Skip to main content

dv6000 with Core Duo - Black Screen of Death?

Recently I was given an HP Pavilion dv6000 (dv6402ca), with a 1.7 Ghz Athlon x2 and an Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 integrated GPU. Apparently, this is one of those "black screen of death" machines where the motherboard is bound to inevitably fail due to BGA GPU solder cracking.

My question is this: I've found dv6000 motherboards on eBay with a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo CPU/GM965 chipset. Are these motherboards also susceptible to "black screen of death" GPU failure, or are they relatively more reliable than boards with Nvidia graphics?

My thinking is that I might just swap the existing motherboard out for one with a Core Duo CPU/GM965 chipset, thus eliminating the potential for GPU failure. But I won't bother if the Core Duo motherboards are just as failure prone as the Athlon boards.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

Is this a good question?

Score 0
Add a comment

1 Answer

Chosen Solution

This isn't as cut and dry as you think with yours. Since you have an AMD system, you get to deal with 3 conversion traps instead of 2 like owners of dead Intel systems. These 2007 DV Series systems are a known nightmare, but I also am thankful for the way HP handled them. If it wasn't for the lies and disregard directed towards users, I may have not gotten one of the leads I have for scrap hardware.

Basic testing before converting it

Before we get into conversion (and the pitfalls), swap the RAM and remove the hard drive(s). Sometimes this works, but I’ve usually seen it caused by a bad GPU rather then RAM or the hard drive. It may not hurt to remove the WiFi card as another troubleshooting measure, but these don’t fail at the same frequency. Not all of them die because of the GPU, but the majority do. Don’t be surprised when you find none of this helps.

If the Caps Lock isn't blinking, it isn't throwing error codes and the media controls are working correctly it's typically the GPU every time. However, it still doesn't hurt to try and isolate the easily replaced components from being at fault if the owner already gave up on it.

Conversion

Yes, the Intel GMA board is not affected and won’t die because of this issue. However, these boards require a Intel UMA heatsink (as HP refers to it) in order to do the Intel retrofit on dead nVidia systems. In your case it's not a matter of throwing a board at it - you need a processor, motherboard AND heatsink since you’re working with a AMD base. I will explain more on this in the next section of this answer.

Since you have a dead AMD system, you will need to find a Socket M Core 2 Duo, the Intel UMA motherboard and the corresponding heatsink. You are basically going to be rebuilding it from scratch with the amount of required parts and time involved.

I usually tell owners to pull their data off and dump the laptops if they don’t need it to avoid the problem of ending up in a bad situation to begin with if it happens at the worst possible time. I do this because they will all die with enough use and time. In addition, these systems are 11+ years old and the ones that still somehow work WILL die if it hasn’t happened in the early years of the machine’s life - which is when most of them died (thankfully).

Since they have such a bad reputation, the systems are so cheap on the used market tend to cost as much as the a single major part that can’t be carried to a modern system - which is the biggest negative striking any possibility of repair down. The most economical end to these laptops is to strip it for parts if it’s dead or use it in a environment it can die without any issues until it happens and then strip what remains for parts.

Was this answer helpful?

Score 2

2 Comments:

Thanks for the clarification. The computer hasn't died (yet) and I've been looking into my options to keep this machine going. The motherboard I've seen so far includes the heat sink and CPU, but costs ~$60 with shipping costs.

My only concern then would be if motherboard would fit the case, especially if the Intel fan assembly is shaped or sized differently from that on the AMD board. In the end, I may just run the machine into the ground and then scavenge it for parts.

by

That honestly might be the best option. The one I got in 2008 or so had bad hinges and a dead motherboard. They all end up dead at some point; most died young (thankfully) and the ones that remain are either not used much, repaired or dumb luck. Normally when someone comes here over a 2007 DV Series system they're asking because it's already dead.

As to the mounting points they are likely the same for the motherboard; the ones for the AMD and Intel heatsinks will probably vary and are likely NOT interchangeable.

by

Add a comment

Add your answer

rampancy will be eternally grateful.
View Statistics:

Past 24 Hours: 2

Past 7 Days: 2

Past 30 Days: 5

All Time: 931