Does ATI/Alienware pre-test the cards?? (4850 mobility)

So I got my "new" ATI 4850 from Alienware today, and I couldnt help myself I opened up the static bag (even though I am not installing it until this weekend). And what I found is that it definitely had thermal paste on it, and then removed (some minuscule amounts of it of it has slipped under the plastic sheathing, but enough to see if you look), it also seems to have a finger print smudge on the chip.

Anyone thats gotten a 4850 new from Alienware, can you comment on whether or not your 4850 mobility card was 'virgin' or did they test it before sending it out?

Thanks!

Jon

 

IMO they pulled it out of a machine and gave it to you

 

hmmmmmmmmmmm......

Dang, I can't believe they would go THAT far to hook me up. They would just say 'out of stock.' No? And how many 4850 m17's do they really have laying around there?

I guess if it tests good, I should be fine? But I can only test it as a single card, I dont have a slave to test it in crossfire mode. And as hard as these dang things are to get, the card will be out of warranty before I ever get a slave.

Jon

 

you can have master master and still ahve crossfire work....

Try a master 3870 and master 4850 and see if that works .... i think it might but it would be pretty stupid. Just a test though

 

On 2nd thought. YOU SO SMART!! I think your right. Because unless it was a very brief test, it would have 'warped' the plastic sheathing I was talking about. And it looks 'mint.' All of the "for sale" ones have 'warped' or 'distorted' plastic around the chip, due to the heat that it generates.

Yup, I can believe this was in a system, but never fired up.

Cool!

 

Oh really? Because I have a master and a slave 3870 I could 'test' with. (Then I will update my ebay listing, saying I 'tested' the 3870 which I avoided due to people possibly wanting 'virgin' ones like me...lol)

Would there be ANY gain from doing a 4850 master and a 3870 slave? (As a perm solution until I could get another 4850)

Jon

 

no the 4850 would slow down to the 3870's speed.

It would be equal to 3870's in Xfire. I am honestly just curious :/

Your call but i just would be bored and want to test it

 

If there is no negative affects. Like risk of damaging the cards, then I dont mind doing some 'tests.' But if this is risky, then no I won't do it because I had the hardest of hard times getting one of these damn 4850s.

 

if anything it just wont turn on ....

Feel free to get input from others here ..

 

Oh not so cut and dry... I think I'll pass on the testing. lol. Thanks though!

 

yeah, I read up on it, you can only mix and match the same series 3870/50s or 4850/70s.

no 3870/4850

 

thats desktops ... but either way i doubt it would of of worked it was just to play around ....

 

Damn i feel like buying the M17 myself so damn cheap i just would like to get 4850's man thats so funny, hey how much did they charge you for the graphics card? Also another thing can you change the color of the keyboard to any colors or not? If not can you hack it lol.

 

3 different colors and yes there is a program out there to manipulate that.

 

freedom, I'm telling you its a nightmare to get one of these now. All the sales people are told not to sell them, and even tech support is hard-asses about it. In my situation I had orderd a whole new system and then a bunch of other upgrades, and I told the guy if you are going to stop me from getting at least 1 of these cards (I had ordered 4 ) then cancel all my other orders, I'm done with you guys. And as you can see, it looks like they have no supply of them, because they had to pull mine from a new system to give it to me.

Good Luck, I honestly wish they would stop being jerks about it and let everyone get these, I STILL need a slave, so I'm not exactly where I want to be with this too.

Jon

 

and a pain to send back for a refund. I just got my authorization after two weeks.

 

yep if you did get one of those cards you are now a very lucky person as a/w never reorderd the supply they got of 4850s as they vanished very quickly, this is in europe anyway ( their is none left) im having a problem now as my laptop went back with two 4850s in and their telling me the cards are goosed but i havent recieved my laptop back or info on whats happening, i think their wondering what to do with my laptop as they have nothing to put into it at the moment...

the their all gone was confirmed yesterday to me from a/w tech that seemed to know his stuff, he even told me if he found out where they got them from he would contact them himself and sell em on ebay

p.s on a side note the last set of 4850s i got one was brand new never had any paste on it and the slave had paste and i assum had been pulled from a laptop.

 

right, thats what i think i got, a pull, which is fine, as it certainly doesnt look like it was run at all. I am fine.

Now how the hell to get a 2nd one!! Or maybe I should just sell the one I just got ;-)

Jon

 

Keep trying and they will probably sell you one of Mandrakes when he returns them....LOL
Good luck!

 

lol. Mandrakes already returned his. Took them a few weeks to give him his money back. I've been far from impressed with alienware as a company so far. I wonder if they were this bad before dell took them over. Takes them at LEAST a week to send out parts orders, where companys like newegg and the such take a most 1 full business day to get things from order to shipped status.

I have a second one coming, so they say, but until I get a tracking number, I have no love or belive for them.

Jon

 

i just get a feeling dell are trying to kill alienware as a brand as i think the m17x is cross between m17 and xps ( bit too much flare) just my opinion as i still havent received my laptop back.

 

Yeah I think Dell did plan to make the M17X a hybrid between the XPS and older Alienware models such as the M17. I dont think its a bad thing though.
I agree Kcuk that the 4850s have gone even for you guys that managed to get a set.....the replies Ive had lately from Alienware regarding these cards have changed totally. They no longer say the cards are not in stock but rather point out that the M17 is "end of life"
Most M17 owners should be plotting their course for an M17X IMHO.