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Figuring out which NVIDIA GPUs are defective -- it's a lot
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 patchRead - HP list of machines, extended warranty info
All NVIDIA 8400M / 8600M chips faulty?
NVIDIA's stock took a pretty big hit last week when it announced that "significant quantities" of "previous-generation" GPUs and mobile and communications processors were defective and that it would take a $250M charge against earnings to repair and replace the affected chips, but the company didn't say which chips specifically were faulty, nor how many. That might be because the problem is much worse than it even sounds -- according to a report in The Inquirer, every single G84 and G86 GPU in the 8400M and 8600M series of cards is affected. Apparently both chips share an ASIC, and the core design suffers from the same heat-related issues. That certainly implicates a "significant quantity" of chips, all right, but this is just a rumor for now -- one that's probably best handled by NVIDIA stepping up and letting its customers know exactly how big the problem is.[Thanks, Rich]
HP and Compaq unveil new AMD-powered laptops
Shortly after loosing a slew of AMD-based desktops, HP and Compaq have now unleashed a trio of Pavilion and Presario laptops powered by Advanced Micro Devices. The 17-inch Pavilion dv9500z series offers up a nice selection of AMD Turion 64 X2 processors, Windows Vista, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M (or optional 8400M GS), WiFi / Bluetooth, a built-in webcam and microphone, an optional Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard, up to 500GB of HDD storage, a dual-layer DVD writer (or a HD DVD reading drive), and an eight-cell Li-ion to boot. The slightly smaller (that's 15.4-inches, for those keeping count) Pavilion dv6500z series offers up a fairly similar array of specs in a more compact chassis, while the lower-end 15.4-inch Compaq Presario V6500Z series steps down to an AMD Sempron and offers up less upgrades. All three units can be ordered right now through HP's website, and while the Compaq unit starts at $499, the dv6500z and dv9500z get going at $749.99 and $999.99, respectively.[Via NotebookReview]
BenQ's showy 15.4-inch Joybook R56 laptop
Another month, another Joybook. Thankfully, BenQ's workin' overtime to keep things fresh in its ever-growing laptop lineup, and the flashy R56 doesn't disappoint. The machine sports a 15.4-inch WXGA widescreen display with an eight-millisecond response time, HDMI output, and NVIDIA's GeForce 8400M G to boot. Additionally, you'll find an Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor, 512MB to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 160GB of SATA hard drive space, an optional dual-layer DVD writer, six-cell Li-ion battery, 802.11a/g/n, built-in stereo speakers / subwoofer, and a slew of ports including Firewire, Ethernet, VGA, audio in / out, eSATA, ExpressCard, and four USB 2.0 connectors. Unfortunately, BenQ's not handing out any pricing or availability deets just yet, but click on through for a few more angles of this stylish machine.[Via Electronista]
