NVIDIA G92 and G94 GPUs failing too?

**Bamboo** · 08-12-2008, 02:24 PM

This was just posted mins. ago on Engadget. Like I just said in the other post from this morning, I am reading tons of help forums with people having Nvidia problems.
NVIDIA G92 and G94 GPUs failing too?

The Inquirer is now reporting that the previous batch of bad GPUs may be far from the end of NVIDIA's problems. Apparently, four unspecified board partners are now saying that they're seeing G92 and G94 chips going bad at "high rates" as well, and in both desktop and laptop cards no less. That includes 8800GT, 8800GTS, 8800GS graphics cards, "several mobile flavors" of the 8800, "most" of the 9800 suffixes, and a few 9600 variants, all of which are based on the G92. As for the G94, it seems the only card affected is the 9600GT.

The engadget post is about an article just posted over at www.theinquirer.net, and while many people take the things from inquirer with a grain of salt, they still get some really inside info right a lot of the time.

Here is the full article:
Nvidia G92s and G94 reportedly failing

To make matters more laughable, the fix that NV is forcing on Dell, HP and everyone else does not fix the problem, it simply makes it less likely to occur during the warranty period. With HP now offering an extended warranty period, and Dell looking likely to do the same, this will only multiply the cost. Add in the fact that Nvidia is sending out defective parts as replacements (there are no good ones), and you have a recipe for a long and expensive tale.

My understanding is the NV fix just causes the laptop cooling fan to speed up trying to keep the GPU cooler.

I can't wait to see where this goes.

**MagnaCentipede** · 08-12-2008, 02:36 PM

My 8800GTS uses the model 80 chips. Once again the early adopters enjoy immunity from buggy, incompletely-tested products.

I wonder why nVidia would gamble away their market position... they'd finally stomped ATi into submission and had an opening in the chipset market, then suddenly they start making garbage like the 7x0 chipsets and now the 9x video processor chips. Fools.

**Long Bow** · 08-13-2008, 09:22 AM

This and the ongoing issues with Nvidias drivers crashing (TDR's) is something that never gets brought up during reviews. I had never heard a thing about anything like this when I bought a friend an 8800GT. Problems started immediately and as soon as I started looking into I found out how wide spread it was.

**Sir-Nerd** · 08-13-2008, 09:29 AM

Odd, i have an 8800GT and i haven't had any problems.

**Long Bow** · 08-13-2008, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Sir-Nerd

Odd, i have an 8800GT and i haven't had any problems.

Thats the thing, it is so wide spread but random in appearance. Just head over to the nvidia forums and you will find people with different systems, OS, and nvidia cards having the same problem but yet some people don't. Weird.

**Bamboo** · 08-13-2008, 10:58 AM

We have talked in this forum a ton about people with 8800GT problems. And don't just check Nvidia's forum, but also EVGA and other venders.

**Anospa** · 08-13-2008, 11:32 AM

I've had my 8800 GT since about 2 weeks from its release, haven't really noticed any issues. What type of problems are people having?

**P8riot** · 08-13-2008, 11:43 AM

Interesting, I don't see my 8800GTX listed.. I'll have to see what chipset I got.

**draeh** · 08-13-2008, 11:48 AM

The 8800GTX is the G90 if I recall correctly.

**Bamboo** · 08-13-2008, 11:59 AM

8800GTX and GTS 640/320 are both G80 based:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2870&p=17

**Acreo Aeneas** · 08-13-2008, 12:14 PM

It sounds like nVidia is being lazy again and selling off of built up momentum from the 8000 series and not bothering to really take a hard look at each new platform and see if they need to improve or redesign it.

A good article that details how nV fell last time: http://www.tomshardware.com/pictures...ics-cards.html

**Vulcan** · 08-15-2008, 10:34 AM

I haven't been able to find an article where nvidia states this a problem at all even if it isn't an Nvidia problem according to them.

Was that just heresay from people who own hp's and dell's?

**Bamboo** · 08-15-2008, 11:15 AM

No, they have stated it was a problem with some sort of goo

Proof Nvidia Desktop G86 Graphics Cards Affected by Materials Defects?

There is a link there to what Nvidia is saying, but

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.

**Vulcan** · 08-15-2008, 09:37 PM

Thanks bamboo. I have to say it's all a bunch of press poo flinging. I don't think there is a real problem as the GPU's have been out for a while now and frankly people overclock anyway and that could cause them to die as well and you'd never know the difference.

I'd go as far as to say 50% of those cards are overclocked either by the MFG or the User. I seriously doubt that all of those cards are defective in any abnormal manner than is the typeical lifespan of the card anyway. Sounds like Inquirer is making mountains from hills to me.

**Bamboo** · 08-15-2008, 10:01 PM

But they are warrentied with those factory overclocks.
And the big deal is if these things fail after a year or 2. Most people want their cards to last longer than that, ya know. Glad I went with evga and the lifetime warrenty.