Alienware/Dell no longer offering 680m in any laptops...? - Now available! (See post #125)

So as the titles says the 680m is no longer available in any builds not in single or SLI. Anyone from dell have any idea as the is going on?

I ordered an M18x with SLI 680m's on 6/23 and after 3 delays wanted to cancel my order before being told that the day after my third delay it was already shipped out when I called to cancel and replace my order.

Now I know some people would wonder why in the world I wanted to cancel after my order had already shipped out but after demanding money off of my order and being told I could have a price reduction I told Dell I would like to use that money off towards upgrades instead of just taking it off of my old order. I would have actually cancelled my order earlier but on the second delay a representative consented to the delay for me when I EXPLICITLY said I did not want to consent to a delay. The third delay I did actually consent to because I was hoping to cancel my order but have my rep cancel/replace my order so I would keep my place in line.

I received my original build on 7/26 and refused the order. Dell received the computer back on 8/1. I was told I would receive a prompt refund so I could go ahead and order another M18x that I have a quote for but I did not receive a refund until late last night at which point the 680m was still available... Today comes and I get a call @6:19AM from a sales rep that is going to assist me with placing my order only to be told that the 680m is no longer available or being offered and I can't get a reason as to why or when it will be back. I am BEYOND angry.

Someone please tell me that the 680m not being available is some giant glitch in the system and they will be back soon....

PS Just noticed that the desktop 680 is also not available.

 

i was also placing an order and talk to an online chat rep they said it may be because they are out of stock or backordered.

 

Yep just confirmed my self.. 680m is gone from the config.. guess they ran out of cards? but the desktop cards being taken down is odd?

 

The 680's aren't available on the Canadian site either at this time I hope they get them back soon.

 

I wonder if this is do to the recall in may?

 

I don't know anything about an NVIDIA recall. My guess is that they just ran out because so many people want it that they cannot keep up with the demand. This happened with 580M also. Nothing unusual.

 

I placed my order for my M18x, one of the components being GTX 680M SLI, on the 6th August and as of this posting, the system is STILL in Pre-production. My sales rep on the phone has said to me that my system has already been built and is in testing, which struck me as rather odd as to why, if it's already been completed, it is still in "Pre-Production".

He said he will get back to me on Monday with the final delivery date (of which the current EDD is 17th August). However after reading this and the "Pre-Production" status, I'm starting to wonder if mine has been hit by this shortage of GTX 680Ms. I will update this thread with what happens.

 

Here is the status of my order. Specs in signature.

 

I wouldn't worry much about what status you see on the website. DELL has several departments, across the states and on different countries (USA, Asia, etc), and they update a status only when a computer physically arrives to their shipping place. If your computer is being built and tested in any of those places only when it's actually ready to be shipped to you (or right after) will the status change. Don't sweat over it.

 

After a chat to the manager. Turns out my system is NOT in testing and is actually still in pre production and the production stage has not been able started. They have sent an email to the manufacturer to see if the 680M SLI is available. They said because I placed my order 3 days before they went offline on the site that it should be okay so let's see...

 

It doesn't surprise me. When I ordered mine, and it took longer than a month to get here, every call I made I was told different things (a palm rest in back order, then it was the screen, then assembly people overwhelmed, then again the palm rest). So, I never really gave much credit to the status shown on the website. I hope your system gets built right away and that you'll get it soon.

 

680's had issues in the desktops and since no new drivers came out I would have thought that was the reason for the product pull. Since both are gone I'll just assume it's a stock issue and that it's selling TOO well .

 

Getting it very soon is totally possible, btw. My R2 was sent 4 days after Dell received my payment.

 

Thanks man I just want it to come before or on the 17th as originally stated. If it has to be delayed ill have to see what kind of compensation I can get, if any. You know I wouldn't be so pissed off had the guy not lied to me and told me it was already in testing....

 

Yes, I know that feeling all too well. I ordered mine on 6/23 and received it 7/27 after numerous phone calls in which various reps and managers told me any kind of things, often contradicting each other. If your waiting time is too long and you've been lied to, (we can understand yet not justify their reason for it. For example, reps who don't know what to do but want to keep the customer from getting upset, miscommunication among dell's departments, rep's lack of information) we have a right to demand for compensation. I demanded and obtained a 200+ $ discount, free shipping and a 330 spare adapter. Of course after what I have been through that was the least they could do. I was glad that finally after the case escalated I entered in contact with a manager who had the ability to make things happen and that who kept his word (after 4 weeks of talking with several people who had no idea what was going on). Be polite, patient, but resolute.

 

if anyone is looking for an M18x with 680m SLI, hidevolution.com has them in stock and ready to ship, i ordered this morning and its shipping today with overnight, be here tomorrow, 3720 8gb 1600 killer 1103 wifi 256 crucial m4 ssd and 680m sli competitive pricing and extremely fast to respond, and they do all the upgrades in house and do it right from the videos i've watched of their work

 

I just have to say that I don't understand the basis of expecting some form of compensation because a product is sold out. Unless I am misunderstand that rationale, I would not expect there to be any compensation for the depletion of supply of parts for assembling a new laptop, nor should that create an entitlement for people that have to wait for new stock to become available.

A sales rep offering something extra to appease a customer that is having to wait on a new order to be fulfilled is slightly different than the customer expecting to be compensated for having to wait for the product.

I could see that compensation would be appropriate in some cases on the replacement part side of the equation because there is a warranty and a contractual relationship that is established. There is no obligation on an order for a new system that has not been paid for and shipped yet. Am I missing something?

 

i cant order now, stuck
would never order from hidevolution, price difference between my quote from dell and same setup from hidevolution is 850$.

 

all i can say is.... wow!


gonna order a hundai tomorrow and if it isn't sent to me by the next day. im demanding a bmw upgrade!!

 

M8 Series, E31 Chassis too for all your troubles!!!

 

LOL! If you get an upgrade then I am going to call and demand an upgrade as I got my system before the demand explosion!

Usually it is wise to wait and see how a new system is going to behave before purchasing, with the case of the new M18x with 680 SLI being a rare exception. Boy am I glad I have one and shockingly free of problems!

Dell may actually be able to raise the price of the 680 cards, maybe $1k a piece? They will still sell!

I can tell you this, I am ecstatic that all of my favorite games play flawlessly right out of the box, with no research and experimenting with different drivers: GTA 4, Skyrim, Crysis 2, Batman: AC, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Need For Speed Shift Unleashed 2.

I mean, I could've saved a few hundred dollars by going with a different GPU configuration, with that I would have to have purchased a PSP as I wouldn't be able to use the M18x for anything other than web-browsing!

How about them PSP graphics? I can FEEL the realism!

 

+1 Rep I agree.

 

I called Alienware for like the 400th time (obvious exaggeration) since placing my order on 6/23 and I think I have a little bit of news about the 680m; My rep that I spoke with today called Nvidia and apparently they are currently no longer producing the 680m which is why it is no longer seen/mentioned on the Alienware site and no longer able to be configured into any builds. From what my rep gathered, the 680m is not discontinued it's just that the production has been halted. I really hope this doesn't mean those of you that have 680m's are about to be hit with a recall. My rep also said that normally if something is merely out of stock that the part is still in their system but the 680m is nowhere be found in their system. Read into that what you will.

I mentioned yesterday that it was not only the 680m that was no longer available but the 680 as well. Today I noticed that the 670 is also no longer available. Oddly enough the 690 is still available... I don't know what to make of all this but it certainly doesn't look too good. I can't imagine that Nvidia is willingly withholding these cards from Alienware/Dell seeing as that's going to do nothing but boost AMD sales.

 

LOL I read back in may that the 680 desktop cards were being secretly recalled.. but nothing concrete .. I hope this doesnt confirm it..
as for 7970m sales..well this card is flawed more than the 680 could even think of being.. and unless nvidia is keeping super Suite about a big problem.. then I dont know what to make of this..

 

Hmm... that just doesn't sound right to me. I don't see this being mentioned anywhere else on the web. Beware of what salesmen say. If production was halted, there could be many legitimate reasons for that which have nothing to do with the product itself. Production halted by whom? Do you know what vendor builds NVIDIA cards for Dell/Alienware? What would lead you to believe there would be a recall? Very few issues have been identified with Kepler GPUs. I'm not saying all of what you were told it patently false, but without anything to back it up this is how baseless rumors can be started. It happened last year more than once, with 6990M and 580M, and both times they were just wild rumors. So, let's just wait and find out. At this point I still tend to believe it is a supply and demand issue because there is no reliable information to the contrary.

GeForce GTX 680M | GeForce

 

in the title. Why do you think?

actually, it was removed from all systems... interesting.

 

Alienware/dell has a habit of removing items on the website when there is no stock...

i hope that is all it is and there is nothing sinister going on behind the scenes

 

Hey, want to jump in and let you all know that our team is awaiting information on this. Try to stay off the jumping to conclusions map until we have the information.



Will have our team post back as soon as we get more info!

 

It's not just the 680m that've been pulled though... I mean pulling the 670, 680 and 680m completely out of their systems seems extremely odd. My rep said that the Nvidia rep said that Nvidia had 10-12 outsourced manufacturers making them and they have all ceased production. Now whether or not that cease has occured with the 670 and 680 I do not know but, again, none of this looks too good.

I mean there is literally no mention of these cards on the Alienware site and as per my rep they are completely out of the system. He's not the first rep to tell me this either since I spoke with one yesterday as well. I just didn't talk to her too long and do any digging since I was ultra upset and did not want to be rude so I told her it was best for me to just talk to someone else at another time.

These parts are totally purged from their systems and they cannot even place them in a build to be made at a later date. I don't work for Alienware but I figure if stuff was just out of stock they would be told "out of stock" and/or the build area would say "may delay your Alienware order" or whatever it says. This is clearly not the case.

I genuinely hope for my sake as well as everyone elses that this really is just a supply issue but it most certainly does not look like that.

I posted again before I saw this... Sorry for speculating. I do really hope it's a stock issue because I really want my 680m's and I've been waiting since 6/23

Look forward to seeing what information you guys come back with.

 

Yes, I think you're missing the point here. First of all, in my experience reps have never "offered" any form of compensation, unless you pushed and asked for it. So, don't think that a desire to appease a customer, who's been waiting for longer than a month for example, comes from their good will. Second, the compensation doesn’t take place because a card, a screen, a palm rest, or whatever they want to tell you the day you call is out of stock or back-ordered. The compensation must take place because the company where you buy from keeps delaying your order over and over, and when you call and (always politely) ask what the problem is they always tell you different stories that more often than not, as in my case, contradict each other. I don't really think that it matters if part or a component of the product you sell is no longer available and you cannot fulfill the order. You are selling the product, and the customers that are buying it from you are left there hanging for weeks and weeks not really knowing what's going on, and whenever they call you as well seem not to know the reason of the delay. That only shows a clear willingness to keep the customer quiet for another week or two, until the next delay. In my view, that entitles for some compensation. No matter in which way you want to look at it, and how good spirited you are, so willing to forgive your seller, it doesn't change the fact that leaving a customer waiting for an unreasonable amount of time it's a disservice. Certainly, we love the quality of AW products and as well we appreciate the effort they put into creating amazing computers that are usually followed by a great (although at times inconsistent) support. Yet, if some among us are willing to forgive and forget the disservice that quite a few have experienced it's totally fine with me, I respect their viewpoint. But at least try to be respectful toward those who with different degrees have had a less than satisfying experience (with purchase or tech support) and haven't been treated as they deserve and would expect after showing their willingness to trust and buy from AW. Being patient and understanding is one thing, but some of us, are not just willing to turn a blind eye and accept whatever happens with a shrug and justify AW with a “they’re working on it, it’ll get better" attitude. A disservice, no matter what you want to call it, or how much you want to ignore it, remains a disservice, and that calls for a form of compensation.

Peace.

 

No worries. I understand the wait is rough... Looking to upgrade my 18XR2 with the 680's myself. Will post as soon as I get the details.

 

word on the street is that the keplers are suffering from durability issues and are being recalled.

Nvidia Recalling All Of GTX 670, GTX 680 & GTX 690 Graphics Cards

EDIT: I just realized that this article was from the end of may 2012...hopefully the 680m being removed from the alienware website is strictly due to stock issues and nothing more

 

But I don't want dual 7970m's

 

Thanks for the link, SlickDude. If for no reason other than due diligence, perhaps this is being investigated and ruled out as a rumor. That would be smart, and if it is more than a rumor we can expect to see Clevo and all of its branded resellers removing them as as configuration option, too. Imagine how much more frustrated customers would be having received something that fails. If it is true, it's nice to see NVIDIA being proactive and fixing things early like Intel did with Cougar Point. It's good to see them replacing 670 cards free of charge. Either way, this too, shall pass. Not the end of the world, LOL. Let's see what shakes out to be truth versus shavings from the rumor mill.

I hope AMD is paying attention to this, LOL. They need to be.

It will get sorted. When it does, you'll have an awesome NVIDIA product. Don't settle for 7970M CrossFire... it would be better to wait than to take something you don't want as you would end up being dissatisfied in the end. Even brother Mark_O is having to wait on his 680M cards, and he has better connections than you do *wink* *wink* .

 

Well funny info on this topic from my rep.
He told me, that 680Ms are currently out of stock and that is the reason why they were pulled from the website and offer.
But "he will inform me, as soon as they (680M) or 690M become available"
....
....
wait what???
690M?!?!?!?
Keep you posted if he really meant a 690M or if this was just a typo or mix-up with the desktop 690.

Best regards
Nathan

 

I wish LOL.

if Nvidia somehow came out with a 690 for laptops the M17x would be hands down the best gaming laptop on the market.. and the m18x with dual 690's (if you could somehow afford it) would like... more powerful than a desktop with dual 680's... effectively making it one of the greatest gaming computers ever created...

 

After a call to my sales rep on my M18x R2 with 680M SLI, he said that the manufacturer is expecting stock on or before the 17th of August (my order is in the UK so may not be so true for US customers)

The only thing that was slightly odd was that date is the same as the EDD of my order, so perhaps he just pulled that number out of the air. Who knows

 

Well i used Dell chat to inquire myelf as to the 680m i ordered on the 3rd. I was told that i had 4 parts in my system they had to backorder.

More specifically, he said:
"Joshua, your order is short on couple of parts "

What parts you might ask? Well he put it into a list:
"Direct, 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M" - The Videocard

"Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish with 3D Display" - The Screen

"Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter." - The Powercord

And finally,
"Alienware M17X R4 with Soft Touch " - Oh hey, by the way, we're also short on your entire system.

Then i was told the backorder would not affect my estimated delivery date, and bumped me up to next business day shipping.

So...who knows?

 

I was also bumped up to next day business shipping haha

So I just got off the phone with Dell EPP. I ordered mine on the 2nd with the GTX680M and the 3D screen and was asking her if there is a delay.. This is the email she sent me after our conversation.. I will keep everyone updated with her response and maybe we can find out what is goin on with this GTX680M watergate issue..



"Thank you for choosing Dell. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you on this order. This email is with regards to the Order# 1xxxxxxxx. Kindly note that the estimated delievery date of your order is 08/20/12 I have submited a request with the factory to find out if there is any delay on the order due to the graphic card, I will let you know once I hear from.

The issue has been assigned Service request number xxxxxxxxx. I will follow up with you until the issue is resolved, in case you need any additional help regarding this case, It is my endeavor to ensure that your "Issue is Resolved" and you are a "Satisfied Customer" with Dell. Looking forward to your continued patronage of our products and services. Thank you for choosing Dell and Have a nice day!"

 

Hmm, my local Dell website also pulled the GTX 680M from the M17x's configurator (don't ask about the M18x, not carried).

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a supply issue, really. It's already been fairly common knowledge that nVIDIA has had some supply difficulty with the GK104. GK107s are pretty stripped down (GT 650M, GT 640M) so their yields are fairly more voluminous, but the GTX 680 and GTX 670 have been moderately scarce (the former especially). The GTX 680M is pretty much a desktop GTX 670, so it's hardly any surprise to me if nVIDIA is having trouble getting them out.

Someone mention a GTX 690M? If anything that would probably end up being either a faster-clocked GTX 680M, or maybe even the desktop GTX 680 (a complete GK104 core) stuffed into a notebook. Which seems pretty unlikely because that's some twenty watts extra. If they managed to make a GTX 690M out of the full blown monster GK110 core though, good grief.

 

So when are the 690s due out?

 

690m = rumors only, no official news

If my Alienware gets delayed enough because of a 680m shortage, maybe i can push to get that second year warranty as a form of compensation.

 

Thought I'd ask upgradeyourlaptop who are offering the card if they know what is going on - this is their response to the direct question of dell removing it from the config:

"it is supply issue and drivers issue- there is limited qty of these GPUs coming from Nvidia. GTX 680M is solid like rock"

Now to see if I can get the OEM heatsink...

 

We used to go through this sort of conspiracy theory speculation every time there was a backorder on 6990M and 580M GPU parts, LOL. If you take time to look hard enough, I bet you can find more than one old necro-thread here with somebody crowing about Dell/Alienware "no longer offering... blah, blah, blah" and I'm sure this one will not be the last. At times, they can put an engineering hold on a part to do some testing to rule out the existence of an alleged issue, or develop a solution for a real issue. The last one I recall was the issue with 6990M overheating and causing thermal shutdown. They released a modded driver as a stop-gap measure and then released BIOS A05 for the M18x. [ LINK] This, too, shall pass.

 

The words of a prophet

I sometimes wonder if Dell deliberately deal with these issues by going quiet and just changing the spec to raise the 'talk' levels of the product

 

Makes sense. That way the product in question will be a hot item when it comes back in stock. It great to hear the keplers are solid as rock...and the 680m works with the R2. I don't think my 5870m will last much longer.

Hoping and Praying...Hoping and Praying

 

I was promised an additional year warranty and it showed up in my profile then disappeared. MAKE SURE YOU GET IT IN WRITING!

 

In Sager also no longer has this missing

 

On the Sager web site it says back ordered tell Aug. 15th......

 

More like, they have one manufacturer and its name is TSMC. All credibility has been lost.