"reflowing" i.e. fixing dead gpu on laptop mb

i dont have any real expectations for people to post in this thread, but I know there's several of you that fix computers. I got a laptop to fix which is a crappy hp dv7, after trying a bunch of shit and eventually taking it apart and cleaning dust out and redoing thermal paste, it still won't post. I'm almost positive it's a bad onboard gpu, also read a ton of forum posts with the exact same issue (black screen, blinking leds) that have all identified it as being a faulty gpu but claiming it can be fixed by reflowing the solder under the gpu? I was watching tutorials on reflowing but I really am not going to bother unless he just throws the laptop away. Question was, has anyone done anything like that to any kind of success? I have a feeling it's one of those things that's not worth it unless there's a high chance it'll fix it.

i've looked into reflowing and

A: you really need an expensive reflowing machine (at least $350, probably more)

B: you need to know exactly what the fuck you are doing.

as you say, it's one of those things that's not worth it unless you are an expert and have all the gear etc already.

get it done by someone, maybe some shops do this kind of shit. but when you're dealing with a gpu, loosend solder is just one of the things that could have happened. never heard of this tbh..

I'm resoldering all the jack plugs on my mixer because the connections are a bit fucky, had to put the volume high to get some of them to work.. but soldering that shit is easy in comparison!

maybe this helps? not an expert..

I've actually attempted this exact procedure on that exact laptop (same dead gpu issue), with no result. It pissed me off because it stopped booting literally 3 days after my warranty expired. HP knew about this issue for almost a year, but neglected to acknowledge it until the majority of those mobos were no longer covered by warranties. Fuck that shit, seriously. IIRC, it took me half a day to do since there are about 500 screws and cables covering access to the mobo. Wasn't worth it at all. Simply reflowing the chip like I did with a shield, heat gun, and copper chip had no effect. An actual reballing procedure, as other have said, will cost you more than it's worth. Save up another couple hundred bucks, buy a new laptop (not HP), and good luck!

yeah i'm not gonna waste my time. I even saw a video where someone claimed baking it in the oven worked...lol

at least learning about the reballing procedure was fascinating

fuck hp etc

*reflows balls & reballs flow

I reflowed my PS3 a couple of times which I guess isn't a million miles from what you're thinking of doing. It's generally a temporary fix and worth doing if you have a temperature controlled heat gun.

Depends how much you require the laptop to be back and working.

  On 4/11/2012 at 11:44 AM, spratters said:

I reflowed my PS3 a couple of times which I guess isn't a million miles from what you're thinking of doing. It's generally a temporary fix and worth doing if you have a temperature controlled heat gun.

I've done this too and so far it's lasted just over a month without issues (first thing I did though was back up all my saves - just in case). I actually had to do it twice as the first time I was overcautious with the hot air gun and all I ended up with was a slightly warm mainboard !