Are NVIDIA G84 and G86 graphics cards safe to buy yet? Looking at an XPS 1530

Hi,
A friend of mine is looking at a Dell XPS 1530. This laptop comes with only two video card configurations, an NVIDIA 8400m or 8600m. I've read a few articles stating that these chips are prone to overheating and early failure. The articles I've read are at least a month old so I'm not sure if this issue has been resolved yet. Does anyone have any updated information?

Thanks!

 

Nope, not resolved yet. nVidia is still staying silent, and so far, the only responses have been Dell & HP listing some affected models (including the 1530) and offering extended warranties. I would advise him to either wait for a newer lineup of Dell XPS or get a laptop that ATI graphics, like the 3650.

 

Hi.

Try for a laptop with an Nvidia or any of the cards below! are currently unaffected.

GE G96 GeForce 9700M GT
GE G96 GeForce 9700M GS
NB9P GT G96 GeForce 9650M GT
GS G96 GeForce 9600M GT
GE2 G96 GeForce 9600M GS
GV G96 GeForce 9500M G
NB9M GS G98 GeForce 9400M G
GS G98 GeForce 9300M GS
GE G98 GeForce 9200M GS

 

Wait for the new updated XPS 15xx.. or you have some other options..

xoticpc has some excellent deals... the sell some really clean (no bloatware ) systems .. no head aches .. a force model sports a 9600GT DDR3 and comes around 1200..

 

Not resolved but you do get an extra year warranty on the GPU.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/26/dell-explains-nvidia-gpu-issues-throws-out-bios-updates-to-help/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/18/dell-offers-1-year-limited-warranty-enhancement-for-nvidia-gpu-i/

 

are acer's affected?

 

its not a matter if "x" brand is affected, its the whole g84 and g86 cards...
so yes... to answer matmat07, acers are affected.

 

Thanks, I think I'll recommend the XPS 1330 which can be had with an Intel X3100. She's not doing any gaming so the vid card is pretty much non issue, it just needs to work.

 

look at the design of dell xps lines and hp dv serries,
their laptops overheat w/o a deddicated video card.
i have a dell xps1330 , mobo had to be replaced in 4 months with intel x3100.

 

You might have just had a bad one. I have another friend with a 1330 and it runs nice and cool. Took a 6 foot drop onto a tile floor and keeps on ticking, has a cracked hinge but that's still more then you can ask from most laptops.

 

Actually, NVIDIA said that all laptops shipped out won't have the problem any more since they changed something one of the materials on the cards. I forget what it was exactly and where I read it, but it was either Engadget or Gizmodo.

 

What get`s my back-up is if Nvidia is knowingly selling faulty products, Or are they fixed now!!!!

 

link please

 

Since when did they correct it?

 

Nvidia has lost many points with me over this issue. They've admitted to nothing, and pretend like nothing is even wrong. They've offered no solutions, leaving it all up to the manufacturers to deal with (increase fan speed).

I'm hoping more and more manufacturers join the ATI team this next year. It's been pathetic how Nvidia has dealt with this.

 

i just got an M1530 and the thing runs very cool and quietly, the fan really doesnt come on that often or stay on very long, and i have the 8600 in it, ive heard somewhere too that the card being produced now are better and the problem has been fixed and i think i got one of the good ones cause so far its been fine.

 

We have a number of the xps1530s here at work... not a single one of them has shown heat issues (unless the owner doesn't take care of it or OC's the bejeebers out of it)

I have a year-old+ G84 8700m GT... 69C max even OC'd by 25%+ 100% of the time.

I still think this has been blown out of proportion. If it does affect all of the G84 and G86, it does not affect them all by the same degree.

 

This is a common misunderstanding, the issue with the G84 and G86 video cards is not heat issues that most people believes it to be. It is the packaging materials used inside the GPU when exposed to constant thermal stress (rapid change in temperature, such at the boot up process), it will failed and cause the GPU to die.

 

Not one person one this site or other forums that I know of, have been directly affected by this issue so far, this is why nvidia is being quite.

They think and or maybe know the cards are faulty but hardly any customers have come forward.

I know they said it takes time and they have short lives, but I bag my card with 1080p hi-def, which takes a wack to the card and also I play my games on max, crysis, cod4, orange box, and I have not had one issue, apart from the odd stutter, but thats it, but I get that with my desktop.

I have had my XPS1530 since march (not a long time) but as I said before I bag the card, and if it was going to crash it would have done so by now, as I probably put two years of normal use on it so far, no lie.

Hope this helps, and if anyone is worried just opt for the ext. warranty.

 

i really do not see any overheating with these chips! the 8600m gt works like a charm for me.
max temperature 86C when playing Most wanted everything maxed out with full aa!
Acer brand

 

i updated the bios on my 1330, doesn't really get that hot with these new bios fan tweaks.
My D630 runs a lot hotter sitting here on my lap than my XPS does, I guess that could also be processor related but since they both have t7500 processor I doubt it. This is all without firing up speedfan.......

I would be interested to see if others found their xps cooled down once the bios was updated like mine.

 

All the new bios do is just speed up the fan cycles...
For example, m1530's A09.

It just makes the fan turn on at lower temps. why? to prevent it from "overheating", therefore delaying the downclocking... IF...

Now, I've spoken to numerous Dell reps and supervisors, and they claim that there is a new revision MOBO-wise, and Heatsink/Fan-wise, so, this could mean that the problem is NOT resolved yet, but it is less likely to "come out of the closet".

 

ya man..mee too having the same overheating problem wid my inspiron 1520..it gets to 80 degrees within 15 min..even though i mostly use it for surfing only..& these dell guys they are just *****rs..in 90%of cases they just pretend to be the Technical Guys but i think they even don't know the difference between a CPU & GPU....they just try to avoid & delay it.. till u URSELF get sick of ringing their bells...DELL SUPPORT SUCKS...man!!!!!
I Rather think Dell should start providing provisions for using water cooled cables in n around the GPU's..!sometimes feel like throwing my lappy out of the window..!

 

Nah, it doesn't suck... its just tedious, anyway, if you have warranty?
Give 'em hell!

 

Apparently, Dell has implemented a hardware fix for the M1330, and is using the new eutectic solders instead of the heat sensitive high lead ones.

check it out here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=298606

 

/me raises hand. I had one bad 8600M GT in my Toshiba Satellite x205 SLI1, which was repaired under warranty. The machine was manufactured in October 2007, and failed immediately / new / out of the box in February 2008, with bad textures and oddly-extended vertices.

 

My Go 7600 fried up while running WMP 11. I have seen atleast 4 members here whose Go 7200s met the same fate. However in my case HP was generous enough to replace my motherboard.

 

I have yet to see any proof of this. Some of the G84 and G86 chips are bad, but I'm not sure that all of them are. For example, I'm not convinced that the DDR2 cards (e.g. Dell Vostro 1500) are affected at all.

 

No, not all of them, you are correct. Most are, or most from "x" lot of shipped 8600's and 8400's ...

For example, my original 8600m was (Dec. edition)
My mother's m1330's 8400m was (also Dec. edition)...

Newer ones mus be different...

EDIT: new ones ARE different, since i'm now running a 8600m GT without it being faulty... only time will tell... (dell replaced my mobo 2 times)