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.

4 comments

4 Comments

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?

david_jones381mo 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.

piper_kim1mo 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.

the_anthony1mo ago

Right, because nothing says "reliable test data" like frying some $250 Black Friday specials in an oven and calling it a study...