Macbook Pro issue - advice needed

Question

Hi!
I have mid 2010 15” i5 2.53 Macbook Pro that has quite famous Nvidia 330m problem, it works fine when it uses integrated graphics, however it randomly crashes after switching to Nvidia.
I am a graphic designer so I need to use adobe programs such as Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects etc, also I need reliable machine, it’s really annoying when I sometimes lose something I’ve been working for hours after computer crashes (I tend to save everything after each modification but sometimes I won’t be able to when it crashes randomly).
It worked alright before while using Snow Leopard, issue started after upgrading to Mountain Lion, then, even after downgrading to Snow Leopard, problem stayed. I tried to get apple to fix it free of charge under their policy for this problem last year however they said that macbook showed signs of liquid damage so they wouldn’t, they quoted me for about £670 for total repair - I didn’t agree on this.
I’ve been looking for some ways to fix it, I upgraded to Mavericks recently and after that macbook was crashing pretty much all the time after few seconds after start up when I was trying to do something on it, when I was using Snow Leopard it tend to crash only 1-4 times a day.
I’ve found the idea with the blanket forcing it to heat, I have removed battery, plugged AC adapter, positioned turned on mac upside down on the edge of my bed (open lid) covered it with blankets and left it for an hour. To my surprise, after it cooled down it was working much better even tho I was using mavericks, it didn’t crash at all for about 2 hours, then crashed once, then it kept going for even 6 hours without crashing which was really good considering previous situations. The problem is, it still crushes sometimes, and I can’t risk losing my work.
There are still some ways I haven’t try yet like:
Putting logic board into the oven for 7 mins
Trying to heat logic board (Nvidia chipset) with hair dryer
Also, there is a repair centre on ebay that fixes this exact issue, apparently permanently by fitting brand new updated GPU Chipset that has been purposely produced by Nvidia to replace the Faulty GPU Chipset - this will cost about £180 including return delivery, and they provide 6 months warranty - there was over 100 happy customers with this problem and it seems like they fixed it
I would prefer to spend as little money as possible, and I have no problem with the speed of my macbook pro, 4gb Ram (currently using 2GB as one stick got broken so it does work slowish, but I will buy another 2gb stick on Monday - or should I get 4gb making overall ram 6gb? will this make much difference?) also, I was thinking about updating HDD to either Crucial 256GB SSD or Seagate Momentus XT 500 and then use my currently installed HDD as external HDD as I have planned to buy external HDD anyway.
Of course, getting the machine professionally fixed and upgrading it would cost me less than spending loads of money (over £1000) for brand new 13” retina mac, I also like 15” screen, even tho 13” retina has higher resolution, build in DVD is beneficial as well.
What do you guys think? Any experience with similar problem? If so what was your solution? BTW, what was the highest amount of money you've ever spent to fix your macbook pro that was out of warranty?
Sorry for quite long post
Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, they specifically fix Nvidia 330m problem, they state that the only true solution is to remove old chipset with their brand new chipset that has been apparently released by Nvidia as an update for this issue, this is exactly what they say:
What faults can we fix?
We can fix graphic/display issues relating to the 15" / 17" Nvidia 330M models in 2010 Models. These are fixed using the appropriate professional equipment.
Brand New Chipset Repair - (only option we recommend for Macbook Pro Nvidia Models) With this procedure we re-fit a Brand New Nvidia GPU Chipset reballed in leaded solder.
**** Special Offer - £10 off making the Brand New Chipset Repair £169 + Post! ****
They also provide photos of certain logic board (including photo of serial number) with old chip, chip removed and new chip installed as a proff.
Thanks!