dell xps 1710 gpu swap, heatpipes

Hello

It is possible to swap graphics card on Dell XPS 1710 into ATI based system?
Is it possible to make another heatpipes on this system?
GPU has only 1 heatpipe per radiator.
I thing additional heatpipe whould make things much better.

I would like to hotair or even reflow this chip with leaded solder.
anyone done this b4?

I have taken this gpu into company and watched balls of solder under microscope.
They are slowly cracking.
It is not bad when gpu is in consant temp all the time like 60C.
I passed my xps 1710 through gpu condition cycles: 20-60-95-60-95-60-20
off-iddle-game-iddle-game-idle-off, ands crack gaps where much bigger on solder balls.

I think that temperature dilatation ratio of gpu and pcb is not matching.
Usually when bga (ball grid array) chip increases temperature like+80deg (package) pcb increases temp like +50C.

Usually bga increase size like +2% (hypothetical, dont remember exact figures now, but figures r smaller) at change +80C, so pcb is chosen in such a manner that is increases +2 AS WELL when pcb +50C !!!!!!

In this particular case, somebody chosen wrong pcb for nvidia graphic card, and gpu size is changed like +2% (at +80C) and pcb size is changed like +1% at +50C.

This make huge stress on pcb, chip and solder balls.
Solder balls are not able to strech themselves as they are made in non lead technology, so they crack.

When they crack they have higher and higher resistance.
So temp of solder balls is increased even further.

I see only 7 solutions:
Nvidia and/or Dell should supply us with new flawless 7900 of alternative for this particular socket - it is almost impossible, people are not so much organized.

Resolder gpu with leaded balls.
Lie 2nd heatpipe from gpu to radiator.
Change maps of fan.
Decrease gpu speed.
Put ice cooling pad.
Put ATI into 1710.

NV/Dell commit design fault, it should be repaired even out of warranty.

I can resolder gpu with leaded balls - no problem even with bga.
But why high-end series from Dell needed my job on this?

I can put more heatpipes - did enybody do it before?
How heatpipe is soldered into radiator? silver?

Change of fan speed - 07 bios is better than 06, fp4guyfun (or something) is not working ideally with 1710, it there any othersource of tweaks for gpu speed?

Decrease gpu speed.
I am running it on 90MHz !!!!!! (core) and 225MHz ram and still 61-66C on gpu.
So in high end system i need to decrease speed couple times to make my equipment alive/survive. thx Dell - you r very helpfull.

Coolind pad - metal bottom part, 2 not small radiators, it should be enough especially for 7900.

Change into Ati - anyone knows if i can put Ati on 1710 system?

Seriously frustrated electronics designer/soldering guy.

 

I have NOT done this...

And that's very interesting info...

I am on my second 7950 GTX card (depot installed a new one for me last year when the previous one 'failed'...unfortunately, Dell doesn't provide the end-user with a post-mortem so I don't know what the failure mechanism was...'heat related...clean your vents...blah blah blah...')

But my GPU, according to ik8fangui, idles at 58 C...I've never seen a temperature as low as 20 C...under heavy 3D gaming, I get into the high 80s with the new card...I was into the 90s with the previous...

ik8fangui can change your fan programming or you can run them all the time if you choose...I guess that I trust the thermal engineers at Dell thought the current program was ideal...I monitored the fans and temps for hours after the GPU was replaced, but I'm still not convinced that the current fan programming is ideal...but I'm no thermal engineer...

I always run my laptop on a Targus chill mat and regularly (monthly) clean the vents and fans...I figure by doing that, I have at least another year on the current GPU...

Cyclic heat stress induced cracking of the solder joints is as good as a root cause that I've heard...

Can't help you with the ATI challenge...not brave (or smart) enough to try it...