A failing GPU is one of the more alarming laptop failures — sudden black screens, coloured artifacts on the display, games crashing mid-session, or the laptop refusing to boot. This guide explains what's actually wrong when a GPU fails, what graphics card repair typically costs in Mumbai, and why a BGA reballing quote needs a second opinion before you pay for it.
Common GPU / Graphics Card Failures in Laptops
| Symptom | Likely Cause | What We Recommend |
|---|---|---|
| Black screen on boot (BIOS doesn't appear) | GPU solder joint failure (BGA) | Diagnosis, then GPU upgrade or motherboard replacement |
| Coloured lines, dots, or blocks on screen | GPU chip defect or thermal damage | Diagnosis, then upgrade/replacement path advised |
| Display works but games crash / GPU not detected | Driver failure or early GPU fault | Driver reinstall first; diagnosis if it persists |
| Laptop runs but screen flickers under load | GPU thermal throttling or VRAM issue | Thermal paste + fan service |
| GPU overheating (90°C+ under light load) | Dried thermal paste on GPU die | Thermal paste replacement (₹499–₹899) |
| External monitor works, laptop screen blank | Display cable or panel, NOT GPU | Screen / cable diagnosis |
What Xigox Actually Does for a Failing GPU
To be upfront about this: Xigox does not perform BGA/GPU chip-level reballing. What we do is diagnose the fault properly — thermal paste and driver issues are repaired directly — and for a genuine solder-joint (BGA) failure, we tell you honestly that reballing is the fix, explain whether it's worth pursuing, and advise on a GPU upgrade or motherboard replacement as the practical path forward. We'd rather give you an accurate answer than take on a repair we're not equipped to do properly.
| Service | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| GPU thermal paste replacement | ₹499 |
| GPU driver reinstall + OS clean | ₹799 |
| Full GPU/board diagnosis (₹350, refunded if you proceed with repair) | ₹350 |
| Motherboard replacement (when GPU fault is board-level) | ₹8,000–₹22,000 |
A quick note on terminology, since it affects what any shop can realistically offer you: a reflow (heating the existing solder without replacing it) is a temporary fix lasting weeks to months. Reballing (stripping and replacing the solder balls under the chip with precision equipment) is the only durable fix for genuine BGA failure — and it requires specialist infrared rework equipment most general repair shops, including ours, don't run in-house.
How to Find a Shop That Actually Does BGA Reballing
If your diagnosis confirms a BGA failure and you want to pursue reballing rather than an upgrade, here's what separates a genuine BGA repair shop from one that will heat-bake your board and return it as "fixed":
- Ask what equipment they use. Proper BGA reballing requires an infrared rework station or hot-air BGA station — not a soldering iron or standard heat gun.
- Ask if they do reballing or just reflow. "Reflow" is heating old solder. "Reballing" is replacing all the solder balls under the chip. The latter is the durable repair.
- Check if they offer a guarantee. A genuine reballing shop will give you at least 30–90 days warranty. "No warranty on chip-level repairs" is a red flag.
- Ask for a diagnosis before committing. A good shop will tell you whether your GPU is actually the problem — or whether the issue is the screen cable, display panel, or something else entirely. Xigox provides this diagnosis even if we refer the reballing work elsewhere.
Desktop Graphics Card Repair vs Laptop GPU Repair
Desktop graphics cards (separate PCIe cards like NVIDIA RTX, AMD Radeon) are easier to diagnose because they can be swapped for a known-good card to confirm the fault. Laptop GPUs are integrated into the motherboard, which means any chip-level fix requires motherboard-level work — higher risk, and why we steer laptop owners toward an honest replacement-vs-repair comparison rather than attempting the reball ourselves.
Can a Graphics Card Be Repaired or Does It Need Replacing?
Most laptop GPU failures are caused by solder joint failure under the chip (BGA failure) — not by the chip itself dying. This means the chip is physically intact; it has just lost electrical contact with the board. Reballing restores that contact without replacing the chip, which is why it's the correct fix in principle — our role is confirming that's genuinely what's wrong before you spend money chasing it.
A chip replacement (more expensive, and a separate question from reballing) is needed when the GPU has suffered physical damage — usually from a surge, liquid ingress, or extreme heat that burned the chip itself.
Mumbai's Most Common Graphics Card Failure Patterns
At Xigox, the GPU-fault laptops we see most often in Mumbai are:
- HP Pavilion (2016–2019) — NVIDIA GPU solder joint failure
- Dell Inspiron i7 (quad core models) — NVIDIA MX series GPU failure
- MacBook Pro 2011–2013 — AMD GPU defect (Apple's extended service programme has expired)
- Asus TUF and ROG gaming laptops — GPU thermal damage from heavy use without adequate cooling
- Lenovo IdeaPad gaming series — GPU chip failure at 4–6 years
How Long Does GPU Diagnosis Take?
At Xigox: full diagnosis is completed within 2 hours of receiving the laptop (or same day for doorstep pickup), so you're not left guessing whether it's actually the GPU. If it's a thermal or driver issue, we fix it same day. If it's a confirmed BGA failure, we give you a clear comparison of upgrade vs. replacement cost so you can decide with real numbers, not a guess.
GPU & Graphics Card Diagnosis — Xigox Mumbai
Honest diagnosis of GPU and graphics card faults — thermal and driver issues fixed directly; confirmed BGA failures get a clear upgrade/replacement comparison rather than a reballing quote we can't properly back. Free doorstep pickup across Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar.
Book Doorstep Repair in Mumbai — Free Pickup
Xigox provides free doorstep pickup and delivery across all of Mumbai, Thane & Vasai-Virar — free diagnostic, fixed quote before work begins, genuine parts, and a 90-day warranty on every repair.
- 📞 Call: +91 74997 61196 (9 AM – 9 PM, Mon–Sun)
- 💬 WhatsApp: Send your device model + issue for an instant estimate
