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Just read that a 2018 study found over 60% of failed laptop motherboards could be fixed with just a reflow. That seems way too high.
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mark_carr76mo ago
Hang on, 60%? That really makes you wonder what specific laptops they were testing. Were these just cheap consumer models with lead-free solder, or did they include business grade stuff like ThinkPads and Latitudes? I'd want to see the full breakdown by brand and age, because a three year old Dell is a different beast than a five year old HP. Also, what qualifies as "failed" in their book, did it have to be totally dead or just showing intermittent issues?
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david_jones386mo ago
My last three ThinkPads all made it past five years with just a battery swap and a RAM upgrade. The 60% failure rate sounds like they tested a bunch of cheap plastic consumer laptops that nobody should expect to last anyway.
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piper_kim6mo ago
@mark_carr7 that is exactly what I was thinking too. I had a cheap HP from Best Buy that died after 18 months, but my old Dell Latitude from work is still running fine after like 7 years with just a new hard drive. The whole "60% fixable with reflow" thing feels like they were testing those bottom barrel store brand machines that are held together with hope and lead-free solder. Business laptops are built different and that study probably didn't account for that at all.
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the_anthony5mo ago
Right, because nothing says "reliable test data" like frying some $250 Black Friday specials in an oven and calling it a study...
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