "First" in this context.
你会说普通话吗?
Yes, it means first, but it isn't in Japanese. It is in Putonghua/Mandarin.
shit, you guys went all x-files on me?
heh, Mandarin fail!
Hey man, this is a family blog! Watch your language!
I got shǒu (首) xiān (先), which means something along the lines of "former leader" or maybe "first poem" in Mandarin.
It means "Firstly" in english.
P.S. I am a naive Cantonese speaker.
the chinese don't say first..
they say sofa
@roj
very funny.
Wow looks like my next video card will be ATI.......
I only wish Dell would put ATI cards in their laptops.
sony started using ATI in its new line of laptops
The Studio line uses ATI, would be my choice if I were looking for a laptop
or the nvidia 9 series, which also has switchable graphics. actually, many 9 series GPUs are being sold now. i just got an hp dv5t with a 512MB 9600M GT.
damn, now i have to learn the RADEON numbering scheme.
I have a GeForce 8600M GT in my macbook pro... problem?
yes, buying a macbook pro indicates a problem.
Aw- play nice... I've used macs since I was about 4- and I haven't gone off the deep end yet.
relax. it's his choice. no brand is "better" than the other. beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I wish there was a way to stop all this arguing over which is better...
Yes. There are a number of MacBook Pro users that are experiencing video problems, likely because of the 8600. Sadly, I'm one of them. There's a thread on it in the Apple Support Discussion Boards. Unfortunately, Apple hasn't addressed the issue, and the solution they've been applying--replacing the logic board--is cost-prohibitive for those whose computers aren't under warranty, and moreover, a number users who've had their boards replaced have seen their video fail again later on.
i just recently had to have my logic board replaced to deal with the problem. my screen just stopped working one day, and everything else was fine (used voiceover to track down what was wrong) but sys profiler was registering the on board graphics (intel x3100) instead of the 8600mgt. i've got apple care, so it wasn't a problem, but it was an arse not having a laptop for a few days.
and i game, occasionally, in windows, for what it's worth.
It seems like CrapVidia unites us in sorrow: Dell, HP, Toshiba, heck... even Apple... It doesn't matter what kind of a fanboy you are... we're all equally screwed... So MBP users, you guys shouldn't worry too much since you can't play games in OSX. What'u say... you're notebook is an oven when working in Photoshop... well, I guess it redefines the expression "HOTTT" laptop :)
So there's still no definitive list as to which chips are affected? Amazing. Nvidia, wtf?
My union is supporting a consumer recall of affected Nvidia chips. See www.recallnvidia.org for more info about the chip problem and our recall effort.
Damn it, and I thought I was safe with my Geforce Go 7700. Oh well, looks like no more overclocking for me, although to be honest, I don't think it has ever gone above 70C under load, so I might be safe to keep punishing that thing... actually, the chance of it melting down kind of makes me want to see just how far it'll go, and for how long. Asus' warranties are good for things like that.
Ah, you must have an Asus G1 as well. Mine's been stable and stays rather cool despite playing games for hours. I wonder if the problems mostly lie within onboard mounted GPUs versus MXM type cards like the Asus used.
Has Apple released any information about the problem in their laptops? I have a Macbook pro I bought in March, and it's getting extremely warm...
Macs just work... warm.
Indeed they do work.. warm. My GPU is at 140F while my CPU is at 128F... but the base is just at 99F
@b-rad...
That doesn't seem warm at all. If your laptop CPU runs at under 70C, it is not warm. My m1330 CPU was running at 80-90C before they flashed the bios and replaced some parts. Now it never hits 80C, and is usually in the 50s. Laptops are built to handle very high temps.
Ultimately, I don't think you're at risk of damaging any parts until you hit 70C+ temps, and even then there is a low possibility until you hit 80C+.