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Failure rate of 8600m GT?
Ok, so I am interested in buying a XPS M1530. I know that the GPU that is in the notebook, the 8600m GT is based on the faulty G84 core. This core has a shorter than normal lifespan due to a defect in the manufacturing process that causes the silicon under fill to crack when the core heats up and cools down, eventually shorting out the die. The newest revision of the G84 core does not have this faulty silicon under fill, and so does not have this problem. However, I know for a fact that the XPS M1530 uses the A2 revision, which is one of the revisions with the faulty under fill. I wanted to know what the approximate failure rating of the GPUs in the M1530s, and so I contacted a Dell sales representative via live chat. He told me that he did not have the information readily available, but would email me later with the answer. Two weeks pass, and no answer. I then contact Dell Sales again. After a long conversation, I got referred to Dell Technical Support. It seems however, I cannot contact Dell Technical Support, whether via email, chat, or phone, without a service tag. Since I do not own a M1530, I do not have a service tag, and so I cannot ask them my question. So I went back to Dell Sales, and was told to post here. Do any of you know the approximate failure rating of the 8600m GT in the M1530, or can you tell me how long you have had yours, and if it has broken yet? Thank you very much for your help.
husky0894
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January 5th, 2009 18:00
No one with access to that information will post here. It's open knowledge that the overall failure rate for notebook components is about one in four in the first three years - it's anyone's guess as to how many are video-related. If you're worried, get a 3-year warranty.
If it's a consideration, the rumor mill says the M1530 will be replaced with a new model next month.
xswervin4
13 Posts
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January 6th, 2009 04:00
husky0894
1.6K Posts
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January 6th, 2009 07:00
The Studio XPS 13 and 16 look like replacements for the M1330 and M1530 - the early rumors were they'd be released in November 2008, but it appears February 2009 is the new target date.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/26/dell-studio-xps-13-and-16-leak-out-due-in-november/
don3221
9 Posts
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January 6th, 2009 16:00
My M1530 GPU failed in less than 2 months. I do not use it for anything except browsing the web, email, office applications and a few pictures. It was really a suprise to me when it failed. I never had any heat issues that you may read about in the forum and other blogs. My usage is about 2 to 3 hours at a time. One day I went to turn in on and nothing on the screen but a dull blue background. Dell Tech Support did manage to get a faint Dell logo to appear in the upper right hand portion of the screen. I do have next business day support but it has been a little over 2 weeks since failure and the tech is coming to the house tomorrow to do the repair. First part shipped was broke by FedEx so a replacement had to be sent. As in another reply, I took out extended 2 year warranty due to the history of failure of the GPU. If I continue to have GPU failures they will continue to replace the motherboard and hopefully I will get one that doesn't fail.
Luther Warren
3 Posts
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January 6th, 2009 17:00
Thanks for the info.
Luther Warren
3 Posts
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January 6th, 2009 17:00
Yes, I am well aware of these two new laptops. I am completely addicted to engadget :P
I am sorry for the double post, I mistook the format of this forum. Please forgive me.
xswervin4
13 Posts
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January 6th, 2009 19:00
I'M not trying to steer any1 away from this thread but this can shed some light on nvidia and video...
NVIDIA GPU Update for Dell Laptop Owners
25 July , 02:00 PM
Earlier this month, sites like Ars Technica and ZDNet blogged about NVIDIA’s statement regarding a potential issue with some of NVIDIA's Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) used in notebooks. According to NVIDIA, these affected GPUs are experiencing higher than expected failure rates causing video problems. Though this issue is not unique to Dell, some of these affected GPUs are used in certain Dell laptops. That's why I wanted to take a few minutes here to explain the issue and to let customers know what to do next.
The issue is a weak die/packaging material set, which may fail with GPU temperature fluctuations. If your GPU fails, you may see intermittent symptoms during early stages of failure that include:
Dell recommends that you flash your system BIOS (see links in the table below). Each of these BIOS updates listed in the table below modifies the fan profile to help regulate GPU temperature fluctuations. Note: if you are already experiencing video-related issues like the bullet points above, updating the BIOS will not correct them. Dell will provide support for customers who have experienced GPU failure according to the terms of the system warranty.
These BIOS updates will help reduce the likelihood of GPU issues. New systems are being shipped with the updated BIOS revisions. Here's the list of the latest BIOS versions. Click on the links below to download them.
Dell Product Name
BIOS Revision
Date
Update File Name
Inspiron 1420
A09
7/14/08
1420_A09.EXE
Latitude D630
A12
6/22/08
D630_A12.EXE
Latitude D630c
A06
7/11/08
D630CA06.EXE
Dell Precision M2300
A07
7/11/08
M2300A07.EXE
Vostro Notebook 1310
A10
7/10/08
V1310-A10.EXE
Vostro Notebook 1400
A09
7/10/08
1400_A09.EXE
Vostro Notebook 1510
A10
7/10/08
V1510A10.EXE
Vostro Notebook 1710
A07
7/10/08
V1710A07.EXE
XPS M1330
A12
7/9/08
M1330A12.EXE
XPS M1530
A09
7/25/08
1530_A09.EXE
Update: As Direct2Dell reader foduekid noted, the A09 BIOS update for the XPS M1530 was made available yesterday after I published this blog post. I've updated the table above with the link.
Update 2: I'm getting e-mails and comments that are similar to those of Direct2Dell readers like Customer, fr and barryd. Like I mentioned in one of my responses, this will not be the only blog post on this topic. When I have new details to share, I will share them here. Several of you have expressed concern over potential battery life issues. The reality is that these BIOS updates will not have any noticeable effect on battery life or overall system performance. These updates do not make the cooling fan run all the time. The fan may cycle on more frequently, but when it does, it will run at half or quarter speed.
Update 3: Since Kara Krautter unveiled the Vostro 2510 on the Small Business blog yesterday, we've gotten some questions about it since it uses an NVIDIA GPU. Take a look at some of the comments in the Vostro 2510 Engadget post to see what I'm talking about. The Vostro 2510 will ship with the latest BIOS updates.
If you need help flashing your system BIOS or experience any of the video-related issues listed above, please contact Dell Technical Support. Our teams are committed to working with affected customers to resolve issues on a case-by-case basis.