RSS Feeds
Hardware
Proof Nvidia Desktop G86 Graphics Cards Affected by Materials Defects?
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 6:20 AM on August 15, 2008
The extent of the problems plaguing Nvidia's graphics cards is still controversial, though the company has confirmed that "weak" materials have caused "higher-than-normal" fail rates in certain mobile GPUs, which appear to be the G84 and G86-based graphics cards. The Inquirer said those issues extended to the desktop as well, which Nvidia denied. Interestingly, VR-Zone is reporting that Nvidia has issued a product change notification to customers that they're changing the underfill material for their desktop G86 chips from Namics 8439-1 to Hitachi 3730. Could mean nothing, but since their original problems stemmed from "weak" materials, it stands out. Is there a non-conspiratorial reason they would do this? [VR-Zone]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
RamV10
Posted 7:05 AM 15/8/08
@jkr's bold comment: Go ahead and flame all you want, but the INQUIRER is generally right, and you have no idea what a homonym is.
I don't think they're off base any more of the time than Gizmodo is, and at least they don't go to trade shows and sabotage presentations.
RamV10
Eruanno
Posted 6:58 AM 15/8/08
Well, my 8600GT (desktop version) hasn't showed any faults yet.
Although I think there's some shit stuck in one of the fans in my computer, because one of them is sounding a bit odd.
Eruanno
mhlaxp
Posted 6:47 AM 15/8/08
It's the new PhysX engine drivers that are doing it. Most realistic explosions you'll ever see.
mhlaxp
GeekyNerdGuy
Posted 6:46 AM 15/8/08
I'm so about to pull the trigger on an HP notebook, but it has an 8800M, and now I'm so worried it'll die. Of course, pretty much any option has one of these cards.
GeekyNerdGuy
jkr's bold comment
Posted 6:43 AM 15/8/08
as a continuation to this story, the Enquirer has reported that Nvidia is suing aliens for supply faulty materials.
jkr's bold comment
bobojuice
Posted 6:31 AM 15/8/08
the plot thickens...
bobojuice
e-friend
Posted 7:32 AM 15/8/08
The Inq is the inside joke of tech blog websites.
e-friend
jkr's bold comment
Posted 7:17 AM 15/8/08
@RamV10: You may want to dial it down a notch friend. I wasn't flaming. I was joking. I don't doubt that the Inquirer is correct on this matter. Do you not see the hilarity in a historically known tabloid breaking real news, such as the recent political scandal? Ever wonder why the term "spelling Nazi" holds a negative connotation?
jkr's bold comment
matt buchanan
Posted 8:03 AM 15/8/08
@RamV10: You're bringing that up 10 years later, really? Really? Come on.
matt buchanan
Posted 8:16 AM 15/8/08
as for the change in underfill material, it could possibly be a more cost effective option. Additionally this could be the new material being used in teh portable gpu's in response to the issues of late. They may be carrying this change over to the desktop models for manufacturing ease, or as a precautionary in case the problem just takes waaaay longer to manifest in desktop gpu's due to better on card cooling solutions
Posted 8:10 AM 15/8/08
I bought a Mac Pro with an 8800GT back in April. Man that would suck if my card it defective.
Posted 8:08 AM 15/8/08
I have a 8800GTS 648MB with no problems. Running Overclocked for about 8 months now, and I rarely shut my computer off.
Posted 8:08 AM 15/8/08
@RamV10: lol dont be so uptight, if you feel so strongly about a joke (even if some consider the antics in poor taste), not a malicious act, that occured so long ago, why would you associate yourself with this website...
And in regards to the issues with nvidia desktop cards, I personally have not seen/heard/experienced any issues with 8 series and up. I would be interested to know if anyone here has had a failure that correlates with those of the portable system gpu's. If so please describe the setup and oc status. Hopefully we can get verification of the exact nature of the issue as it pertains to the desktop cards somewhat soon.
Posted 9:44 AM 15/8/08
The 8800M GTS on my good ole Gateway 6860FX has been overclocked to the brink of insanity since it was purchased and shows no signs of letting up. The max temp Ive seen is 65C.
Sportyboard
Posted 10:30 AM 15/8/08
I've noticed that the idle core temps on my 8800GT have been inching ever so slightly higher since I got it last November. I had been thinking it was just dust, but now I'm a little more concerned.
Other than that though, I've been nothing but thrilled at how it's worked.
Sportyboard
MantisDragon
Posted 12:24 PM 15/8/08
@Dook_In_The_Urinal: 8800m GTS don't use the chipsets that have been reported to be faulty. They are G92, while the ones having problems are the G84 and G86.
The 8800m GTS in my 6831FX has been working overtime since I finished class for the summer in June and I haven't had any problems.
MantisDragon
DashTheHand
Posted 10:47 PM 15/8/08
I wish they weren't being so sneaky about it. Tell us the damn chips that are affected, what models they were in, and what if anything you plan on doing to fix the problem.
So far I haven't had many problems with my laptop except that it gets insanely hot to a point where it most likely could burn someone unless I have it on a cooling rack.
DashTheHand
AndyMac
Posted 4:19 AM 16/8/08
@jkr's bold comment: The funny thing is that spelling nazi boy has it wrong. It's not the Inquirer, it's the Enquirer as in National Enquirer, the tabloid rag that you were using to make your joke.
[en.wikipedia.org]
AndyMac
AlphaTeam
Posted 9:36 AM 16/8/08
Mine is good so far.
AlphaTeam
piginabox
Posted 8:22 PM 20/8/08
@AndyMac:
@jkr's bold comment:
i liked "jkr's bold comment"'s joke. he knows the difference between the Inquirer and the Enquirer. that's his joke. why others are struggled with it i'll never know.
piginabox
Overheal
Posted 8:08 PM 15/8/08
My HP dv6500, while not on the HP extended warranty list, has the 8400 in it. The problem was never major: I'd get gaming artifacts maybe once a month and that would be that. It ran pretty hot for my tastes though at 75 Celsius when gaming. But after reading the breaking news from giz and on account of my warranty about to go, I sent it in, and HP was happy to oblige actually.
It only took about 7 days from door to door: Giz and Consumerist will be happy to know I left no less than 28 saved web pages on my desktop from you guys about the issue for the techies to find! They needed to know I was keeping a sharp eye on what they did with my laptop!! Apparently it worked.
As a result my machine runs over 20 degrees (Celsius) colder than it did. That, and HP gave me new rubber feet for the laptop :) yay. My warranty sheet indicated they replaced the system board and the Heat Sink, - the sink I suspect was significantly upgraded to accomodate the replacement card (which was not significantly upgraded to an 8600 GT...booo!)
To anyone with a warranty: Dont wait! Send it in! Keep Consumerist web-links on your desktop!
Overheal