Just had to choose between reflowing a laptop GPU or scrapping the whole board

Got an old Dell Precision in last Tuesday with no display but the backlight worked. I was sitting there debating whether to hit the GPU with hot air or just junk it for parts. Ended up going with the reflow because I figured I had nothing to lose, and after 3 tries it actually posted again. Has anyone else had that gamble pay off with a graphics chip?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotal191mo agoMost Upvoted

Question if that thing actually stays working for more than a week before you start celebrating. Three tries on a reflow usually means the underlying problem is still there.

tylerlane1mo ago

Did something similar with an HP laptop last year, GPU kept dropping out after 20 minutes. Bumped the temp up a little and added some flux on the second try, that one held for about 8 months before I passed it on. Worth a shot when the board is already headed for the bin.

harris.uma15d ago

I read somewhere that reflowing can work short term but you're really just hoping the solder balls reconnect without cleaning up the underfill properly. Three tries does make me wonder if the chip is actually cracked, not just loose.