System Exchange-Unsure of specs

So, I've been going through a system exchange on my m17x-R2 since... about November of last year. I haven't got it yet but finally got one shipped out, and supposedly arriving today.

On the phone the Support guy said that it would be the same as the old one, but the first thing that jumps out at me of course is that this new system is black, not silver like my old. And there are different parts. Also I'm pretty sure there's a quad-core in there somewhere. I was told a while back that they were bad for gaming... which is what this computer is mainly used for aside from college work.

I apologize for joining here just to get information, but could someone please do me a huge favor and compare these two computers? I don't really know that much about hardware. I had some help with ordering it from a friend, but we don't talk to anymore, so I'm a bit lost and confused.

I removed some of the software from the list to make it shorter.

Heres my old system specs:

1 G916N ASSEMBLY..., BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., ANW, SILVER..., M17X
1 F222R LABEL..., REGULATORY..., WIRELESS..., AW1510, ANW, DELL AMERICAS ORGANIZATION...
1 J938H Adapter, Alternating Current External, 240W, Flexible, 3P World Wide
1 W075J Battery, Primary, 85WHR, 9C Lithium, Dynapack InternationalTechnology Corp
BLUETOOTH..., 370, 5DB, NO BIOS...
0 D894N SERVICE CHARGE..., DRIVER..., CARD READER..., RICOH..., ANW, M17X
1 8WK6F Keyboard, Alienware, 101, ENG-US, Personal Computer
1 N022G LABEL..., REGULATORY..., WIRELESS..., BLUETOOTH..., 370, DELL AMERICAS ORGANIZATION...
1 W508M Shipping Material, Bag, Notebook, Alienware, M17X
1 Y488R Card, Wireless, Half Mini-Card AW1510, 4322, United States
1 5120P Cord, Power, 125V, 6Feet, SJT..., Unshielded
0 D687N SERVICE CHARGE..., SOFTWARE..., CHIPSET, ANW, M17X
0 KK8D9 INFORMATION..., CHASSIS, SILVER..., M17X
1 M960G Card, Wireless, Bluetooth, 370 Latin, 5DB, No Bios
0 X0RWJ SERVICE CHARGE..., APPLICATIONS..., WIRELESS..., BLUETOOTH..., 370, 5DB, NO BIOS...
0 Y631M SERVICE CHARGE..., DRIVER..., CIRCLE..., INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY EXP..., ANW, M17X
0 2XK0V INFORMATION..., WINRE-BASE, Pentium M Dothan, 1.86GHZ, 2 MEGB, 533FSB..., MB-PTN
1 9JPNY ASSEMBLY..., BRACKET..., HDD, FOAMKIT, M17X
0 C5245 Service Charge, Operating Software, Windows XP Professional SP1, Windows 2000SP4, SUN-JRE
0 C682P SERVICE CHARGE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, AUTO-UPD, ON
0 H749T INFORMATION..., WINRE-ADDR, 300, MB-PTN
1 M222G Hard Drive, 320GB, Free Fall Sensor, 7.2K, 2.5, WD-MX160
0 7TXFM INFORMATION..., WIRELESS..., AW1510
0 9FJYM Service Install Module, Software, Extreme Performance System, L501X
1 J179K Processor, T9600, 2.8, 6MB, Core Penryn, 35W, E0
0 T2673 Service Charge, Operating System, Windows XP OCA-MARKER
2 H299F Dual In-Line Memory Module, 2GB1067MHZ, 256X64, 8K, 200
0 XJ3YJ INFORMATION..., WINRE-ADDR, 200, MB-PTN
1 Y2XT6 LABEL..., CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY..., OPERATING SYSTEM..., W7HP64, ANW
0 00159 Information, First Boot, Hard Drive
1 8472G Label, Intel, Notebook, C2D, Rebranding
1 U519K Liquid Crystal Display, 17WXGA+2CCFL, Anti Glare, Samsung
0 W66R1 INFORMATION..., WMP@V, 12000
0 MMJKH SERVICE CHARGE..., OPERATING SYSTEM..., W7HP64, ENGLAND/ENGLISH..., NO-E
1 96RJ4 Card, Graphics, GT1
0 9WV3G INFORMATION..., .NET@V, 35000, SP1
0 FK82T INFORMATION..., WIRELESS..., BLUETOOTH..., 370
0 R0920 Service Charge, OPERATING SYSTEM..., Windows XP Windows 2000, Direct-X
1 TF81K Dvd+/-Rw, 8X, Serial Ata, SLOT, Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology
1 4WGVV Card, Graphics, GT1, Mobile Pci Express Module, Cable
1 DW6RN Kit, Software, W7HP64, Multi-Language, Alienware
0 PJ289 INFORMATION..., VPEPR
0 TM318 INFORMATION..., SLP2, ENABLE, WINDOWS
0 W768N SERVICE CHARGE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, STYLE, VISTA-DFT




And here's the new:

1 P303J Base,Notebook,Alienware,Black WXGA-AG,M17X
1 2835C Module,Documentation,Airborne,2-DAY,DELL DRCT
1 2J4FR Module,Software,Certificate Of Authenticity,W7HP64,Alienware
1 3TF5Y Module,Information,Wireless AW1510
1 C465T Module,Bracket,Hard Drive, Second,With Connector,M17X
1 C771R Module,Card,Network,AW1510,United States
1 CP1VF Module,Software,W7HP64 Consumer Desktop,English Dao/bcc
1 CTX0X MODULE,INFORMATION,WIRELESS, BLUETOOTH,370
1 D722P Module,Processor,Core Penryn Q9000,ANW NBK
1 DNF92 Module,Information,CHASSIS,Black,M17X
1 F219N Module,Software,Creative Camera,Consumer,W#3,Factory Install
1 G427R MODULE,ACCESSORY,ALIENWARE, M17X,ENGLISH
1 K002R Module,Liquid Crystal Display,17.0 Wide Extended Graphics Array Plus,Alienware,M17X
1 K323C Module,Hard Drive,320G,5.4K WD-ML160,Inspiron
1 K972H Module,Adapter,Alternating Current,240W,Delta - Ac Adapt World Wide
1 N329P Module,Information,Artwork NAME-PLT,Generic,M17X
1 N971H Module,Cord,Power,125V,2M,C13 United States
1 P811N MODULE,INFORMATION,DIRECTSHIP,FLEXTRONICS
1 R73V3 Module,Card,Network,370,Foxconn,Alienware,Dell Americas Organization
1 T780J Module,Battery,Primary,85WHR 9C,Dynapack International Technology Corp
1 VW0X1 Module,Keyboard,Alienware,101,ENG-US,Personal Computer
1 W795M Module,Dual In-line Memory Module,8GB,1333MHZ,DDR3,2X4G
1 XM3FX Module,Label,Intel,Notebook,C2Q,Rebranding
1 XWXTD MODULE,CARD,GRAPHICS,GT1,SLI
1 Y2FYM Module,Software,W7HP64,Digital Video Disk Drive,Multi-Language,Alienware
1 Y329J Module,Dvd+/-rw,Sony Nec Optiarc Inc.,BARE,Alienware
1 Y924N Module,Information,RAID 0 Alienware,M17X
1 YC8XT Module,Tuner,Software,TVT11 NTSC,Advanced Television System Committee

 

My Friend,

Just reject this system...The shud offer you a better specd system.I will try to reply later as I am in hurry. But do not pull the trigger on this. I hope the senior guys would reply to you b4 I do.

Also the nature of your current system and the no. of attempts they have been pushing replacement especially refurbished ones also counts. compare what is available online for configuration also. If silver is available in your country they must give it to.

I go to go bro....later....just dont let them walkover what you deserve.

 

It is an upgrade spec-wise(DC to Q9000) and R1 to R1 which could possibly lead to a disaster, but I don't know what makes you think they should offer him a better system?

 

Hey, thanks for the replies.

I can understand wanting more specs, as i have been through hell with this computer since day 1. (Plus i really do prefer silver...but that's just looks, i could live with black.)
Ive probably been on the phone over 6 hours to get this far. Then there was the incompetent repair guy... and having to pay 300 dollars for another year of warranty since mine ran out right in the middle of the canceled replacement in December.... but enough of my ranting.

Should i call up support again when i receive the replacement and ask for another exchange? Ive had enough disasters to solve with the old one and would like to minimize the chance for anymore.

 

Receive the system first and run some tests. If it fails the tests, then ring them up.

 

Well, they've upgraded your RAM to 8GB (from 4GB, if I'm reading them correctly) but you've also got a hard drive downgrade to a 5.4k RPM hard drive (from a 7.2k). They're legally required to offer a same-spec or above system so definitely get the right hard drive.

Also, they've got to offer you silver if they have it in stock.

As for the whole quad core vs dual core thing, it used to be true that a higher clocked dual core would beat out a lower clocked quad core, as very few games used to make use of more than 2 cores.

Now, however, more and more games run significantly better on a quad core processor. Plus, you should be able to overclock it a decent amount as well.

My personal opinion is that I'd rather have the quad core any day, however, it's up to you, and again, if you want a dual core, as that was what you had originally, they have to give you one.

 

All right. Again, thanks everyone! Your help has been great.

Im going to call them up as soon as i get the chance. The hard drive downgrade i just wont stand for.
I had feeling that it wasn't over yet...

 

Yes, you need a better one, R2 is much stable.

My R1 was very unstable, Dell guy came 4 times to replace everything and he gave it up. I’ve been told they will give me a new one which is same spec. I called them 3 times to explain the problem of R1, and asking for price match from R1 to R2 and then they sent me a better spec of R2.

My R1:
Dual core t2800,4GB 1066 DDR3, 280SLI, 320BX2

My new R2:
i7 840, 8GB 1333 DDR3,5870 Xfire, Ultrasharp RGB LED, 500GBX2

Good luck.

 

My Studio XPS 1640 ---------------> Replaced with

Alienware M17x R2
RGBLED SCREEN 1900
320GB + 320GB ( 7200RPM )
CROSSFIRE 5870
DVD WRITER
DELL WIFI CARD
i7 840
6Gb Ram

and post delivery upgradation of DVD writer to BD Burner plus Dell Wifi card replaced with Intel 6300. This was done because they couldnt configure the specs during manufacture as it wasnt online.

Mine was old case, during which I was very compromising. I blew my top when one irresponsible Dell India Technician acted cocky and tried to be a push over because in India consumer right awareness and what happens globally elsewhere is still relatively insufficient. He actually challenged me to take it to court. I documented each and every communication and drafted a letter to the corporate office.

I kept very silent for a month. Then one day I got an email stating the Alienware M17x R2 as choice of replacement as I refused the Studio XPS 16 for it was already heading for end of life. I told them flat out, that I will not accept a system with known problems of throttling despite different versions and also being ended for production within 3 months.

Also at that time, Dell XPS 15 or 17 was not officially available. They had only R2 with RGBLED screen. So they were forced to due to the repeated mistakes committed by them and the technicians.

Yes..i have had marathon sessions with some guys who are idiots stubborn or sometimes arrogant. But I soon realised, documenting, photographing etc as evidence and putting forth a case of ethics breach instead of talking too much to them works better. Because at the end of the day no matter how much u describe these guys do not take it all down. The conversation you have with Technical Team is put as a summary often without important points. And the email correspondence with once executive is not viewable by another unless the email is produced or forwarded.

Its because of the behaviour of some Executive/Technical Support members and dodgy skill of Service Engineers ,that Dell often gets a bad name.

Otherwise Dell policy and its support service is really great. This is coming from a guy who had his case unfortunately dragged for a long time.

So counter point to point. If repeated refurbish is not working. The must issue you R2 refurbished or total new replacement which of course would be R2.

They cannot downgrade you without your explicit permission. They cannot say..we will give you more ram. If compromise is needed because of part unavailability its you who will have the final say. You can even tell them that you will wait if they say the part stock will be coming soon.

If you case is genuinely a case of repeated issues. They should give you R2. R2 is not another system like R3. It was revised because of the numerous problems with R1 not merely for chipset upgrade.

Hope you are successful and wish you luck so that you get a reasonably thinking executive.

 

We are not paying Dell for tryouts. You think its fun to call them again and tell " Hey look this new system is causing issue, please change! "

The should do whatever they need to check b4 giving the system and evidently its not being done, voila the repeated replacement.

When I first received my Studio XPS 1640, there was some manufacturing defect with the LID which revealed itself in 3 weeks. I agreed for them to rectify like any normal customer would. But to my surprise the entire LCD panel was one piece. I said no problem, go ahead and do what you need to. They sent the same Technician thrice. Each time, he opened the LCD panel and then put the replacement part and found debris or some huge dead pixel. Then he had to remove it and put back my original one, only to go back and wait for another piece to be sent. They got it right only the 4th time. My laptop was dismantled how many time ? Go figure.

Wear and tear due to customer use and handling is fine. But wear and tear because of repeated service by technicians is unacceptable. They basically took 1 month to do this to my brand new system. You think its ethical? No, not when its your headache to deal with.

 

I got off the phone with the a support guy not too long ago. Got lucky enough to get someone nice who spoke very good English as well.

I told him the problem, particularly about the hard drive, and he told me that when i receive it today that i should mess around with it to make sure it was functioning properly, then call back support to arrange for shipping it back so they can replace the chassis and hard drive.

I think I'll ask about the R2 as well and maybe see if they will send one of those systems instead. I actually thought that was what i had in the first place, but i was mistaken.

This is all really frustrating, but it looks like its almost over.

And once again, thanks everyone for the help. I wouldn't have known about the hard drive or that i had a R1.

 

If I were you I would ask them to build a new R2 for you, with like or better specs and a silver chasis. Tell them to send you a return label for the replacement R1 and send it back without even opening it. If you open it, getting a R2 replacement is going to be that much more difficult. You shouldnt have to send your replacement system in for a new chasis and HDD days after getting it. With all the problems and run around it sounds like you've been through, I think a upgrade to a much more stable R2 is reasonable. You probably already know this, but be prepared to ask for a supervisor, or even the manager, you can usually get a lot more accomplished with a lot less brain damage.

 

Well, that was horrible... Long post here.

I did what nk290 said.

Ended up making two phone calls too. First i got a man who may have anger issues. After going through the motions I asked about the R2 exchange. He said they wont do that. I calmly explained that it would minimize issues, and that i have waited since November for a working system. He explained... sort of... that they dont do that anymore.
So he set up for a technician to come out (probably the same one too...) so i can get my harddrive and chassis replaced. After that i asked about R2 again, and he started to raise his voice to me. So i asked to talk to a supervisor or a manager.
He started defending himself and i simply told him "Id feel better hearing it from your supervisor, as ive been through a lot of issues like this before." Im put on hold...
10 minutes later, he said they were all busy. I asked when they would be done, and he said he didnt know, but not anytime soon.
So i let him set up for a technician to replace the components.

After that, i call support once again. Got a lady who was understanding. I explained the situation, and she said in an intelligent way that they no longer do R1 replacements. I asked her to check what was going on the the replacement parts, and said that he did indeed set up a technician housecall.
Of course the address was wrong, as was the phone number. But she fixed that for me.
Then she let me talk to her supervisor (thought they were busy....) Of course i ask about the R1-R2 thing, and he said basically the same as she did. At least something is happening though... but im thinking about waiting to return my old system untill i get my new one dealt with. Anyways....


Too long, Didnt Read....
Im screwed.

And im considering writing a article to send in to the local news about this too.

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience. Sounds like you dealt with some rude/incompetent people. You might not want to deal with it anymore, but if it was me I would call them back and ask for a r1 that is actually correct. You shouldn't have to waste your time with a tech appointment, and deal with a chassis replacement and reformatting a hard drive with a system you literally just received, albeit a replacement. Maybe im wrong here, but if you've been trying to get a replacement since November and have dealt with a defective system, they owe it to you to start you off right, not with another system needing a repairs the first week. From a customer service point of view, I think they should really upgrade you to a R2 but doesn't appear that's going to happen. Just my 2 cents...

 

I would take a deep breath at this point. (did you take it)
You need to send a letter and explain as you have done here what you are going through. Be nice, they will help. Copy and paste some from here and you "will" get a phone call or email with in 24 hours. They "will" help you. Thats what they do. Chance's are you will get a new build to replace this one, since you have been through so much. It's the best advice I can give, and I have been through some replacement systems. Good luck.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...placement-systems-warranty-repair-issues.html

Also, no posting email addresses.