Lawsuit against Nvidia seeks class action

May 13, 2009 | 10:10

Tags: #class-action #faulty #gpu #laptop #mobile-gpu #sue

Companies: #nvidia

The faulty graphics chip débâcle that raised its ugly head last year may be coming back to bite Nvidia where it hurts with the news that five separate lawsuits are seeking class action status.

As reported by ComputerWorld, the plaintiffs behind five lawsuits – brought by owners of Apple, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard laptops affected by the design flaw in certain Nvidia mobile GPUs – have agreed to join forces and seek class action status in an attempt to force Nvidia to address the issue once and for all.

The flaw, which seems to stem from a GPU which overheats under normal usage, has resulted in several companies extending their warranties to help cover customers affected by the issue – but the plaintiffs believe this extended support doesn't go far enough to address the problem.

Instead, the suits request a complete recall and replacement program for all laptops affected by the flaw. Describing attempts to fix the issue in a software patch which increases the fan speed to better cool the chip as a “grossly inadequate 'remedy,' [which] results in additional manifest defects including, without limitation, further degraded battery life, system performance and increased noise,” the combined suit requests that Nvidia replaces the faulty GPUs and pays damages to those affected by the issue.

With Nvidia having already told the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it expected a $196 million charge to result from its handling of this issue, the company can ill afford to lose a class action suit that could potentially cover millions of laptops sold over a wide ranging period.

Should Nvidia be sorting the issue out properly without the need for a lawsuit, or are the plaintiffs just trying to get something for nothing? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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