SZ Faulty NVidia-GPU replacement successful?

This thread apply to vaio SZ/Z users that had a broken gaphic card only. Of course i would welcome anyone that had a solution to the problem.

Is anyone out there that had successfully replaced the Nvidia GPU and what solution did you applied?

Such as:
a) Send to SONY service centre (how much they charge)
b) Baking your motherboard / reflow
c) Reballing the GPU yourself
d) Reballing with the help of technician (price charge/location)
e) give up and use intel graphic instead.

 

From what I've read from fellow members that have the Nvidia 8400 GPUs on their VAIO SZ series fail on them, almost all of them just continue to either use their VAIO SZ notebooks with Intel integrated GPUs or totally buy a new notebook.

I don't think any one of them send their out of warranty VAIO SZ notebooks in for repair because the GPU is soldered onto the motherboard and Sony charges extortionate amonts of money for a replacement motherboard. Worse of all for those failed Nvidia 8400 GPUs is that Sony insists that those GPUs they use are non-faulty & they're not those questionable GPUs (8000 series) mentioned in the famous Nvidia GPU fiasco.

 

Some members have sent their laptop to be reballed.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/451511-sony-vaio-sz-graphics-problem.html

Some people have also posted in the main 8400 GPU faliure thread that is pinnned.

I've never used my GPU largely because of these problems. I actually looked into if i could replace it with 9XXX series gpu but that was a no go. My laptop is 3 years old next month but my warranty expires in June.

If you want to keep the laptop i would look into trying to pick up a brand new motherboard on ebay. May be then you can get 2 years out of it if you're not ready to purchase a new laptop now.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Original-...449934240?pt=Motherboards&hash=item43a02a47a0
I would just cut my losses and purchase a new laptop.

 

Replacement runs about $200 last I saw.
Replacement boards cost almost double that (new or used, normally).

If you value your SZ, stick to Intel and use the 8400 only when you need it.


Strange, I could have sworn the SZ5 series was an early model with the 7400 yet that Ebay link claims it will work on the SZ5 series. Maybe it depends on the continent.
Odd, l

 

They claim that board is new that i linked to but really let's hope it is. At £200 that is a very good price. In Ocenia some SZ5's which was the lower end SZ came with a GM965 chipset.
http://vaio-online.sony.com/prod_info/vgn-sz55gn_b/