HELP! M17X R3 Is dead/dying

Quick update: got another email today saying they're still looking but can't find any laptop that matches my requirements in their inventory. If they come up with bad news again, I'm really tempted to tell them to shove the laptop up their rear ends (sorry, I don't wanna swear on the forum). I put nearly $3000 into this laptop if you count the extended warranty, and I'm not gonna settle for some downgraded replacement.

Fingers still crossed. Hopefully, there will be something better tomorrow.

 

I don't know how they can drag their feet on this, I've heard that after a set amount of time if they can't find a suitable replacement in the Dell Outlet (refurbished), then they'll send you a new one that is a minimum like for like replacement. And considering you're in The States, which is supposed to be the king of customer service then I'm so surprised you're having to put up with this. I wonder if you're entitled to a full refund of the original purchase price if they won't supply a like for like replacement.

 

I didn't know about that! So basically, if they can't find a replacement in their refurbished lineup within a certain time, I get a new one?! Thanks Robbo, that's the best news I've gotten in this matter this week! I'm gonna try to use it as leverage. I personally think they're running out of time since this whole thing has been going on for over a month now. If I count from the day I got the message saying the request was approved, then it's probably been like 1.5 weeks.

 

That's always been the case in my experience. In the UK they never even asked me to wait, the guy looked in the outlet and said there was no suitable machine there and he passed me to a system builder that put together a new one for me.

The US is weak on consumer protection laws and usually good service is all about reputation. It goes back to 'cultural acceptability'. In the UK pretty much everything has one year warranty, in the states 90 days is more the norm. I really don't understand why they are being so intransigent but they seen to have come to a conclusion that they are not going to give you a new machine whatever the situation.

See the link in my sig below for some advice and the experiences of others.

 

I got another call today. Got offered a system with no 3D as expected. One major problem though: the dell rep told me that they only have 3 attempts to find a laptop that I like and that after than, they're gonna refund my money. And they're only searching in the refurbished systems and so far, they've exhausted 1 attempt. I spent a total of slightly over $2700 on my laptop including the warranty. When I went on the alienware site, I tried configuring an A17 with a 3D screen and similar specs to mine and it comes up to $2745. This is what's stumping me. They're willing to refund me the money when they can easily build an equivalent system for the same amount!

And if they don't give the top of the line card right now, the total comes down significantly lower than the price they're gonna have to refund.

Do you guys think I should point this out to them? Because right now, I think they're not gonna find a refurbished system with a 120Hz 3D screen.

 

I'm sorry if I'm posting way too much. I realize all of you are probably busy enough as it is. It's just that this is the place where I can get the best advice.

 

It's even crazier when you think how much less dell would be paying for a replacement. Typical corporate stupidity/short-sightedness .

I'd try to point this out but I don't hold much hope TBH. You are probably dealing with someone of limited mental capacity! Take the money and get a new one - or even something else if there is something out there you like the look of (and are really P'd off at Dell)? Dell have messed you around and continue to do so. Not worth waiting out on possibly an old model refurb if they won't go down that path.

Sorry man but at least the refund is now on the table

 

That's about the only silver lining I see right now. I originally bought the laptop in Minnesota but now I'm in Arkansas. I wonder what consumer laws would apply to me. When I checked the link in your sig, I saw that someone (DrChips, I think) got a much better response once he told the rep that he talked to the consumer affairs people. Might as well try that before giving up all hope.

 

I would guess the state the purchase took place would be where your legal protection comes from. You might find that reporting an out-of-state issue is a problem though? It was an on-line purchase so it should not matter but the intricacies of local/state/federal laws is way beyond me!

Give it a go, they might be able to inject some common sense and dell will just want the problem to go away - hopefully.

Good Luck.

 

Somewhat related question, Is the GTX 860M a vast improvement over the 580M?

EDIT: Yes, it was an online purchase.

 

I'm not sure but I would think so. The 120hz display is very superior though.

It's so close (Hopefully) to the next models coming out you might want to hang off a month or so. That's why there are huge discounts ATM on the top of the line model I see here (around $800 instant saving!)

 

WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Great News!!!!!! Found a 3D 120Hz screen! My troubles are almost over!!!!

 

I can't thank you guys enough for all the advice and support!! Once this is over, I'll properly document the whole experience and put it on the thread so others can use the info.

 

What's the deal they're offering you?

 

New build, Alienware 17

120Hz FHD screen with nvidia 3D vision
I7 4910MQ
16 GB Ram at 1600MHz
GTX 880M with 8GB dedicated memory.
1TB 5400RPM SATA 6Gb/s + 80GB mSATA SSD Caching (Is this 2 drives or one?)

It looks like they read your comment when you said that you hoped I got the top of the line replacement A17! So thanks Robbo & Micky and everyone else who chipped in with their valuable advice!

The 880M and the 120Hz screen is what I'm happiest about. The processor is also significantly better. Now, my only concern is that I'm gonna have to reinstall all my programs and games and I'm gonna lose all my settings. Is there any way it can make a clone of my current installation and restore it to the new hard disk and run it without hitting a BSOD?

EDIT: I found out it was a new build after I first posted that woohoo comment.

 

:thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

Hey hey, clock another one up to the tag team!

Congrats, it is always nice to see them come through when it's what should be done with a premium product!!! Killer

Now I just need to get another guy in a similar situation to get his replacement sorted...

Feel free to rep us - the star next to a post haha

Edit: You can do a documents and settings transfer. MS have this in windows specifically for getting a new machine. A little research should show you any limitations but I found many games worked by just copying them after a settings transfer, since it does not do applications/games files themselves, only your data related to them.

Probably better to just reinstall but you can keep things like your favourites with that transfer along with all docs and pics.

 

Well, that's just awesome! It was worth hanging on in there & not accepting sub standard service - congrats, I think you'll be very happy with the replacement! Don't worry about all the stuff you've read about the 880M, it's the current top of the line chip and worlds apart better than the 580M! Word of advice, don't overclock your 880M, if it crashes too many times when you're establishing a stable overclock it can set a kind of 'reduced performance flag' which will lower the performance of your 880M greatly and this 'flag' is very hard to remove. Performance is good enough at stock for the 880M and as a consequence there's not much overclocking headroom in it anyway - just enjoy it at stock frequencies!

 

About the overclocking: I'm not gonna over clock since it's so much more powerful than my 580m. I read somewhere that a 680m was like having 2 580Ms on the same chip and since this 880M is supposed to be even more powerful, I doubt I'll need more performance. Furthermore, the main thing that I'm gonna use this graphics card's power for is a simulation software. I run high frequency electrical circuit simulations and this should really cut down on processing time. Plus, the CPU is also more powerful than my current system.

I'm also very happy that this is a new build. Having the 3D means that I'm gonna be able to enjoy 3D movies on my home projector since it's 3D ready. It's gonna be a fun few months! Can you guys suggest any awesome/good games, 3D and non 3D to play on the new 880M and put it through its paces? Am I right in assuming that this card will play any PC game at its peak settings at decent (>40-50) fps?

EDIT: I found out that the 580M outperforms the 880M in the 3DMark 11 graphics score. Does this mean game performance will be affected?

I tried repping you, (Robbo) and Micky but it's telling me that I need to spread some rep around before I can rep you guys. Guess I'll do that then.

Finally, once the new one gets here, I'll post a properly documented account of the entire process I went through so people can use it on threads related to replacements. In hindsight, I feel I should have recorded this ordeal on a separately titles thread rather than just posting under "Help my M17X R3 is dead/dying". I just didn't do it because I didn't know if it was alright for new members with relatively fewer posts to make multiple threads since I already have 2-3 more apart from this.

These forums and members are what helped me make the right decisions in this issue and I thank you for that. If anyone else ever faces a similar issue, I look forward to helping them as well.

 

Good stuff Mak, That performance anomaly simply says to me they had throttling problems. Benchmark software is going to push things much more than plain old gaming. Check out Heaven 4 benchmark for a purely game based test of your system. Much more useful IMO. My machine currently gets terrible 3DMark scores. I know why and the fix is a complete reinstall but it games perfectly so a lot of pain for very little gain.

3D Games For Shock and Awe:

Either of the Portal games, old but the 3D really adds to the game, along with a great, funny, story line.
Either of the last two Batman games; very atmospheric in 3D along with a few scenes obviously written for 3D, like those cheesy 3D movie shots. This one elicited the response from a console gamer, 'How can you go back to 'normal' gaming after that?'
Tomb Raider, bioshock 1&2; most of the assassins creed series; very good 3D.
Either of the Metro games; If you like these games 3D takes it to the next level. They also have AlienFX integration to control the lighting as you move through the environment. Lights out, good set of cans and 3D is the creepiest experience I have ever had from a game .

Some games do not do well and can cause eye-strain but for me it's a limited number. Only Farcry 3 comes to mind as a painful failure for 3D

And don't expect on-line gaming to be any good. It may look good but the latency is the difference between life and death - so my fellow gamers tell me!

Enjoy and please do condense your experiences down to a single thread, give people hope that sticking at it produces results

Oh, and feel free to PM me about any games you are considering - I may well have tried them - but I don't do RPG...

 

Alright! I got my new Alienware A17 yesterday. Haven't posted till now because I was super busy. Right off the bat, it is pure eye candy! I love the new look and feel of the metal finish as opposed to the rubberized plastic I was used to on my old alienware. Booted it up and was on the desktop in around 15-16 seconds. I recall that when I first unboxed my old alienware, the HDMI in port was not working but since I was going to be travelling within 2-3 days after getting it, I decided not to pursue it at the time. I tried out the HDMI port on the new one and the in and out functions both work perfectly. One potential issue is that I sometimes get locked out of the brightness settings, meaning that when I change the brightness using the hotkeys on the keyboard, the brightness box comes up but the brightness doesn't change no matter how many times I press the button, however, this is fixed when I change my resolution to something else and then back again. All in all, not really a serious problem but I thought I'd mention it. Also, there's a 3 fewer ports on the new A17 when compared to the M17X R3. List of missing ports includes:

Esata
SPDIF
VGA

Other than that, I'd like to know if there are any diagnostic tests that I can perform to make sure that all the hardware is working properly. Plus, now I need to figure out a way to transfer all my data, programs and settings from this old laptop to the new one.

 

Cool, good news you have the new laptop now!

Right, diagnostic tests. If I had a new laptop I'd want to confirm I was getting the performance from the GPU & CPU that I had expected, as well as the temperatures.

CPU tests: run wPrime1024 and check against runtime scores of same model CPUs / check temperatures while doing this with HWInfo or HWMonitor. (You want under 90degC really). Compare results here: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - NotebookCheck.net Tech

GPU tests: load up GPUz for sensor monitoring (temperatures & clocks). Run 3DMark11 and compare GPU & CPU tests vs standards for your CPU & GPU. 3DMark11 and other reference information at this site: GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M - NotebookCheck.net Tech, CPU: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - NotebookCheck.net Tech. Run Unigine Heaven Benchmark on a loop for 20mins to check max GPU temperatures & to ensure no GPU throttling. Run any games or game benchmarks that you like and compare results at: Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - NotebookCheck.net Tech.

It's really that simple, a lot more simple than I might have explained it! ;-) (That all take a bit of time, but normally most major problems I'd be able to notice from the 3DMark11 run & score while monitoring GPU clocks & temperatures, but I'd still do the rest of the tests).

(You can update the graphics driver to the latest one on the NVidia site too - ensures greatest performance with the latest games. Although I'd do the initial testing that I listed above with the stock driver you got with the system first, and then if all good upgrade to the latest driver & retest 3DMark11 to ensure you have the same or better score).

 

That's exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks! Hopefully, my next post will be from the new laptop. I'll run those tests and also condense my system exchange experience and post it in the relevant thread.

 

(Reply back here though otherwise I won't be able to find your new thread!)

 

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now but I’ve been swamped lately with all sorts of things. Here goes:
*SKIP TO “Some Important Points” IF THIS IS TOO LONG.
My laptop exchange experience with Alienware.

I bought my Alienware M17X R3 with the 3D screen and the GTX 580M in February 2012. I also purchased the extended warranty with it and that was perhaps the best decision I made. The laptop comes with a standard 1 year warranty and nothing goes wrong in that period. If things go south after the first year, you’re completely out of luck. Around March 2014, my laptop started to show some problems. The most noticeable one was that if I ever moved around with it in my backpack and then tried to use it, it would just show a black screen with random white static lines that you would see if you tried forwarding a bad VHS tape. Finally, sometime in May, this issue got too serious and it would take forever to correct itself. Sometime near the end of june 2014, my laptop just refused to turn on. You can see the problem description in my first post. If you feel you have a similar problem, this thread might be useful to you. Now here’s the actual process of replacement:
I first sent the laptop in for repair immediately as soon as I was back home. They asked me to send it to them even though I should have gotten next day on site service according to my warranty. I got a shipping box the next day and sent off the laptop and got it back a week later. I opened it up and saw that my screen had been downgraded from an FHD 1080p to 1600x900 without 3D. Furthermore, the laptop was very slow and games would not run even half as well as they did before anything went wrong. All told, around 6 new problems had appeared. Since this was just unacceptable, I called them up and told them that I wanted the laptop repaired. Soon after that call I checked the forums here and the good folks at NBR told me that I should try to get it replaced.
I then sent them an email asking about replacement options since I could not risk another botched repair job. Up to this point, I was dealing with a support team that I don’t really remember where they were (they were not in India). One I asked for a replacement, I was told by the support rep that it would take 48 hours to reach a decision. It took around 20 days for them to get back to me and they offered me a refurbished system that did not have a 120Hz 3D screen. I should also point out that after I was told it would take 48 hours, the next person to talk to me was a rep in Florida. I’m guessing that’s where cases are transferred when a replacement is approved.
I just told them that the 3D screen was very important to me and on the advice of NBR members, I also made a point of mentioning the 120Hz screen since 3D can be dismissed as a gimmick but a 120Hz screen is way beyond a regular 60Hz one. The rep then told me that they did not have a 3D screen and that they did not have any refurbished laptops with a 3D screen so I was either going to have to take what they were offering me or get my money back. She also told me that they had three attempts to find a replacement system before they would be forced to give me a refund and that since I had rejected their first offer, I would get 2 more offers before they gave me a refund.
The second offer they made me was a new A17 laptop with the 3D screen and the latest GTX 880M! I went through some more details and accepted the offer. That’s the laptop that I’m posting from right now.
In the end, I ended up getting a massive upgrade! The configuration I have right now would cost around ~$3400 if I bought it and this was built new for me.

Some important points to keep in mind:
1. Being polite will get you much further than anything else. Be polite and firm. I made a point of emphasizing the fact that I knew the rep couldn’t make the decisions but that my needs were not negotiable (120Hz screen & 3D)

2. It takes time for them to respond so you’ll have to be patient. I didn’t call them or email them once during the 20 odd days they were deliberating the replacement request.

3. Never seem desperate. They will always make every offer sound like it’s the last one you are going to get. Hold out for what YOU WANT, not what they want to give you. If all else fails, ask for a refund since there are many great brands out there that you can buy from. Hell, I was gonna buy a car with my refund money!

4. Get help from this forum. It’s literally the reason I have a new, top of the line A17. I had no idea how to proceed after my screen downgrade and botched repair job. NBR helped me to direct my efforts to get a great deal.

5. Most important: Be reasonable. Throughout the whole process, never make it seem like you’re just looking for a free upgrade. Dell is a company and they have to make profits. Like for like replacement is a very dicey term and can be interpreted very differently by a customer and the company (MickyD makes this clear in one of his posts). My main talking point was the screen. It just so happened that even the most basic graphics card they had (860M) was much better than my (then) current 580M so I was in a situation where basically anything they gave me would be an upgrade. Assess your situation and then ask for what you think is reasonable. Throughout the whole process, another thing I made clear was that I was not looking for an upgrade. I just wanted the laptop that I paid for. I repeatedly told them to stop offering me non 3D laptops with better specs and just repair the one I had.
6. Watch out for details that seem minor. An example of this is the warranty. They only transfer the warranty to the new laptop, they don’t give you a fresh warranty. I had already purchased 3 years of warranty for my laptop so this means that at most, I can purchase one more year of warranty even for this new machine. If anything goes wrong after that, I’m on my own.

All in all, being polite and reasonable is the best option you’ve got. I know it’s tempting to yell at the guy/gal on the phone because you’ve bought a premium machine worth $2500+, but it really won’t solve anything. I got a replacement after one botched repair and I’ve heard that people need to get 3+ repair attempts before a replacement is even considered. I guess luck plays into it as well. I also think it had something to do with the fact that the new line of 17 inch laptops was very close to rolling out and the prices for the current A17s were being slashed.
It just so happens that one of the members at NBR (Robbo) once said that he hoped I got a top of the line replacement A17. I guess the gods were reading the thread that day and decided he was right!

Once again, THANKS A LOT TO NBR AND ITS MEMBERS!!! YOU GUYS(/GALS) ROCK!!!
And thanks a lot to dell too for keeping a customer happy!

 

Hey, great to hear you got the service you deserve - eventually! The warranty thing is country specific so they use local laws with it on repairs/replacements. In other words the original max warranty applies if the law allows. In the UK and AU I know that you get a new fresh warranty with a replacement - or should. I did but I had to ask them to add in the accidental damage I had on my original - no argument he simply added it to the build order .

As you say, being 'nice' but firm throughout the process is important, the small print of the warranty does in many countries allow them to just keep trying (the reason behind many US State's 'lemon laws'). So getting angry simply puts the guy/gal into 'hardcore rules' mode, rather than getting what you want. They want to close the call for their own benefit as well so I always try to chat a little to them about their day . Put it on a personal level.

Hope that 880m holds out for you :thumbsup: