upgrades : Purchasing from Dell

Are we able to upgrade an existing component with dell/alienware, by exchanging a part and paying the difference or such for the new part ?

I know I've exchanged and upgraded about a dozen times before, but it was always during a support service/tech call... but is there a way to do it when there is no issue ?

or do we literally have to create an issue to get it done ? Cause I don't mind I will if I have too... little water and POOF, whole laptop up in flames or something again, and few weeks later they'll be sending me a new one, thanks to accidental coverage etc.

Just asking, cause ive been going in circles for 5 and a half hours on the phone, on chats, through emails, with Dell and no luck. If its not cause Im in canada, its because people don't know enough technical information to help me, or they simply dont have access to the information, or its a different department, etc.. always something.

 

Pretty sure that you cannot do "trade-ins" on components. You should be able to buy a component from Dell and upgrade that way. Alienware technical support is your best bet. Some parts will not be available, some will. Stock levels can also be a problem. I've bought heatsinks, GPU's and other parts in the past and have also had quotes sent out for them in .pdf format. I guess YMMV depending on with whom you speak to, but I imagine if you get no joy on your own, try reaching out to one of the AW reps on the forum - I'm sure they would be able to assist you with upgrades.

Also, you would only be able to purchase validated components - for example, you could not buy a pair of 780m's for an M18x R1 because Dell never validated them for use in that machine (or offered them as an option) and you would be limited to the original hardware options that were available for your particular revision.

Of course, buying upgrades direct from Dell will be the most expensive option. In my experience, things like GPU's are best sourced via Ebay and the like. An example would be that Dell wanted just over £2,000gbp for a pair of 680m's for my old R1 - same GPU's were around half that price from Ebay at the time. Purcahsed parts will also not fall under the roof of any extended system warranty - normally, they'll be warrantied for 3 months.

Oh - and I'm not sure if discussing "Accidental Damage" in that context is such a good idea, mainly because it's fraudulent and would be against forum rules....just a heads up, fella.

 

This is right on, Stevie. Not only against Forum Rules, but blatantly dishonest. Alienware Reps read these threads, too... so maybe a way to get blacklisted by Tech Support as well, LOL. I suspect that comment reflects frustration and sarcasm more than intent.

It's becoming more difficult to purchase anything as far as upgrades through Tech Support any more due to changes they have made in workflow. Their focus is on Tech Support, not helping customers with upgrades. I have made several purchases through Dell Spare Parts recently. It may be a different number outside of the US, but the number I call is (800) 357-3355. Best to avoid providing a service tag because they will try to sell you what is standard for your system instead of what you want. Ask to check price and availability for a specific part number, then when you confirm the information say, "OK, let's order it now." If they ask for Service Tag just tell them you don't have the info handy, but that's the part I need to order today. I look up the parts here first: Dell Spare parts - order and info site and then call with the part number. Ignore the online pricing, because the price when you call is often 40-60% less. For example, I just bought 2 100W NVIDIA GPU heat sinks that show on the web site for a price twice what I actually paid for them, and an internal power cable for $1.99 that shows a price of around $35 online.

 

Yes, I was very fustrated. They wouldn't sell to me no matter what. I think its cause I gave them the service tag as you said, and they simply keep telling me what their system shows them. So annoying. I even had one guy look at an order I placed in my cart, and said, here - see this - this is a whole laptop - same as mine, but with only this different.. etc... yadda yadda.. and still, dead silence, until they tell me they don't know anything about computers, and I should speak to the tech support.. I went in circles for hours. Also, there is no one to speak with if your from Canada/Quebec. They said there is only email support, no phone, and no chat. But they also won't respond o the emails, nor give me a specific person I could speak to. So, heads up, if your from quebec - and plan on upgrading, avoid Alienware/Dell for the upgrades. Its a headache.

 

Ya tried calling dell to upgrade my lcd and they wouldn't hear of it. I was told that I would have to return my laptop and start a new work order just to replace the lcd.

 

There is def no phone support but online chat should work just fine. I keep running into the no parts available road block but I have not had them tell me the part won't work in my system yet. The last rep I talked to offered to email me when the part became available again but I am not holding my breath on that one. Best to just keep trying, although they don't make it easy

 

You can most def upgrade the LCD yourself but they wouldn't cover that or any damage if anything broke under warranty just an FYI.

 

the "ITEM NUMBER" in orders... can those be used, as a part number, to be referenced when calling Dell/AW, looking for replacements ? Does that work ?
Would they sell me something if I had the part number ?

 

I think you'd be best quoting the part number for the component you want to purchase. Part numbers for most components for each individual Alienware model can be found at the start of each models own "Owner's Lounge" thread. If you are having problems getting them to sell you a specific part - for example, a GTX780m for an M18x R1 because it was never intended/validated for use in the R1 - you might wanna try the approach that you are wanting to ensure you CAN buy the part BEFORE you purchase a hypothetical machine. That way, you can't give them a service tag because you don't have one yet, but you need to know that you CAN buy the part you want before dropping the cash on the machine itself.

If they are asking you for a service tag before searching for parts for you, I'd imagine you won't get very far trying to buy something that was never used by Dell in that particular revision. You could also say that you are looking to buy the part as a gift for someone else....if they are being really stubborn about sticking to "validated parts only" in relation to service tags.

 

You know this is something I couldn't get my head around earlier today - I picked up a refurb M18x R2 recently with a good spec quite cheap but it only had the one pipe heatsink and really the cpu gets to hot for my liking so I thought i'd try and order the three pipe one. Couldn't get through to Alienware technical support at all - get the normal phone menu press 3 for technical and nothing - just silence on the line. Have they stopped the 24 hour support or something?

In the past i've managed it and just said look this is the system its for it's out of warranty and I don't have the service tag. Never usually a problem then!

 

Yeah but they are tough ...