Nvidia 8--- and 9--- series defect

[Tryptic]

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 1:22 am

Last edited by Tryptic on February 23rd, 2011, 1:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

So, my flops commentating career has been cut short the day before it started...

My graphics card died.  It took a while to figure out what was wrong, now my laptop runs again but with onboard graphics and I haven't tried gaming yet.

I talked to my computer buddies, and they explained that Nvidia produced a MASSIVE batch of bad video cards, so big that they cannot afford to replace them all.  Almost every single 8--- or 9--- series Geforce card was made with inferior backing material that dies after about 1 year in laptops, 1.5-2 years in desktops (due to fewer hot/cold cycles, lower maximum temperature etc.)

If you have a Mac:  Macintosh is extending their warranties on all laptops using these cards by 2 years.  Good for you.

If you don't: Dell and HP will extend warranties for SOME of the cards, but not very many.  If you have one of these cards and your computer is still under warranty, you want to replace the computer before the warranty runs out.  My laptop is 1 year and 2 months old, and I'm trying to get Asus to extend my warranty but it doesn't look hopeful.

The thing that really bugs me is, I hadn't heard anything about this!!!  Nvidia is trying to stay alive by keeping quiet about the cards as much as they can.  To date, they have only offered complete replacement for 2 card sets, the 8400 and 8600 lines.

If you're worried about your newer computer, Nvidia cards after 9--- series (they restarted and are on 400's) don't seem to have this problem as the flaw was caught back in late 2008 and they switched material suppliers.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 1:42 am

My old HP computer had this problem it had an 8400. I tried to fix it by "reflowing" the gpu but it didnt work and i just ended up picking up a new one on Black Friday. I think this is prolly the reasons that ATI is pretty much the defacto mobo on hp computers now.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 2:55 pm

i make replays on an integrated graphics chip. its not fast enough for new games, but it handles flops ok.

also you should demand that the retailer you bought the laptop/card from replaces/repairs it. i dont understand american law, but if it is similar to british law you are protected. here the sale of goods act (as amended) entitles you to a replacement or repair, and if those arent possible, a refund. i cant imagine america having a vastly different system. the act says that things need to last reasonably long. i think any sane person would say its reasonable for a graphics card to last more than a year and 2 months.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 4:00 pm

Na over here the FCC can demand a recall or you can just go out a sue people but i dont think theres any law.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

I have 8200 and it works fine.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 4:31 pm

Na over here the FCC can demand a recall or you can just go out a sue people but i dont think theres any law.

Yeah, refunds over here are based on store or manufacturer policy. However, if their policy is that you have a two year warranty on an item, then if they don't honor that it is a breach of contract.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 4:47 pm

Yep, there's no Federal law saying manufacturers have to replace things (there could be some state level laws, but I doubt it). Replacements, refunds, repairs, all are based on the policies of the individual companies, and of course it's up to them to decide whether the problem was or wasn't caused by you (i.e. rough handling, taking things apart, etc.) rather than them (defect). And unless you want to pay quite a bit, you'll only get a 1-2 year, limited warranty, and most companies are pretty good at honoring that, but once that warranty's up, you're on your own.

[Anonymous]

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 5:39 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on February 23rd, 2011, 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

wait so if they dont provide a warranty in america you have absolutely no rights? what if they sell you something and it breaks in 1 week? or its broken when u buy it, or its the wrong item, or the item is not fit for purpose? all of those are covered under the sale of goods act here.

here the contract is with the retailer, and retailers can have policies, but they cant ignore your rights under the sale of goods act, they can only have policies that give you more rights, not less. most will refund things that can be resold if u have the receipt. the sale of goods act doesnt mandate refunds first, just repair or replacements, refund only if those arent possible.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 7:01 pm

Most manufacturers have some sort of refund policy, and those that don't tend to lose customers fast. Why buy one item from a company when you can get the same thing at the same price from somebody else with a two year warranty included? Besides, 99.9% of stores let you return the item with a full refund if you bring the receipt, broken or not. There's not a law about it because everybody does it anyway.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 7:53 pm

Most manufacturers have some sort of refund policy, and those that don't tend to lose customers fast. Why buy one item from a company when you can get the same thing at the same price from somebody else with a two year warranty included? Besides, 99.9% of stores let you return the item with a full refund if you bring the receipt, broken or not. There's not a law about it because everybody does it anyway.

Yeah, stores will accept broken products within a certain period after purchase.  I think it is usually 30-90 days.  Manufacturers have different policies, but usually, unless you register your product, they expire a year or so after the products original manufacture date. certain pieces of hardware may have a longer or shorter warranty, but the only thing the vendor really has to cover is if the original product failed within the first month or so. After that period, it is up to you and the manufacturer of either your computer, or the manufacturer of the specific component. 

If you bought the card alone from a vendor, you should check the vendors policy first.  If it has been a year and you did not buy an extended warranty from the store, you will have to see how long NVIDIA will allow for it to be replaced.  If you did not register the product when you bought it, you may have problems doing this.

If the batch was bad, as you said, and they could not afford to recall them, I doubt very much they would replace it after a year.

This is also news to me, so I will have to keep this in mind if my card ever dies.  My computer is only just over a year old now, but I am already having to send it in for repairs.  Thankfully, the manufacturer supplied a 3 year warranty for this specific laptop, so I shouldn't have any problems if the card does go bad in the next year.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 8:28 pm

Iv known about this for a long time i used to have a medion laptop that had an nvidia 8600, cpuid temp monitor showed the graphics temp hit almost 100c when i played crysis warhead on it.

Its a combination of lack of airflow and of course the flaw in the 8 series card design.

The 9 series cards are no where near as bad as the 8.

posted on February 23rd, 2011, 8:33 pm

wow american consumer rights are pretty harsh, here you are covered by the sale of goods act for as long as is reasonable.

so how long you can expect it to work is about how long is reasonable for that particular good. a card you would expect to last at least 3 years, a computer at least 2 years etc.

warranties are usually offered by most high street retailers, which then offer better repair and replacement services for periods of time. usually measured in years.

i really think whoever sells you those cards should replace them.

posted on February 24th, 2011, 2:12 pm

Well around here we let people take care of themselves. Everyone knows who makes quality products and who doesnt. Also i believe that the prices are cheaper here so so its a trade off.

posted on February 24th, 2011, 2:47 pm

Well around here we let people take care of themselves. Everyone knows who makes quality products and who doesnt. Also i believe that the prices are cheaper here so so its a trade off.

But in this case a huge manufacturer, nvidia, made a bunch of crap, and all retailers sold it. Even the best retailers sold them, but nobody is liable.

The idea of reputation keeping firms trying hard doesnt take into account marketing and pr. Also for a firm to get a bad reputation, a bunch of people have to have negative experiences with the firm and then actively spread the word.

you dont expect nvidia to make a bunch of rubbish.

[Dircome]

posted on February 24th, 2011, 3:24 pm

Last edited by Dircome on February 24th, 2011, 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No I dont and they "should" recall them however they have not and im pretty sure that is the reason that HP has now switched over to using ATI gfx for 90% of their laptops now. So this mistake really has cost them.