Acer Aspire 7720 - Nvidia Defect

Hi all,

My laptop died the other day and i took it to a local whizz kid who said it had fell foul of the well known Nvidia Defect - he said he could repair it, however the only graphics card which would fit my machine would be the exact same type that it already has, and therefore they couldnt guarantee it would rectify the problem and if it did, he couldnt guarantee how long it'd be fixed for - so i could pay £100+ for a new card and for him to fit it, but i'd be back in 6 months doing the whole thing again.

Is this something people are aware of?
Is there anything i can do - or is my machine dead - It cost me £700+ from PC World (UK) in 2008 so seems awfully annoying that its just dead...

All help grateful.

I can add further info on my machine if required.

Cheers.

 

it wouldnt cost £100 for a new card

heres a compatibl one for £50
NVidia GeForce 9600M GT MXM II DDR3 512MB VG.9PG06.006 VGA Video Card AS-IS* | eBay

Since its the newer version and its ddr3

1 = Better performance you performance will almost double.
2 = its The 9xxx series not the 8xxxx series your model came with so it wont have the defect.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/396320-acer-mxm-models-cards.html

Above link is list of all acer laptops and what upgrades to graphics they have had, so its lists your options

 

So, if i purchased that card ^ off eBay for £50, i could take it to a store and have it fitted and there would be NO chance of the original defect resurfacing?

I wouldnt be able to fit the card myself...

If so, i think i love you..

PS I just clicked that link, its set as 'For Parts or Not Working' so that wouldnt be any good.

 

woooops

Acer nVidia GeForce 9600M GT 9600MGT G96-630-A1 512MB DDR3 MXM II VGA Card | eBay

 

Right,
So if i bought that for £65 and took it to a different store and asked them to fit it;
a) Would it definately be compatible because tbh i dont know
b) Would it 100% guarantee that the known Nvidia defect would not re-occur 3,6,12 months down the line
c) Is it 'Safe' to buy a refurbished unit off the internet?

Alot to ask, i know.

 

Hello,

Rather than purchase an Nvidia card which would most likely also be defective why not instead install an ATI MXM-II card which can be purchased for £54 on Ebay.

This is a brand new card and I have purchased quite a number of these without a problem.

They can be found here:- NEW ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 3450 3470 MXM II 256MB | eBay

This is a much better option than taking a chance with an Nvidia card.

What do you think?

Best wishes

Paul
The Nvidia Defect Forum

 

Just be aware that card will not do any 3d gaming.

 

yea it really is a low performance card the nvidia defect like i said was only present in the 8000 series whilst the ones i linked where the 9000 series.

and why get that ati when you can get this one
New ACER 5920G ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 256MB DDR3 MXM II VGA video Card | eBay

Though you would need to get the bracket from your dead card fitteed onto the new one.

basically you can have a 9600m gt or a ati 3650
Both are ddr3 and are way better performance than your old card.

 

Disclaimer: This is only meant as an alternative because the card stopped working altogether -- no working motherboard or add-on card should be subjected to this procedure otherwise. Further, attempting this can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. (That being said, this did work for me on a DELL D630 that did not post any video via VGA or panel on bootup)

If this 'NVIDIA problem' is a solder reflow issue and the card is standalone, you could probably fix it for 'free'. If this is not a solder reflow issue and the chip is already damaged this WILL NOT WORK.

--- DANGER --- What follows is a method I saw elsewhere in a forum that fixed my issue of no video on post via VGA or panel on a Dell D630 laptop.

The procedure involves simply baking the card (or in my case, the entire motherboard, as the card was not removable) in an oven for 10 min @ 350F, then letting it cool down before moving it. I used metal motherboard standoffs to hold card in place against a solid baking pan. I also removed any existing glue/labels (70 or 91% alcohol should do) on the motherboard very carefully -- very important.

Further disclaimer -- IF doing this DO NOT leave board unattended for any reason whatsoever. In fact, keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case. And for the love of god, make sure your oven is clean.

FWIW, the proper procedure to fix this involves a reflow tool like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgs5JbHE98

 

Yea but would you really want to be subjugated to a reflow everytime it failed.

FYI vacola this laptop uses an mxm card so it jsut gets removed and can be ovened, but Tbh its a low end card and will get the issue in the future so to prevent that from happening we are offering him different model gpus that dont have the issue to replace his.

He could probable squeze a few more years out of the laptop with a new gpu.

 

Hello Squeeze666,

Sorry to say but the Nvidia defect is not only present in the 8000 series but it is also present in many, many others.

In a legal action brought by NUFI (National Union Fire Insurance) who are Nvidia's own insurance company, it is stated:-

So, as you can see, the problem is far more widespread.

Then you have the BGA defect which is caused by the removal of the lead from the lead based solder due to ROHS (Restriction Of Harmful Substances) regulations. This is causing failures in a number of the 9000 series GPU's along with some of the ATI GPU's that are bonded onto the mainboard.

You will find that the manufacturers are not shouting about this from the rooftops for obvious reasons.

If the OP is the original purchaser of the laptop then he can either pursue a free repair or a pro-rated refund.

The Sale Of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) and the Limitations Act 1980 gives all consumers six years from the date of purchase in which to file a claim against a retailer when the goods in question have failed due to an inherent defect.

If you Google Nvidia Defect Forum you will find more information.

I hope the above helps.

Best wishes

Paul
The Nvidia Defect Forum

 

yes but the 9600m gt uses the G9X Architecture.

and so most if not all of the 9xxxx no use any of the designs above.


Though it was a really bad defect, thanks for the reply

 

The Dell D630's NVIDIA chip I had was soldered to the mainboard, so I figured it couldn't hurt since it was already broken. But yes, it probably makes sense to buy the new part for the OP... just thought I'd give a suggestion with enough warnings in place.

In re: subsequent reflows, I think that can be also be mitigated by doing a better paste job to some extent -- for example, I put new 1mm thick thermal pads on the Dell D630 before putting it back together.

 

Some early-manufactured 9600M GTs are also affected by the Nvidia defect (known on this forum as Bumpgate). Anything manufactured after Week 38, 2008 should be fine. This includes all 9600M cards with chip rev. C1, as well as the entire GT 230M/240M/330M lineup. For 9600M GS/GT rev. A1, ask the seller about the date code on the chip - if it's 0838 or higher, then it's safe; otherwise beware.

Good:

Date code is 1016 (week 16 of 2010) - should be safe.

Bad:

Date code is 0822 (week 22 of 2008) - potentially Bumpgate-affected!