In Bits
After installing Windows 7 Pro on my sister’s Dell D820, it started randomly restarting. The fans would power up to full speed for a few seconds, the screen would flash and then the whole thing would just power off, without restarting. This was obviously a heat problem, so I downloaded the great tool (which needs a better name) i8kfanGUI, which allowed me to monitor the temperatures of the CPU and the GPU. The GPU was obviously the problem, it was idling at 70°C, while the CPU seemed ok, idling at around 45°C. When I forced the fans to full power, the GPU temp didn’t come down.
Having identified the problem, I searched the internet for a bit, and found the excellent Dell Lattitude D820 Service Manual for the D820. This document is excellent, and the fact that Dell make these would make me buy a Dell in future, over other manufacturers, as this kind of information is priceless once the machine is out of warranty.
Culprit!
At this stage, I stripped down just enough to see the GPU and cooling array, which only required taking off the keyboard to have a peek. I shone a light from one side of the GPU, and could see the light shining through, there was a gap between the heatsink and the chip! The motherboard had been replaced due to faulty sound a few months ago, and clearly the engineer didn’t replace the heatsink correctly. The problem had only become apparent now, with Windows 7′s higher graphics usage.
Solved!
I went out and bought some Thermal Grease, and set about stripping down the laptop. Getting to the cooling array involves completely dismantling the computer, and I did get a fair amount of James May style satisfaction from having the entire thing laid out, screw by screw on the table in front of me. Once I got the cooling array out, the problem was even more apparent. Both of the other chips under it had (different!) grease applied, and the plate for the GPU was bare. I applied a liberal amount of grease and screwed it back up. Opening i8kfanGUI again showed the GPU idling at about 50°C, and responding to the fan – a great improvement!
Thanks for the info. I have a D820 with a sick GPU. Did it appear the Nvidia part is replaceable? I suspect it’s soldered in and even if not, I don’t know where I’d find one.
Anyway, any further info would be much appreciated.
Regards,
John
| May 30, 2010 @ 11:09 pm
It’s soldered to the motherboard, the only way to replace it is via Dell or by cannibalizing another D820.
| May 30, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
Pleas, read this: http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/b/direct2dell/archive/2008/08/18/nvidia-gpu-update-dell-to-offer-warranty-enhancement-to-all-affected-customers-worldwide.aspx
| July 2, 2010 @ 6:00 am
Thanks for the info, but that problem is to do with defective GPUs. The GPU in this case works fine, it is the cooling that is the problem.
| July 2, 2010 @ 8:59 am
Thank you.
I have exactly the same problem and will try this tomorrow when I get a chance to get some grease. But am certain its the same issue…..Replaced motherboard….upgraded to Windows 7……graphics heavy apps cause the fan to ramp up and then laptop shuts down suddenly.
I thought it was the GPU as opening Windows Media centre immediatly causes it to happen.
Thank you man
| June 25, 2010 @ 8:05 pm
I’ve ran into this as well, but I had the benefit of other D820s to look at. I’m glad the thermal paste worked, but what is actually supposed to go there is a thermal gap pad, similar to the light blue pad for the mainboard chipset seen in your photo. The factory pad for the GPU goes sticky side down (that’s why it doesn’t stay attached to the cooling solution like the chipset pad does), with copper foil between it and the GPU core surface.
I wonder why Dell techs seem to routinely leave it out. Best practice is to replace all pads/paste with new materials when reinstalling a cooler, so perhaps their instructions say “do not reuse”, but there is no replacement piece included?
| November 7, 2010 @ 7:49 am
anyone know where i can get a thermal pad for the GPU?
| March 3, 2011 @ 5:19 pm
Had the same problem, just gobbed some thermal on the GPU and problem solved. Thanks!!!!
| December 27, 2010 @ 10:03 pm