My dad got this laptop before xmas and I'm gonna keep it if I can fix it up. It's a half decent i7 and pretty small so ideally for me however I'm not sure what this issue is with the display. On startup sometimes the whole screen is obscured by some kinda of display corruption (see video link). I've replaced the cable from motherboard to LCD with it being the cheapest but now I'm not sure if I should get a cheap screen or if it's move likely to be the nvidia card it has in it. https://youtu.be/rNB3N_Zwr1U What do we think? Any thoughts?
200 degrees for 10 mins.* *that may not be the exact temp and time it takes but yeah, looks like the BGA has failed. Edit. Actually the more I look at that the more it could be the screen itself. Can't you buy one on a promise of a return just in case?
This is why I suck at laptops Very good point. If it stays when you connect a monitor it's time for the oven.
Sorry that wasn't the best cut of video. It doesn't stay like it, where it has the strip over the centre at the end of the video the screen clears and works perfect once booted up. It's got DP and VGA out on it so I could maybe hook it to my PC screen every time I boot up just to see what happens. It's annoying cause other than the screen, it's a pretty nice little 14" laptop
Few issues with that video. Firstly, he needs some anti psychotics as he's clearly very angry. Secondly, whilst I totally understand what he's saying he is ignoring the fact that it COULD be a cracked solder joint which the oven will alleviate but not fix permanently. However, with something like a laptop GPU or mainboard what other option do you have? it is not possible to remove the GPU and buy a new one and solder it back on unless you have some serious equipment so sometimes it comes down to "Bake or bin".
You seem to have missed the part where putting it in the oven won't actually melt the solder joint, so it won't reflow the solder. If it is a cracked solder ball, putting it in the oven won't do a whole lot. What it does is melt the filler inside of the chip which temporarily solves the issue but doesn't fix it. Meanwhile if something else is the issue, you run the risk of just ruining the board and permanently making something fixable unfixable. Not only that but baking will only work on a certain types of chips. If baking only alleviates the issue temporarily then what's the point? Its better off being binned because you'll be back in the same boat in a month or so. Edit: Also the guy was annoyed that someone with such a large following was continuing to spread the myth about putting electronics in the oven given that he has a staff could have done some research on the topic. Louis is generally quite outspoken anyway.
Truthfully the 'bake it' advice annoys me as well. I can understand trying it on cheap second hand components, but when they were bought from retail new with a couple of years use it takes minimal effort to file a claim under the Sale of Goods Act and get a professional repair or replacement free of charge! Come to think of it dynamis_dk read my signature thread and advise your dad to get a replacement or refund assuming it was bought new!
Do Solder issues normally 'clear up' so prompt after boot up? I've had a standard gfx card in the past with issues and been advised to oven it but it was a constant artefact issue where this clears shortly after boot (10-15sec). Won't be firing the oven up in the short term (much less explaining to the Mrs why the laptop bits are 'cooking') I'll hook it up to the lcd next time it happens and see if it's produced on that display and take it from there. Cheers for the input thus far guys, annoying issue to say the least!
You realise that GPU manus actually reflow solder using convection ovens themselves yes? I've done it several times myself with mixed results. I baked a GTX 280 once and it lived on for another six months and was out of warranty before I baked it any way. So what did I get? well six months extra. As for the solder not melting? sorry I don't believe that. Not at all. I know for a fact it definitely melts and reflows because I deliberately baked a 8800 Ultra upside down and the GPU core fell clean off. I then drilled a hole in it and had it as a keyring.
You do realise that actual reflow ovens have very specific temperature curves to follow in order to melt the solder and not damage the parts don't you? They aren't simple domestic ovens that you preheat to a set temperature and shove the boards into. Electronics aren't frozen pizzas. It all depends on how hot you get your oven, basically. One sheet I read was between 215 and 250 degrees C for lead free solder to reflow. Of course the ovens are only actually kept at that temperature for a brief period, because they follow a heat profile so as not to damage the parts. Sure the stuff will melt eventually in a domestic oven, I doubt anything else will be intact by the time that happens though. Putting in the oven is a temporary fix and doesn't reflow the solder. If it did reflow the solder why did it break again after 6 months? If you fixed a manufacturing defect with the BGA solder by reflowing it, then surely you would have fixed it permanently.
I didn't say it wasn't a temporary fix, did I? no what I did say was that if you are out of warranty and it works then bonus. I'm aware of how professional reflow ovens work too, and the differences between those and a regular oven. However, I'm going to hold firm that if it works and you get another few months out of it then where is the bad? The problem arose when we switched from lead based solder to ROHS tin based solder which is harder and more brittle. Most of the reason for the failure is flux failure as it too gets brittle and yeah, a reflow will never ever permanently fix anything. Oddly enough the GTX 280 I had that failed just after a year (I bought it refurb) had been baked by XFX so in total with two bakes it made it an extra 18 months. The only way to truly fix a broken solder contact is to remove the component completely, wick off every last bit of solder and then reball and then bake it. Who has the kit in their house or the skills to do that? I'll tell you - hardly any one.
No one said it wasn't a temp fix. But putting it in the oven still doesn't reflow the solder, not at the temperatures and not for the time periods that are usually given on such a job. Look at the video or look at the second follow up video he links to see what is actually going on when you put it in a domestic oven. If the chip is on borrowed time its not worth keeping around. The only way doing this makes sense is if you have absolutely no other options left: Too expensive to repair / no one to repair, no consumer rights left, no warranty left and no money to actually buy a new one. Running what is essentially a zombie component like that, which will fail (and it will fail) is pointless. You still need to replace it and the money saved by putting the replacement (which you will have to buy) off for a few months into the future is negligible and on top of that you will be running a key component that could fail at any inopportune time.
