Dell expands list of failing notebook GPUs
updated 04:30 pm EDT, Fri August 8, 2008
Dell Expands GPU Fail List
Dell today quietly expanded the list of its notebook PCs affected by NVIDIA's mobile GPU failures to include several extra systems. The chart now includes the Latitude D620, D820, and D830 business notebooks as well as the Precision M4300 and M65 portable workstations. All of these run either a GeForce 8400M, 8600M, or its Quadro equivalent.
The company maintains that it's altering warranty terms for these systems to ensure customers won't have to pay for notebook repairs related to the video chipsets in these systems, which were part of a large batch that are prone to breaking down early.
However, none of these systems new to the list include the updated BIOS fixes that ramp down the speed of the graphics chipsets and mitigate the risk of the affected video hardware failing due to heat concerns. The company has yet to say when it promises an update to these systems and at present leaves these customers without an immediate solution.
