G51Jx GTS360M GPU Burned (Pics inside)

Hi all,

I think I may have the first G51Jx sold so maybe this will affect others soon too if it hasn't already.

I bought Arctic Silver some time ago but didn't install so as to keep my warranty. I would clean out the dust regularly with compressed air though, and I'd upgraded to an SSD a few months back. My warranty recently expired, but before I could put the paste, the GPU burned out this week. I had not overclocked since I first got the machine and was doing a review in Feb of 2010.

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Has anyone else experienced this? We were playing a game at the time and all the ports were clear and the fan was working. Smelled burn and opened up and found it burned out.

I am considering getting a new 60-NYLVG1000-C11 and swapping it in (same part - as required by the VBIOS?) - the system boots if I have the MXM module removed (just no video), but with it in, the power adapter shuts down instantly on connection (it's shorting out).

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I'm thinking it's worth fixing if I can get a good one of the parts for around $100 - hopefully I can. Though I don't know if other things might be dying too or if the mobo may be damaged. Before this, the backlight has become sporadic, turning on when it feels like it rather than when told and the battery lasts maybe 5 minutes max. Otherwise though, still a good machine.

What do you guys think?

Thanks very much,
Peter

P.S. Sorry I don't have that extended warranty doc anymore either.

 

Looks like a surge of high voltage has come from the mobos MXM pin to the board were it is burned :S the new GPU might work but are you 100% sure that the mobo is not to blame ? You might end up burning a nother GPU. The mobo should not have a fail-safe shutdown if the GPU is not detected. You might vant to look the mobo over. That side of the mxm pins usually gives power to the card....so could be a problem on the mobos side aswell, just when the card is in is shorts and does a instant shutdown to keep other components safe.

 

That's a good point and something I'm definitely worried about - that's a lot of why I'm asking this question - I'm not sure. The mobo side looks ok as far as I can see outside of the burn on the connector.

I always had the laptop plugged into a power bar w/surge protection, the only thing I could think of that it could have been is that the power plug got pulled out while in use and arc-ed. Note that the battery was charging at the time as we were playing so power draw would probably have been at it's highest. Otherwise I guess it could be a problem with the 120W PS, but would the GPU here be the weakest link, the first (and hopefully) only place to burn? I'm not familiar enough with the circutry to say.

I tried to look at the other side of the mobo, but it is covered with plastic that just wouldn't come off and I didn't want to damage anything - sounds like it's worth taking apart to see.

Also, the MXM connector Pins on the Mobo side have burn residue between them, I got some of it off with a swab and alcohol, but if it works as you suggest, it may just not be getting power or shortng because there is no card - I have no diagrams or enough circuit knowledge to say. You'd agree though, the MXM chip is a goner?

Thanks very much,

Peter