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Thread ID: 112867	2010-09-25 02:37:00	Replacement Mobo advice	Rahotep (14854)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1139522	2010-09-28 10:24:00	Wow - this was better help than I expected! Thanks everyone. Actually, I did a bit of research over the past few days and found this is model is one of many with such issues (as you mention configra!), there's even a whole website dedicated to the issues and how hp have only covered some affected models in their extended warranty etc (this model not being one of them...). To summarise the issue I've had: Basically the computer just shut down fine one day then wouldn't even boot the next. I tried all the ideas I could think of or that I could find on the web (including the one you mention Configra, thanks), connecting external monitor showed nothing, no change if powering up on mains or battery, still won't even POST, removed hard drive still no change etc. There were no issues with the wireless before this occurred, so I don't think that's likely to be the issue you're referring to. So based on my experience and what Hp advised me I believe it must be the motherboard that has died (most likely due to the nvidia chip(?)). Does this sound like a sensible conclusion? My concern now -please correct me if I'm mistaken - is that even buying a new (or refurb) replacement the part will still be likely to have the same issue built into it and will therefore have a high likelihood of failing either in warranty or not long afterward (unsure how long your warranties are for Configra), leaving me in the same situation again. If this is the case then I'm weary to go to the effort of fixing it, it may just be easier to buy a new laptop. I'd love to think there's a cheaper solution though... :) Any further tips will be greatly appreciated!	Rahotep (14854)
1139523	2010-09-28 22:53:00	If you have one of those 8600M GS\GT etc that is affected by the problem, it usually will let the PC boot but you will get a corrupted display In any case, a new board will as you say, only work for a while before the GPU inevitably dies anyway. So whether the board is fine or not, you're probably best off buying a new laptop with a different GPU and selling the old one on TradeMe for spare parts or something.	Agent_24 (57)
1139524	2010-09-29 00:46:00	Sounds like you've troubleshooted everything :) I replaced dozens of these boards when I was at HP and the issue was addressed by them very quickly after it became apparent, so any new parts don't have one of the two main faults that caused the problem. Like I mentioned the biggest problem is with used/refurb parts as it's difficult to know if they were one of the affected ones, or who did the refurb. Warranty wise, if you source a part through HP (or a parts reseller like EMPR) the warranty is the standard 3 months. Our boards have a 6 month warranty, and from experience I can tell you if you replace the board with a good part you don't have to worry. We've done a lot of these repairs (after the HP extension expired) and haven't had any issues.	Configra (16000)
1139525	2010-09-30 08:07:00	You've almost got me sold... my last doubt is in line with the above two posts though, seems like conflicting information in terms of whether this is a permanent fix or potentially a temporary fix on a dead machine! Not that I don't trust your advice configra, but I'd appreciate a third party opinion if someone would be willing :) as the post by agent_24 leaves me with a bit of doubt. Thanks again!	Rahotep (14854)
1139526	2010-09-30 08:40:00	You've almost got me sold . . . my last doubt is in line with the above two posts though, seems like conflicting information in terms of whether this is a permanent fix or potentially a temporary fix on a dead machine! Not that I don't trust your advice configra, but I'd appreciate a third party opinion if someone would be willing :) as the post by agent_24 leaves me with a bit of doubt . Thanks again! I don't know anything model-specific about faulty mini-PCI slots but it's known that laptops from all manufacturers using the GF8 series graphics cards are prone to failures (because the GPU itself had a design\production fault) Apparently nVidia did fix the problem but I wouldn't know if the new board you receive will have a new or old GPU on it . Configra may be able to tell you . I believe the only way to tell is to take a look at the numbers on the GPU die .	Agent_24 (57)
1139527	2010-09-30 09:19:00	Agent_24 is correct; there were a whole series of nvidia northbridges that had overheating issues, and the C51 platform on your laptop (6150 with a 430 southbridge) was one of the ones affected. Basically the chip ran hot and degraded the solder joints on the package causing it to fail after a period of time. HP addressed this quickly with a BIOS update that kicked the fan in earlier, but because a BIOS update is a manual thing, most users didn't do it (fair enough I think). Shortly after they released a modified version of the board that had a different northbridge version, and with some, used epoxy instead of solder. I totally understand your hesitation to repair it, so I'd go with what you feel most comfortable with. :)	Configra (16000)
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