Considering Canceling My XPS 1530 Order...

because of the nvidia/dell overheating issue. It just doesn't make sense to buy a computer with a known (and potentially serious) flaw. But, I'm not going to be gaming much at all..how serious is this nvidia issue for non-gamers?


Here's the specs on the computer currently shipping 8/15
XPS M1530, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz/800MHzFSB, 6M L2 Cache)
Midnight Blue Casing With Microsatin Finish
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm,
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD with Camera
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
3320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Intel Wireless N
3 year Warranty w/ Lo Jack and Accidental

 

well, i dont see much, if not any of "M1530 - my GPU failed" in this forum.... think u'r pretty much safe for the M1530..... monitor your GPu temps occassionally, if they peak at 90+, then you might have a problem

 

All shipments that have been produced have had a change in the dye set as stated in the official SEC statement. So you should be fine.

 

I would say stick with it. I received my 1530 on Monday and it is an amazing laptop. Top quality and when running 3D Mark 06 mine only peaked at 75 degrees celcius which is well within suitable temp.

I haven't tried extended gaming with it yet but I will give that a go tonight probably when I finish installing all my apps and games (Steam lol)

 

So does that mean that my system that shipped out 7/22 has the new dye set?

 

It should UNLESS, Dell decided to be a jerk and is trying to get rid of the current potentially defective stock they have.

The release of the A09 bios makes it very suspicious as if Dell is like "Ok, we've got this boatload of defective stock that we threw out from QA but... hey! Lets come up with the A09 bios and then ship this defective pile to consumers! Yeah! Thats a great idea!"

Morally they shouldnt. Though there is a possibility. Just make sure you do what I recommended.

 

Morally they shouldn't.




Morals are bad for the bottom line.

 

Isn't the problem with temperature cycling, not high temps per se?

 

ya, but high temp is still bad.... high temp = more expansion + then contraction...

 

Correct, but even turning your laptop off and on is considered temperature cycling.

 

Can you post a link or PM me that SEC statement? I would like to read the details for myself. For some reason, I thought they claimed it was a bonding/substrate problem, not a particular dye set issue. Obviously a dye set issue would be bad, but would affect far fewer chips than a process issue (which should affect every shipped chip).

 

i knew a ship that sank because the exhaust from the engines cracked the hull ( hot cold hot cold)

so imagine what it will do to your GPU and motherboard.

but really, its mostly the xps m1330 affected by heat due to poor cooling, the m1530 doesn't have much problem, and less if you aren't gonna stress it much.

 

Isn't this exactly the cited reason for the failures mostly being restricted to laptops?

Sure high temps are bad, both for lifetime and performance, but if the problem is a bonding problem, any temp fluctuation will hasten failure. A few degrees higher in temp will be bad, but the high temps themselves are not causing the problem it is the changes in temp over time. This is a distinction that "checking your temperature occassionally" will not fix. You would instead need to leave your laptop on and plugged in (using it like a desktop) to forstall failure, just seeing the temp occassionally will do nothing.

 

By the way, I just ordered a new 1330, which is why I wonder if it is a dye issue or substrate/bonding issue. If it was a dye issue I won't worry about it affecting me, but otherwise I'll need to be extra careful to have my backup laptop ready and able to run any software on my new 1330 (even if it is slower).

When it arrives I will open it immediately to see if dell has made any changes to reflect recent failures. Thanks to the nice pics posted on this forum, it will be easy to see if any modification has occured.

 

Wow. So this problem isn't one that is easily beat. I mean, you HAVE to turn your pc off sometime....

That really sucks, it means it will affect everyone - no matter what you use the system for. It's the "perfect defect".

 

ahhh, i bought my m1530 knowing about the problem, just extend the warranty and its fine.

 

That of course is your interpretation of what was said. The direct quote is:
"On July 2, 2008, NVIDIA Corporation stated that it would take a $150 million to $200 million charge against cost of revenue to cover anticipated customer warranty, repair, return, replacement and other consequential costs and expenses arising from a weak die/packaging material set in certain versions of our previous generation MCP and GPU products used in notebook systems. All newly manufactured products and all products currently shipping in volume have a different and more robust material set."

Now, since they consider the 8-series GPUs "previous generation products", the GPUs mentioned in the bolded statement are probably the 9-series, not some fixed version of the 8-series that is being shipped to OEMs. 8-series GPUs are NOT being shipped in volume to Dell, because Dell is getting rid of these previous generation laptops in order to make room for their future Montevina lineup.
Well, at least it's reassuring to know that they think this problem won't exist on the 9-series...

 

i read in a article dell doesnt keep extra stock. they order only the amount they will need for 1 day and then they next day another supply truck will come so it wont be dell's fault really. it would be the supplier's.

 

I agree, it would be nVidia's fault.

However, doesn't that make it worse? It means that every laptop for sale by any manufacturer with this series of GPUs would be affected. (I think HP was actually the first to acknowledge the problem.)

 

Personally, in the aftermath of this issue, I would not buy an nVidia-based GPU without a significant extended warranty. The writing is on the wall: Dell is supporting us through this issue only as far as the warranty takes us. nVidia's vagueness regarding the whole matter should tell us all we need to know.

 

Thanks for all the feedback...I've gone ahead and canceled my order. It's a shame, but it's the best decision for me at this time.

 

I considered the same. But I purchased the 3-year warranty with accidental damage coverage so I figure if it dies it can be replaced. After 3 years I'll probably be ready for a new computer anyway, so if it dies after that I can try and fix it myself