Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge

Yes it will StievieD....I ordered mine yesterday! I added the Backlit Keyboard to everything else as everyone was telling me it's a 'must have' for this unit

 

Hi guys, I have a problem. So far my Dell lappy is working fine, but the more I use it the more I realize the screen resolution is a bit deficient for me ( I have the 1440 X 900 LED screen). I'm used to WSXGA 15.4 laptops . If I had known this then i would had chosen the WUXGA CCFL option (RGB LED is not available in my country). I called Dell to ask if I could return my laptop but since the purchase was made as business and not private customer (anyway the Precission line is not available for home users at Dell Spain), they told me that I had not the option to return the laptop assumed I'm not happy for whatever reason . Where could I buy a replacement screen? I took a look at Ebay but I did find nothing.

 

The main reason I stick with Dell since my first Laptop 5 or so years ago is its support. I had a similar experience to yours at the time. First week, I was partitioning my HD and reinstalling Win XP when things stuck, BSOD and all these things. During a week or so, the support was very helpful. They changed almost every piece of hardware (motherboard, video card) until they got it working.

At first sight this may seem a reason not to buy at Dell anymore, but the fact is they solved my problem and the notebook is still working to this day. I am quite sure if it were another brand I would have gotten a bigger problem, no hardware to replace the possible defective ones, "it's your fault" stuff, long, long delays... Since then, whenever I had a problem their support was very helpful and fast when hardware problems were detected. That's the beauty of the 3 years NBD onsite warranty.

I guess I could buy a similar config for a lower price from other brands, I almost went Apple's way (MacBook Pro is quite similar in specs and price and I could play with both OS X and Vista), but Dell's support made me think twice (I'm in Brazil, BTW). Of course this is a personal decision, but if I were you I would try to have them replace parts of hardware.

I am about to receive my M4400 these days (and I hope I will not be disappointed in the future!), and thought theses thoughts might be helpful to you.

 

Mbernstein:
You are absolutely right - the support of Dell is very good indeed!
I just don't have the time to waste on all these problems.. But I would anytime recommend Dell for it's great customer support!

On a sidenote - I have never liked laptops and never owned one until now.. and honorstly I just don't think the time is right for me to get one just yet - too many problems.. but I am also used to high-performance stationary workstation (that i build myself).

I hope you will have no problems with your M4400! it is one of the best and most powerful laptops out there at the moment (just not good enough for me apparently heheh)

 

now my fan is making an intermittent rattling noise

need to call dell tomorrow. reckon i'll ask for a replacement notebook. bleh...

 

A question to the M4400 owners:

I am planing to buy a M4400. I would like to replace the optical drive with a 2.5" SSD. The optical drive should be mounted in an external modular bay. Would that be possbible? What options do I have to order?

 

Hello Fellow M4400 owners, This is my first post here, and I'd liked to thank all those users who have contributed to informing other's about their rippleback. Unfortunately, my journey of purchasing an M4400 has turned into an escapade. Two days again, I received my third M4400. The first one had a faulty lock (the bracket next to the webcam on the screen was loose, and the thin fixture panel along the top of the rippleback had a bulge in it which could not be snapped back into position). After supplying Dell with photographs, they apologised and within a week I had a second machine. This time round, lock and chassis were fine. However, after booting up, first thing to notice was that the trackpoint was defect: it only seemed to move in a diagonal position from bottom left to top right. The bios at this time was A09 (the first had been A06). Despite the fact that I will be using a Wacom tablet with this machine, for a +2000 EUR workstation I will accept nothing but a fully functional product upon delivery.

So, Dell was called again, and this time sent a technician who was going to replace the keyboard. The technician replaced the keyboard: still the trackpoint did not work. He then proceeded to replace the motherboard: still the trackpoint did not work. At this point, I stated that I had seen enough, and that I wanted to have a new laptop. He agreed and apologized for the inconvinience. So... two days ago, third time lucky?...

... It appeared so. I have a T9400, 4GB, Vista 64bit Business setup, with the 2CCFL screen, 250GB 7200rpm SATA, backlit keyboard, Intel 5300 wireless card. However, after using the laptop for one evening, upon switching it on yesterday I noticed that I could hear a high pitch sound. After some deductive research, I pinpointed it to be related to the ambient light sensor and my CCFL screen. When I turn the screen up to maximum brightness, the high pitch disappears. However, on all other dimmed settings, I can hear it. It sounds just like a dimmer on a lamp, and it is most pronounced in the bottom righthand corner of the screen. When you dim the screen, at each setting, the frequency steps down ever so little. The brightest-but-one is therefore the loudest. I find the brightest setting of the screen too bright for my eyes, so this is becoming highly irritable.

My question to fellow users is twofold: firstly, have others with the 2CCFL experienced this problem? And secondly, whether this is a matter to take up with Dell? This is my first laptop as I'm currently the owner of an antique Precision 220 workstation desktop. The build quality of that machine has been rock solid, and I had no hesitation to opt for Dell again. But, I hope you can appreciate that this escapade has turned a little too sour, and I want it to come to a positive end... Your advice would be much appreciated.

 

if you're not happy with the unit, return it or ask for a replacement. Im frustrated with my m4400 as well. just got off the phone with dell uk tech support and they're gonna replace my screen, motherboard, and heatsink. the support guy wanted to replace the whole system but apparently he cant because i purchased it in a different country. i wont be back in the country i bought it in until about april.....so maybe if my issues are not resolved i can get a replacement unit then.

anyhow, the tech on the phone was brilliant. however i discovered something curious- he said none of the faults that are commonly mentioned on this forum have been reported, and he has access to the global list, not just the UK. no downclocking, no freezing, no bios issues....

he was quite surprised when i directed him to this forum. It cant be that none of the people here have reported their problems?

 

afhstingray: Did you experience the same problem with your CCFL screen? I get the impression, from my memory of the other two M4400's I had before, that the screen did not make any audible noise...

By the way, I find the screen itself to be wonderful and clear. And to be more precise: the issue is not affected by whether the ambient light sensor is active or not. It occurs when I adjust the screen brightness using the function (Fn) key in combination with the up/down arrow keys. Noise is also still there whether I run from battery or mains...

I'm a little at a loss right now. I'd like to act during the first 7 days with respect to return policy rights, but I'm also hesitating as to what might come of it. A fourth unit? At a certain point, I think you should read between the lines: on paper, the specifications of the M4400 are great, and I simply couldn't custom specificy a Lenovo W500 or HP 8530w as I liked, for that price. However, the build quality has disappointed me a great deal. I mean, mistakes happen, but is there no-one on the assembly line in Ireland who checks for these things?

 

just ask for another replacement. you paid good money for it and it should work as expected!

no i do not have the whining noise....and i hope my new LCD when it comes wont have that problem lol.....

my LCD had image persistence problems