Taking the Measure

What should Nvidia do about suspect graphics processing units, which might fail because of a potentially weak die/packaging material set? For Dell computers containing a suspect Nvidea GPU, Dell recommends flashing the BIOS to provide improved fan control that will smooth out the temperature fluctuations that can exacerbate chip failures. HP makes a similar recommendation.

But the Wall Street Journal reports today that “...the way the chip maker and two computer manufacturers are handling a product defect hasn't pleased some critics, adding to a series of headaches for the Silicon Valley company.” The Journal article adds, “…some consumers who posted complaints on Web message boards don't seem satisfied with the BIOS fix, knowing they own computers that could stop working. ‘I hope Dell realizes that people will not be happy until their graphics cards are replaced,’ wrote one customer on the computer maker's site. Added another: ‘I did not pay for a high-end logic bomb.’"

The Journal alludes to Intel’s 1994 problem with Pentium processors that could not correctly make certain floating-point calculations. After some hesitation, Intel offered to replace the chips, no questions asked, for customers who wanted new ones, resulting, as the Journal notes, in a $475 million write-down.

Nvidia doesn’t seem inclined to go that route. From the Journal article: “…Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia's chief executive, said the situations are different. His company's problem…doesn't usually cause problems, he said. It can be affected by the choice of other components in a system, and how computer makers designed their products; different configurations of the same laptop could behave differently, he said.”

I’m not sure I see the difference. Intel’s Pentium “problem” didn’t usually cause problems, either. It depended on what software users were running and what problems they were trying to solve.

In any event, the Journal reports that Nvidia has set aside a $196 million reserve to deal with the problem. It says Huang estimated the cost of each system repair at around $400 for chips that cost $15 to $20.

What do you think? If you had a computer with a suspect GPU, would you want it to be replaced, no questions asked?