Updated: HP confirms Nvidia flaw hits desktops

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 13 Oct 2008 at 18:37

HP has confirmed that Nvidia's faulty GPUs have created faults with 38 different models in its slimline PC range.

Nvidia's GPU problems have so far been confined to laptops, but HP says Nvidia parts are also to blame for the problem in its desktops.

"HP is aware that certain Nvidia chips used in the HP Pavilion Slimline Desktop PCs may experience issues," the company claims in a statement sent to PC Pro.

"Some of these computers may not boot or may not display video. Computers experiencing either or both of these symptoms, attributable to the computer's motherboard, are eligible for HP's Limited Warranty Service Enhancement."

Several of the PCs on HP's list of affected models are sold specifically in the UK, including the Pavilion s3015.uk, s3040.uk and the s3115.uk.

Nvidia says the issue with the HP desktops isn't necessarily linked to the laptop GPU issues. "It is slimline, notebook-like design but there is no conclusive evidence that the failure mechanism is the same as the notebook issue we announced in July," the company's director of product PR, Luciano Alibrandi, told PC Pro.

"We are working very closely with HP to determine if/how the Nvidia chipset is involved in the failures. Modern PCs are complex and OEMs determine their own warranty and repair programs based on their individual testing."

Earlier this year, Nvidia complained it was being prevented from revealing the full scale of the problem with its GPUs by its PC partners. "The truth is our obligations to our partners limit what we can say," a Nvidia spokesman commented. "We need to leave announcements to our partners like Dell and HP."

"I know there's frustration, and it would make my job easier if I could give out the facts that I know, but we have obligations to our partners. We discuss it constantly, and the company would like to be more upfront about this - but we can't be."

Nvidia is currently being sued by its shareholders for allegedly covering up the problems with the faulty GPUs.

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