GDDR5 = GDDR3 4870 CrossFireX confusion...any contact from Dell regarding this?

Hello all that received m17x with Ati 4870 CrossFireX. Has Dell contact you regarding this issue about mis-leading information and situation of what will be the outcome? Did you E-mail CS? Did you contact Tech Support? Did you contact your sales rep?

In my situation, I have contacted tech support twice, and also sent CS a letter expressing my experience with the tech team, and stress my dis-satisfaction with the m17x CrossFireX, and tech team product knowledge. I sent out this e-mail last thursday(10/22/09) to hope and get a response from them and see what they have to say.

I am still waiting for that e-mail. Hopefully I get a response by tommorrow (Monday 10/26/09) , if not I will have to send them another e-mail.

 

well, that's what we are all wondering at this time....let us know what you get in that email.

 

Same situation here. I've call dell and my sale rep just tell me that she will talk with is boss about the problem and come to me with a solution. The tech have a complet report about this and proof that i have the wrong one. My sale rep just send me a email saying 'i confirme that you receive the same video card that you ordered' then when i reply i receive a auto-e-mail that she is away for 10 days !!!! I call back and get another rep sale that just tell me the exact same thing today... she will look with is boss and come to me with a solution.

I'm still waiting

 

Wow! I cant believe they have that kind of rep in Dell. The 10 days away is just for you

 

I still can't believe this is even happening. but the benchmark results are better then the 280's so my question is. would GDDR3 cards have better results?

 

They're probably still more powerful than the GTX 280Ms.

 

I did some benchmarks and so far, they are satisfying. I am hoping they can compensate me, since it is not 145% better over the 280m and especially they are not GDDR5s.

edited: i can't wait to till I get off work to call Dell. I am keeping it professional by doing a follow up with a telephone call after the email i sent.

 

Its 145% over a single 260GTX .. Which is probably close... Also that percentage is under 3dmark Vantage extreme profile..

 

You need to learn to read the graphs from Dell... Or graphs in general. Dell says 145% from a single GTX 260M... Not from the GTX280M SLI.

 

Yeah because that really mathers when they rip you off. You have to show them you know what youre talking about. first email then phonecall, keep all that info. if they are not willing to help ask for the CEO and kindly let him know how you are being treated and that you are thinking of going further with this. things like that. you dont want to yell at any rep or things like that.

 

I think we all agree Dell/AW is not being fair on this GDDR3 vs GDDR5 issue. It's not acceptable that they even make you pay for cards that are currently not proved faster than the 280M. I believe Dell did not even test them... They were just originally planned to be GDDR5 and the supplier either scammed Dell or Dell scammed their customers...

Could it be a simple and honest mistake from Dell's supplier for the ATI card?

To be continued...

 

Once the returns start coming in you'll see a sale for the 4870s that never goes away.

 

my bad, i can't read the very very small fine print.

 

I think dell had enough warnings from members of this site that they werent sure it was GDDR5 before someone even purhcased one. so dell shouldve known when they shipped that it was GDDR3. So it is fraude what dell is doing if it is in fact GDDR3

even there line: "this deal is subject to change" or something like that doesnt work since you are in title to what you order. this is more then false advertising this is fraud

 

No Lawyer Enthusiasts at this site. They do class actions over less offense than this. The fact that they are trying to cover it up by changing people's invoices is ridiculous.

The way they handled this problem is totally CYA, How hard would it have been to send a e-mail out explaining a mistake was made....

 

If they(Dell) did that then that would leave them open for legal actions for sure. I agree it is Fraud.

 

i'm not surprised. something similar happened at dell uk a year ago. the offered the vostro 1710 with a 8600m gt, instead it turned out to be 8600m gs.
they made no contact with me after my complaint to address the issue. i had to keep phoning them to a partial refund. ie, any unawared buyers would be effectively scammed.

 

take a picture of that page where it says its GDDR5 to be sure.

 

We have better proof than that. The invoice says GDDR5.

 

I can't agree more with you! My Invoice originally said something totally different (Graphics card specs) than what is there right now.
They really went in and secretly changed everyone's invoices. Unless you took a picture/ screenshot of the invoice page, there is no way to prove that it ever said GDDR5.
Does anyone have GDDR5 ATI 4870 on a printed paper dell sent you?

This is ludicrous and there should be legal actions taken

 

This is when you start to miss the GREAT Alienware customer service they "used" to have, especially in the old days when people working at Alienware were all "gaming enthusiasts" themselves and used to go out of their way to help you and/or fix problems. Even the CEO would browse certain forums and speak with the customers and assist when he could....thats before they went all corporate

 

I have the packing slip that specify what was on the laptop configuration, which it states the GDDR5. I have gave Dell all day yesterday to contact me, but they haven't done so since I have contacted them 5 days ago.. Today I will definetly call Dell up.

 

Wow, I wondered why Mandrake's .sig was suddenly missing the 4870 M17x he had on order.

Now I know why.

 

Man this is like totally messed up!

 

I too am trying to resolove the GDDR5 versus GDDR3 issue.
- I still have a hardcopy of the invoice that was attached the the box my laptop came in. It clearly shows GDDR5
- Validated that my invoice on the Dell site NOW has no indication of GDDR5 any longer; It DID show GDDR5 last week

- Contacted Dell Customer Care via e-mail
- Dell Customer Care responded and said I need to deal with Dell Technical Support
- Contacted Dell Technical Support via e-mail
- Dell Technical Support responded and said I need to call their 800 number to resolve this issue
- Called Dell Technical Support
-- On hold 10 minutes, finally talked to a person, wrong department. Transfered me to Alienware Technical Support
-- Alienware Technical Support (seemed actually interested to resolve this issue).
--- Stated that this is a new issue and not how the "Alienware Experience" is supposed to be
--- Yes, there is some issue that GDDR3s were sent out even though GDDR5s were purchased
--- Unclear what will be done, but my case file would explain the issue to Customer Care
--- Unfortunately, Alienware only has access to GDDR3 hardware
--- Need to deal with Dell Customer Care to resolve the issue
--- This will be brought up to Dell, unclear what they will do about it

I'll call Customer Care again tomorrow and see what they have to say. Case file should now reflect what the issue is from Alienware.

 

Same thing here Sparky USAF, i'm still waiting for customer care to call back. They seem to don't know what to do and don't call back. The customer care did tryed to persuade me that the GDDR3 is faster than GDDR5... Yeah like i'm a dumb !!! she really don't understand that we lost 50% memory bandwidth with the GDDR3.

 

and now I'm selling my proc.

 

Are you saying the website said DDR5 before you made your purchase or only on the invoice, which is after you made your purchase.

I cannot tell if you were misled before your purchase or if the error is with the invoice, which is generated after your purchase.

When I configure a system, I don't see any callout whether it's DDR3 or DDR5.

 

.

It is because they have changed the website deleting any previous reference to DDR5 AFTER THE FACT that individuals selected and paid a premium for ADVERTISED DDR5 HD4870's and are recieving DDR3 4870's.

It's the old bait and switch...

 

The " CrossFireX - Dual 1GB GDDR5 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 (Item#: 320-0759)" reference appeared on more than just the invoice and Dell M17x web pages..... it also appeared on our " Order Confirmed" email, that was generated at the time of purchase.

 

I actually changed my my pre-order after reading these forums. I went for the dual 280s. My pre-order had the DDR5 listed for the ATI also.

 

After you made the purchase I believe. I can't recall ever seeing GDDR5 (or anything) mentioned on the actual configurator.

So you had to have already clicked purchase to even get an invoice, so from a technical point of view you can't say it was false advertising.

Its like buying a 6-pack from the liquor store, happily paying for it, and seeing that it says 12-pack on the receipt as you walk out the door. You cant go back and demand a 12-pack

 

Either you work for Dell/Alienware.

Answer this question.

One person order and it showed GDDR5 ATis, he then tells his fellow friends about the 4870s are GDDR5. and pay attention to this line i am about to write.

A flood of enthuisast wants the GDDR5 ATi 4870s when they heard the news, (including me) then they proceed to call in to place the order. At the same time they asked the sales rep a question to veryfied that the 4870s are indeed a GDDR5, and the answer was ? " they are GDDR5 4870s " per sales rep. Then the next wave of people calls in to order also, due to the FACT that the SALES REP are saying that they are GDDR5. And when everyone that received their order had found out that they were not GDDR5s, thats false advertising. So now, You are saying that is not false advertising?

 

If one salesperson has told you specifically that the cards were GDDR5 as you place the order, that is of course false advertising. Undoubtably some people here fall into that category. If it is verbal it is hard to prove though.

However, if you read on an online forum that some other guy spoke to a salesperson (or saw it on his invoice, confirmation e-mails), that does not constitute false advertising. It is second-hand information, it means nothing.

So of course some people fall into one camp, and some fall into another. I am just saying that seeing GDDR5 on your invoice after already clicking the purchase button doesnt really constitute false advertising.

 

v_c, did dell just hire you?

it DEFINITELY said GDDR5 hd4870 on the configurator. all of the posts here confirm that.

 

Mine didn't. I only saw it on the order status page after ordering it but like Rengsey said I saw someone else post their invoice saying GDDR5. I believe it was Striker and before he posted that we were only assuming it was GDDR5 because of the price.

 

I think you did just got hired by Dell, and is in training too. Who said it was a second-hand information? It was second-hand information that was put through verification by the customer when they called to place the order. Read my quote in bold as you are not decifering the message correctly.

I dont think you know the business side of retail.

 

We paid for GDDR5, we receive a 4850 clone instead ( since 4850 is a 4870 with less memory and using GDDR3. Our card are downclocked and OC is locked ). We got double cross on this one... it's not only false information. What would you thing if you buy a porche and on reception you receive a Hyundai. The seller tell you that on is paper what you ordered is exaclty what you receive... !?

 

http://configure2.euro.dell.com/del...s=dhs&sbc=laptop-alienware-m17x&~lt=alienware

How do you call this one????

 

^ now , this is something to think about or Dell just forgot to modify their Italian page ...

 

No, it's not forgetting: Miss V.Erba, if you join her in the chat, she will swear cards are GDDR5, as she did with me few days ago..I would say this is more 'they do not really know what the heck they are talking about'

 

HOLD THE PHONE!

Yes, it was I that put out the word the cards were GDDR5..... I told Quadzilla, and he then posted the information. I then posted my 'order confirmation', verifying the claim.

Now, let's make something perfectly clear. I in fact saw the information on Dell's M17x web pages. PRIOR (and I repeat, PRIOR) to my order, I verified the cards to be GDDR5 with my Federal EPP Dell Sales Rep. After a lengthy discussion over my desired configuration, he then sent me a 'Dell Quote' email, again verifying the GDDR5 reference...... and again, this was PRIOR to my order.

AFTER I confirmed my 'Dell Quote', I then placed my order..... whereby I received an 'Order Confirmed' email...... which AGAIN, clearly displayed the GDDR5 reference in question.

I received this information via Dell correspondence in writing, and verbally from a Dell Sales Representative...... both PRIOR, and after the order..... AND I HAD EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE I WAS BUYING, AND WOULD BE RECEIVING the following:

Your '6-pack' analogy does not hold water (or beer) here v_c, and it's an apples & oranges comparison.

The bottom line is I was misinformed and misled, both verbally and in writing..... and the same would apply to each and every other member here who went through the same order process. Everyone here who ordered, should have received a 'Dell Quote' email (before the sale), a 'Order Confirmed' email (immediately after the sale), and an 'Invoice' (when the order was received)..... AND ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS GIVE REFERENCE TO GDDR5..... AND EVERYONE WHO RECEIVED GDDR3, DID NOT GET WHAT THEY EXPECTED OR PAID FOR..... and ALL have a legitimate right of grievance in this case!!!

Furthermore I might point out, several members here, contacted their Dell Sales Reps after the GDDR3 discovery, and the representatives insisted the cards were GDDR5..... in spite of evidence to the contrary.

Anyhow, the tenets of false advertising are broad, but it boils down to the consumer public's right to know what they are buying. Wherein it becomes deceptive, misinformative, or misleading, we are treading the grounds of 'false advertising', and/or fraud.

 

It is fraud. False advertising is misleiding people. this is actually ripping people off.

 

If i where you guys i would have them replaced for free with gtx 280M sli also for free and you keep your ati cards or get refunded by dell.

But where are the moderators? Aren they supposed to give their opinnion on this or give advise on what to do. They all witnessed this from the begining. So where is CHAZ?

 

Zfactor had something else going with his contact @ DELL, but I guess there is nothing new at this point ...

 

Zfactors explanation of Dell being told one thing and receiving something different makes sense. In the end Dell did nothing to apologize for this mistake and started changing people's invoice online without telling them. That is completely wrong. HP is now doing the exact same thing with the Envy 15. It was advertised and first sold as having an E2E screen and people are now finding out it's not. HP has now changed this on their website and people feel cheated. I guess with big business this is considered an acceptable practice. In the end we get over charged for their mistakes and they are not taking responsibility for it.

 

I know it doesn't help, but I just called Aafees to speak with a rep about ordering an m17X for my wife and I asked about the ATI cards. He told me that the systems come with Dual 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4870. When I asked him if that was GDDR3 or GDDR5 he put me on hold, conferenced in a Dell representitive who stated "All HD4870 cards are GDDR5" and that ATI "doesn't make a 4870 that is GDDR3, only a 4850".

I told him to please email me a quote, with that documented because I was a little concered about not getting what I wanted. That was fifteen minutes ago, and so far no quote has arrived.

 

My rep even as I was canceling my system insisted to me they were still GDDR5 cards.

 

There is no need to argue the point, I have the pre-specs, screen shots, and shopping cart information that all have DDR5 listed under the ATI card. Luckily, I knew about the issue before actually placeing the the order and switched to the dual 280s, but they have every right to be mad... I was only about 10 hours away from making hte same mistake. Here is the order line from my pre-quote I had them do for me also. I had the quote for the price done 2 weeks before I made the official order. There is no gray area or '12 pack' analogy.

320-0759
1
CrossFireX - Dual 1GB GDDR5 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870

Mihos

 

How about coil noise with those GPUs? When under load the nVidia's give out a high pitch squeal. Some are worse than others. Do you hear anything coming from your GPUs while they're under load??