HP extends warranties for Nvidia flaw

It looks like Nvidia's problems with the bad batch of GPUs it's been selling are far from over, with box maker HP joining the list of manufacturers warning customers to expect faults from systems fitted with the dodgy chips.

First spotted over on Slashdot by user Barence, HP has issued what it is describing as a "Warranty Service Enhancement" for a range of Pavilion slimline desktop PCs due to faults which can occur due to the same Nvidia on-board GPU chip that has been causing Dell and Apple such problems with their laptop ranges.

The problem, described as systems which "may not boot or may not display video" - very similar to the wording used on other warranty extensions for this issue – is known to affect thirty-six different models of Pavilion systems world-wide, including several UK specific units.

Although the company has stopped short of recalling the product outright – asking customers with the models featured in the affected units list that aren't experiencing problems to hang on to them – any listed system which exhibits problems with the Nvidia graphics chip will be eligible for "a motherboard replacement at no charge for 12 months from the date your one-year Hardware Limited Warranty expires or until December 31, 2009, whichever is sooner."

Although there has been no official word from HP or Nvidia yet, it's clear that someone will be picking up the tab for this latest goof – and my money is on Nvidia. With both Dell and Apple offering similar warranty extensions, it looks like Nvidia's warnings to investors regarding the issue may well come true: this could cost the company a great deal of money as more and more manufacturers are forced to repair units outside the regular warranty period due to Nvidia's manufacturing defect.

Any HP Pavilion owners getting the karmic face-palm after laughing about the Dell and Apple laptops, or is it just the sound of ATI fanboys gloating I can hear? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

Soft hardhat

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