Precision M6400 Owner's Lounge

Well, just had my second warranty service on my m6400, they are scrapping and giving me a new one. I feel bad for you outlet buyers, mine will be available for your purchase soon, watch for one with 8gb and some gouges on the keyboard where the ^%#@# tech pried the cover off!

All kidding aside, I am pretty disappointed in this machine.

1) Machine comes. Rock solid 2d performance, no BSOD, no issues except 3d video black screens. Perfect LED screen.
2) I request vid card, the tech replaces the MB and the video card. 3d video problem cured, but machine BSOD's and drops from the network with heavy network usage.
3) Tech replaces motherboard, 3d problems come back, but are now BSOD's.
4) Angry calls to gold service have a new machine being built and coming in 10 days. Good thing I didn't sell off my trusty M1710.

Hopefully I can add happy things to this list later, but take this as a cautionary tale!

 

I will get a M6400 soon enough and honestly I do not know what to think about all the happy/horror stories I am reading about. I know that ppl usually write about something when there are problems, but can anyone estimate the actual percentage of M6400s have problems?

I mean it is in the 1%, 5% or 25% range to your opinion?
Is there any solid way of knowing such a number?

Tnx!

 

I have a M6400 Covet and had lots of different issues with the factory 64 bit ultimate install. I've since reloaded with Vista Business 32 bit and a limited subset of the dell software. It has been pretty solid since, but I do not do 3D.

We have someone else here at the office that received the M6400 as a replacement for his M90 that died. He has had nothing but problems with his. It has gone back 3 times. Memory issues, hard drive issues. They just sent a new unit and they are working on setting it up now.

 

And to give a contrast...my M6400 (quad core, Fx2700, raid 0, max ram) is most excellent. No problems at all.

 

me either,
not one problem with mine so far..........apart from the obscene price obviously

 

No problems on mine, X9100, 3700, 8GB, running XP64.
To those who has more experience in this forum, make a poll to see how many has and hasn't problems and under what configuration.

 

I'm not sure what that would prove?
Most people who come to these forums are doing so because they have problems.

Regards,
Simon

 

This is why I didnt want to make a poll.
And as is obvious from the answers so far there are happy stories, happy-finally-end stories and horror stories.
But is there a way to get a solid number?

Where all these lead and what is the bottom line? I will get the M6400, but I will have my fingers crossed when I will turn it on for the first time... And I hate this feeling.

 

Well, the problems are not such that you would notice anything when you turn on the machine for the first time. But at least for the two machines I have seen, you absolutely have to reinstall Vista from scratch (and make sure you install the latest BIOS that's available at the time). After that, let's hope the best ; I am still hoping I can keep my second machine

 

I did that, and have had a great machine so far!!