Heat fix for bad video card?

[kjapptast]

I am wondering; could a bad video card be repaired by applying an excessive amount of heat to the card itself?

This laptop gets rather hot during use (macbook pro 17" 1.16Ghz, 2gb ram, Radeon X1600 256 MB), at times over 93 degrees celsius, could it be that re-melting the solder might make it more stable?

The video card issue appears at first like horizontal lines on the screen, then irregularities, more irregularities, and finally a system freeze or crash. Perhaps the heat from the machine is making the metal components inside the card twist and turn and creating bad contact? My laptop is already half taken apart, and the heat gun is ready

 

[alphaod]

No; the solder needs to be reapplied if you want to resolder it. You should never reuse solder.

 

[pinktank]

Sodler wont melt at that temperature, do you mean the interfacing agent

 

[scott85213]

If you're talking about the 8600M GPU issues, it's the GPU that's bunked not the application of the chip to the dye.

 

[noodle654]

Like the towel trick for the Xbox 360?? It would work, but is also dangerous and it will break again soon.

 

[kjapptast]

Thanks for the response!

I'm awaiting some Artic 5 CPU Grease to replace the existing stuff. However, further research online have left me uncertain to whether this is a heat relating issue or not... All I know is that the video card seams to shut down more rapidly when it's hot.

So, I've attempted some reversed homeopathic reasoning: If the cause of the malfunction in the laptop is heat, and providing that excessive heat in a normal laptop would cause malfunction, it would follow that applying excessive heat in a small dose to a laptop with malfunction would rectify the problem?

Apple cook these things at really high temps before they ship anyway, what harm could it do

 

[pinktank]

ermm is that baker's logic applied to a laptop?

 

[kjapptast]

But what can be done with a bad video card which is soldered stuck onto the logic board? I'm trying to replace thermal paste, install fan control, reinstall/update drivers and if all fails, I currently see no other alternative than to apply a pinch of baker's logic. Though I would most humbly welcome suggestions.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

But what can be done with a bad video card which is soldered stuck onto the logic board? I'm trying to replace thermal paste, install fan control, reinstall/update drivers and if all fails, I currently see no other alternative than to apply a pinch of baker's logic. Though I would most humbly welcome suggestions.

Do those first steps before consider playing around with the solder on the important components.

Proper thermal paste application and SMCFancontrol will lower the overall temp of your machine, meaning the GPU will run cooler too, because its fans won't be sucking in hot ambient air.

 

[kjapptast]

Update: Cleaning out the fans, re-applying new thermal paste, and installing fan control has reduced my overall cpu heat from 69 average to 43 degrees celsius. The fans are running 2000 rpm faster.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

Update: Cleaning out the fans, re-applying new thermal paste, and installing fan control has reduced my overall cpu heat from 69 average to 43 degrees celsius. The fans are running 2000 rpm faster.

Told ya. No need to frack with the video card. Good work

 

[nanofrog]

Update: Cleaning out the fans, re-applying new thermal paste, and installing fan control has reduced my overall cpu heat from 69 average to 43 degrees celsius. The fans are running 2000 rpm faster.

Not bad. Good work.

 

[kjapptast]

Thanks! It's gone from very hot to unpleasantly cold and the fans are running at constant 5500rpm. But hey, cant complain as the video card issue rendered the notebook useless.