Over a month ago NVIDIA came forward and announced that they had shipped some faulty graphical processing units (GPU’s), and that it would cost them between $150-$200 million to cover the damages done. They didn’t announce specifically what cards were affected, but the cause of the issue was a weak die/packaging material that could fail because of temperature fluctuations.
To try and correct the issues the laptop manufacturers were advised to release new BIOS updates that would trigger the fans to turn on more frequently in hopes of lowering the heat. Dell is actually the first one that I’ve seen come forward, admit that some of their laptops are affected, and have already begun taking steps to correct the issues.
So what Dell laptops are affected by the NVIDIA GPU failures? Here’s a list of the models along with any updated BIOS drivers that should be downloaded:
- Precision M2300 (BIOS Update)
- Precision M4300
- Precision M65
- Inspiron 1420 (BIOS Update)
- Latitude D620
- Latitude D630 (BIOS Update)
- Latitude D630c (BIOS Update)
- Latitude D820
- Latitude D830
- Vostro 1310 (BIOS Update)
- Vostro 1400 (BIOS Update)
- Vostro 1510 (BIOS Update)
- Vostro 1710 (BIOS Update)
- XPS M1330 (BIOS Update)
- XPS M1530 (BIOS Update)
The BIOS update won’t do any good if you’re already experiencing the symptoms of a faulty GPU (multiple images, random characters on the screen, lines on the screen, or no video), and you’ll have to contact Dell to have the notebook repaired. They also plan on offering “modified service terms” which likely means they’ll extend your warranty in case you become affected by the problem later on down the road.
The thing that I find the most interesting is that the comments on the Dell blog regarding the faulty NVIDIA GPU’s are people saying that they’ll be purchasing from a different manufacturer next time if Dell doesn’t replace their graphics card… regardless of whether they’re having the problems right now. I understand their frustration, but these people need to realize that Dell isn’t the only one affected by the failures. I haven’t seen any other companies, like HP, come forward saying they’ll replace all of the graphics cards that could cause problems. It’s rumored that all NVIDIA 8400M and 8600M series cards are affected, which also means Apple could be in the line of fire.
Kudos to Dell for stepping forward with information on the faulty GPU’s. It’s apparent that many manufacturers aren’t brave enough to do the same thing.
Update: Dell has announced that they will be offering extended warranties to cover the issue. Thanks Claus for pointing it out!
Here is the list for HP/Compaq Laptops that are affected
[h10025.www1.hp.com]
Faulty NIVIDIA GPUS will hamper dell’s reputation!
Ahh, thanks for the link. It’s interesting how their page doesn’t even mention anything about there being faulty GPU’s. They are definitely trying to stay more quite about this than Dell.
Ryan,
Don’t know if you updated your posts on this or not, but as it was related I thought I would toss it in here.
NVIDIA GPU Update: Dell to Offer Limited Warranty Enhancement to All Affected Customers Worldwide
[direct2dell.com]
Quoting from the notice “Dell will offer a 12-month limited warranty enhancement specific to this issue. For all customers worldwide, we plan to add 12 months of coverage for this issue to the existing limited warranty up to 60 months from the date of purchase for the following systems . Details of the service plan will be available in the next few weeks. When I have more details to share, I will do so.”
Seeing as there are at this time almost 100 comments on that post alone, looks like lots of folks are interested in this ongoing issue…
–Cheers!
Thanks for the info Claus! Dell is definitely handling this the right way, and they definitely deserve credit for that.
I have had this exact same issue with the Dell XPS M1710 which has an Nvidia 7950 GTX GeforceGo (GU067) in it. I don’t know why this model M1710 isn’t on the list and the Vostro is a completely different spec. I have replaced 3 cards as my warranty has expired and the third card has now failed. Each card costs approximately $300-$800 which is quite expensive. It has gotten to the stage now where i can’t justify replacing cards anymore because it’s not cost feasible. I originally paid $4,800 for this laptop back in the end of 2006. Replacing cards all the time isn’t going fix the issue because all of the GU067 cards are affected and will in time fail like all the rest. The graphics cards are Lemons (check out Lemon laws in your area)! You might also be covered under a statutory warranty which Vendors don’t tell you about. All the Nvidia GPU’s need to be recalled and a suitable replacement without the defects issued to customers. It’s an outrage! After reading up on forums and finding that there are thousands of people with this issue i started an online Petition roughly 2 months ago. There are already lot’s of signatures from users with the same issue. Originally i started the petition just for the Model XPS M1710, but have now extended it to all Dell laptops with an Nvidia GPU. The Petition can be signed here: [petitiononline.com] I have also created a video of the effects of a defective Nvidia GPU on my M1710, the video can be viewed here: [youtube.com] A class action needs to happen to fix this issue because clearly Dell are stalling and never get back to their customers. I have been a Dell customer for quite sometime and have purchased many laptops from them and have recommended them to other people, however after this incident with the faulty cards and no suitable resolution other than a BIOS update for only certain models isn’t acceptable. The BIOS update isn’t going to fix the problem only slow the inevitable. Recall your product DELL!