Bios Update for Faulty NVIDIA GPU’s in Dell Laptops
As you might know I recently purchased a new Dell laptop, we also covered the fact that it came to light a few weeks ago that some Dells were shipped with faulty NVIDIA GPU’s. What we did not know at the time is which specific models were affected, what the problem was and what was being done about it. This caused me some concern as you can appreciate. However, Dell has now released some details and what their customers can do.
The problem is “a weak die/packaging set” this may fail and cause GPU temperature fluctuations resulting in the following symptoms and ultimatly GPU failure:
- Multiple images
- Random characters on screen
- Lines
- No video
Dell is recommending that users perform a BIOS update that modifies the fan profile to help regulate temperature fluctuations. If however you are already experiencing symptoms particually in regards to video that this BIOS update will not rectify the problem. Read: your GPU is fried already. If this is the case you need to address the issue under waranty.
Direct links to the BIOS updates can be found in the statement from Dell. All new models are being shipped with the update installed. NVIDIA are yet to acknowledge any problem with chips, yet with this information it is going to be difficult to deny. It might have something to do with the estimated 150 - 200 million dollars they will have to spend to fix it.
With the list of available updates and Dell Products comes some indication regarding the affected models and GPU’s. I was happy to see that my new Inspiron 1720 was not on it. However one commenter on the post claims that the Vostro 1710 is the same as the 1720 but in a different colour. Right now I can only take what Dell say on face value, I have not had any of the described problems (phew).
Dell is not the only laptop manufacturer to be affected and it certainly is not Dell’s fault, as some commenters seem to think. However a BIOS update is a bit weak in my opinion, it doesn’t fix the problem; rather avoids the fault from causing damage to the GPU through over heating. I also noted that they are not claiming that this is a definiative fix, so it may not work. Is that good enough? Personally I think that the faulty chips should be recalled and replaced, even if Nvidia still have their head in the sand.
So good news for me but is anyone seeing double, lines with their video on the blink?
Via: BetaNews
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As long as dell are willing to repair/replace without question if issues arise, then that’s probably enough in my opinion. Having one of the possibly affected models won’t be a guarantee that it will fail, and it’s not a safety issue, so a recall would probably be a bit extreme.
I can see your point about a recall. But, having one with the updated BIOS won’t guarantee that it won’t fail either. I was mainly looking at it from a customer service and maintaining their brand.
In my opinion, if you buy a product and it is faulty - you want it replaced. They do this with cars so why not computers? If I bought fridge and I found a dint in it - I could get it replaced. Not a safety issue and not an aesthetic one either (I bought a dishwasher with a dint in the back for about 200 bucks off).
It would be good form is all, plus everyone would love Dell for it. Heck, they are making a crap load of cash! Just an upgrade from a 6 cell to a 9 cell battery - they are charging a couple of hundred bucks!!
If it turns out something like 50% fail, then that could have a detrimental affect on their brand, but as long as they’re happy to fix it if/when something does go wrong, then it shouldn’t be an issue. Since it’s a problem they’ve acknowledged, they would hopefully be willing fix notebooks that fail/or have problems due to this even after they’re out of their normal warranty period, as Microsoft has done with the Xbox 360’s red ring of death issue.
I have to agree with atmo about the recall. They do recalls on cars when there’s a safety issue. If your stereo is broken, or the floormats tear easily, they’d either ship you a new floormat, or get you to take it to the dealer to get your stereo fixed.
Need to recall and fix the issue.