Vostro 1500 with Nvidia GPU issue

Just wanted to see how many people have had the Vostro 1500 and had their GPU burn out. Also how you dealt with it. I'm currently fighting with Dell tech support as they believe that every laptop line they have with the 8xxx series Nvidia card is affected but the Vostro 1500? That is just not logical especially with other OEM using Nvidia GPU having the same issue.

 

The Vostro 1500 uses a proprietary MXM format for the video card, as well as the Inspiron 1520. All other Dells using the 8 series faulty chips have the chip soldered directly to the motherboard. This is the reason I see for it.

 

Can you give more detail on what happened to your card? Like: how you used it, what went wrong to lead you to say the GPU is burnt out, did you overclock it, etc.

 

I use it like a desktop. Sits on my computer and I use it for office functions. I do have games on it that my kids play like TF2 and Left4Dead. Reason I think it is the GPU is because it only boots to a white screen. The Dell tech also confirmed it. Also, I'm not an OC'er. From what I understand of this issue it was caused by Nvidia's failure to use the correct type of soldering and not much to do with the OEMs thus why Apple, HP, and Sony also have the same issues as Dell.

 

Well, the resistance you're facing is due to the fact that your GPU isn't soldered to anything.

 

It's not? Last I checked all GPUs are soldered- if not directly to the motherboard, to some form of removable module (this is the case in the Vostro 1500).

 

Hep the GPU is replaceable in the Vostro 1500 and 1700. It's a discreet self contained module which plugs into the mobo. What others are referring to is that other than the Vostro 1500 and 1700 laptops the GPU is soldered to the mobo. This is not the case with the 1500/1700 laptops.

That's why Dell did not put either of those two laptops on their problem list.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1520/en/sm/graphics.htm#wp1179839

 

Wow, go back and read the topic Rodknee. I mentioned this fact in my first post and even suggested this is the reason for the exclusion from the faulty list. However Kevin_Jack is saying that the GPU is not soldered to anything in the 1500 which is not true. It's soldered to the removable module.

 

But I think when folks refer to soldered, they mean soldered to the motherboard.

But I didnt think a vostro 1500 could get hot enough to pop the GPU ... guess I was wrong

 

You're right, "soldered" GPU is a slang way of saying attached directly to the motherboard, but since the issue is caused by the solder between the GPU and something else, and regardless if the GPU is "soldered" or not, it still is actually soldered to something.