I have a HP 8510w as a laptop given through my college laptop program. It's a workstation-type laptop equipped with a Nvidia Quadro FX 570M (series which specialize in CAD). Throughout the semester I have been having problems with the graphic card, many of such issues often end with a BSOD citing the infamous "nv4_disp". I don't overclock the card, hell no, but I do demand alot out of it when it comes to rendering CAD or casual gaming (nothing really intensive, such as TF2). I always updated drivers and completely clean the old ones out but never any luck. Now that's it's summer, I use my laptop for level editing, but I am growing tired of the problems, and I think it isn't a software issue as much as a hardware problem.

I don't know what indicates an overheated video chip. Anyone have such issues to mobile computers? The problems I'm having:

--I know laptops get hot but the internal sensors state, when doing something 3D intensive, it can reach up to 80 F. Is this okay, especially in such a confined space?

--The laptop locks up time to time when something is demanded when it comes to 3D, whether AutoCAD or Rhino3D modeling, even GTKradiant for JA, and gaming (Source games). The issue is that it isn't easy to replicate right away. I can't just open a program up and make it crash, the problems arise when I'm using the laptop hour or 2 down the road.

--Odd graphic problems. For example, when I play TF2, everything looks normal when I execute the game. Sometime in, WHAM, the computer locks up for a minute, and suddenly all the textures of the environment switch shaders (but remains playable). Suddenly the desert walls and player models look like they were dipped in LSD and the game turns into a hellish disco nightmare (on the plus side, cloaked spies are easily distinguishable, weird).

Blah, blah. Now an article caught my eye on many tech websites:

http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?rss&newsid=102076

But what chips do this affect? Where can I get the info? The Quadro FX 570M, I think, is based on an 8 series card (8600). Is Nvidia going to release additional information or am I doomed to wait.

I'd say most of the symptoms you're describing indicate an overheat.

yep it pretty much sounds like an overheat problem,

as for the faulty chips nvidia has admitted are out there and that they are expecting to cost them $150 million to fix, well, if your laptop was made within the past 1 1/2 years, it is likely to have one the faulty chips in. Anything in the 8000's series will probably be faulty.

best bet would be to look on some nvidia forums, call/email nvidia for some information or call/email HP.

either way I'm pretty sure you have one of the faulty chips, that or one that overheats anyway and needs looking at.

I just don't understand why Nvidia doesn't just release a public statement as to why chips are in question. Unless they are collecting more data.

The more people that know the more that will return them.

Now, I'm not saying Nvidia is being bad by not making a public statement on the fact, in some regards I think what they are doing is the right course of action.

A lot of laptops with the faulty chips in people won't even know there is anything wrong, they probably have never stressed the chip or got it anywhere near the temperatures where things start going wrong. If these people knew they had a faulty chip, they'd likely return their laptop to get fixed/replaced when in all honesty there is no reason, just because they have been told it is faulty.

Now, on to people like you who do use your laptop graphics chip and know you have a problem and that it actually effects your use of the laptop. You fit into a totally different catagory of computer user to that of the ones above, you know there is a problem, you've looked up what it is and found out the (most probable ) reason. There is just about enough information out there for you to know whats wrong and what to do about it.

Nvidia are out to make money, they made a cock-up and now they need to fix it, they reckon it's going to cost them $150 million to fix it as it is and I'd guess if they did a "proper" press release that'd double if not treble from people who aren't even having a problem returning their laptops.

I've had 3 NVidia Quadro FX Go1000 cards burn out in my laptop over the past three years. I do a lot of gaming (nothing more than Source games), but cards shouldn't fail simply though use. Has there been time for the inside of the machine to get gunked up and hurt air flow?

I work in the notebook repair industry & I can tell you that manufacturers are incredibly slow & reluctant to educate their customers on issues that will result in costing them more money. I could tell you about dozens of manufacturer defects that should have resulted in recalls but were covered up with quick fixes or simply ignored.

If I was having your problem, I'd at least open that thing up & give it a good thermal overhaul.

My MacBook Pro will get to 90 C before the fans kick in full speed. I've confirmed this with several other MBP owners, and the same thing occurs with them. I just had to send in the laptop for repair and I believe the video card fried. Kinda stupid that it sacrifices protection for quietness. And I guess note: 8600 GT inside

This would be why I run one of those fan programs and force my fans to super mc-high speed.

UPDATE:

To make a long story short: HP is going to send an on-site technician next day (because my laptop was bought through a college, which is considered a "business"). Oddly, HP isn't acknowledging, unlike compaines such as Dell, the Nvidia laptop overheating issue and claim there is no widespread issue with the chips. But because I have a 3-year warranty, he is going to replace the chip and motherboard without problems.

I can go with a replacement Nvidia chip (same model, Quadro FX 570M) OR an ATI Mobility FireGL V5600 graphics chip. Should I just stick with Nvidia, hoping this won't fail, or go with ATI? The thing is, I'm not sure what to expect with ATI laptop chips, seeing that I never had one. On the other hand, should I trust Nvidia sending out properly heat-sinked chips? As I mentioned before, I demand alot out of my laptop's graphics so I need power and reliability.

Official Nvidia press statement: http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html