- Image via CrunchBase
The HP Tx1000 series laptop has a unique problem with the Nvidia chip. Due to a really poor design wrt to the heat sink to the GPU, the chip reaches very high temperatures during operation causing the system to not boot properly. This problem is apparently very common and occurs within about two years of moderate use.
HP will replace the motherboard if the laptop is in warranty, if not their recommendation is a 400$ replacement of the motherboard. The laptop is awesome bar this problem and that solution is simply ridiculous…
Here is an alternative solution that worked for two of my friends and me. We all had different versions of the tx1000 series laptop and the system is working perfectly now… As an added bonus the system has better heat emission and easily reduces the temperature of the GPU by over 25%
The basic process is explained very well by this youtube video-
Here are a few of the things I changed in the process that helped me immensely –
- Take a cloth and clean the top surface of both the nVidia and AMD chips(they will be covered with the thermal paste)Â This will be useful when you reapply the paste, the smoother the area the better the heat conductivity.
- Using the IR lamp is great but if you have a hot air blower that is extremely handy.
- Blow the hot air on the edges of the nVidia chip and do so carefully until you can smell the epoxy dissolving.
- Use a tweezer or similar tool to keep the chip in place by pressing on it gently during the operation. This will directly avoid the second step as the chip will already be in place.
- take a small smooth 5mmX5mmX1mm piece of highly conductive metal and use it instead of the penny(as explained in the video). This will give you better heat conductivity.