M17x2 Warrenty Video Replacement/Upgrade

So I purchased a M17x2 in March of 2010. Right off the bat I had XFire problems with the ATI 4870's that were in it. Long story short the tech came out and replaced the video cards 3 different times, and then tried to replace the motherboard. At that point I said no way, and with his help we called dell and got a replacement M17x2. This was right at the time that Dell started putting the ATI 5870's in the x2. In fact by the time my replacement system shipped to me, Dell was no longer selling the X2 with ATI 4870's.

So a year goes by and the machine has been doing pretty well. Well, over the last month or so I have noticed my performance is going down in games, along with color flickering and artifacts and such. I call dell and we go through all the diagnostics, and they decide to replace the cards. So a tech come out today with a box full of stuff, 3 video cards (1 main and 2 secondary), a motherboard, heat sinks, fans, etc... So he replaces both of the video cards, buttons the system back up, turns it on, and........ Nothing, no video at all. So he pulls the system apart again, and notices that the xfire cable is damaged on the attached side of the cable (I assume that is the secondary card). So he plops in another card, fires up the system and....... Nothing. No video. So he ends up putting my original main card back into the system and fires up the system and now we have video, but no XFire. The system sees both cards but the Xfire does not work, and the diagnostic screen in CCC says the Xfire cable is damaged or not connected. He calls Dell and they say it's a software issue and to reinstall the drivers. We do, and it doesn't fix the issue.

So the tech left cause he is out of parts (Out of 3 new cards, 2 were bad) and ideas. So I guess my option now is to send it off to a depot to be repaired. My question is after all this long run on info.. Should I fight to have them replace the ATI 4870's with ATI 5870's or even better (is there anything better). This is now my 6th set of 4870's and I'm tired of it.. What do ya'll suggest I do..

Thanks for sticking with me.
Mike

 

update video firmware, reseat card, make sure xfire is plugged in and reboot using f8 (start with most recent settings that worked)

this is how I got past mine. If it continues, remove second card and see if it levels off.

 

How much did you pay for your system ?

 

There are better cards that work in the R2 beyond 5870CF, but Dell isn't going to install them or provide a warranty for them. The 6970 and 6990 work, both single and in CrossFire. Go HERE for more information.

 

I paid around $3500 for mine.


Yes I realize that there are better cards. But I want Dell to fix this. I'm not paying a dime for this fix. I just figure they have tried enough times to fix the 4870's they should upgrade me to a better card that does work..

I talked to them last night and they are going to escalate the call and see what can be done. Should know by Wednesday.

Thanks
Mike

 

They didn't work because probably you have a recent BIOS and the cards are running on the old vBIOS or the other way around.

 

So i finally got Dell to see the light, and they upgraded my cards to 5870's under warranty. Install went great, and everything is working perfect..

 

Good to hear a success story man. I hope you enjoy them. They really are quite powerful in CF. I'm running a single now, and I'm pretty happy with it.