I had a chat with a Dell supervisor in regards to the vent issue

Ok, so I contacted Dell to fix my monitor hinge issue. What surprised me was that the agent directed me to a supervisor. So I asked the inevitable question of whether or not they are going to fix the screen blocking vent issue. Here is what I got:

08/23/2009 11:11:21AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Are there any other concerns that you'd like to raise so that I can address them?"
08/23/2009 11:12:12AM Wen Ling: "I have a small question on the design of the studio xps 13, the system that I currently own."
08/23/2009 11:12:23AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Sure, please go ahead."
08/23/2009 11:13:04AM Wen Ling: "After browsing numerous forums, I notice that I was not the only one with an issue with the back vent."
08/23/2009 11:13:10AM Wen Ling: "when the monitor is opened up"
08/23/2009 11:13:15AM Wen Ling: "it covers the vent"
08/23/2009 11:13:27AM Wen Ling: "preventing or limiting airflow"
08/23/2009 11:13:45AM Wen Ling: "this is the only problem i find on this laptop"
08/23/2009 11:13:53AM Wen Ling: "everything else has been perfect"
08/23/2009 11:15:01AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Wen, there's no such known issues with this model."
08/23/2009 11:15:32AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "This model is designed in a way that the air flow is perfect on this machine."
08/23/2009 11:15:48AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "This is one of the best models Dell has ever released."
08/23/2009 11:16:04AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "You will not have any issues with the over heating on this model."
08/23/2009 11:17:10AM Wen Ling: "ok, thank you for your swift responses. I was only pointing out an opinion. Overall, I find this laptop very stylish."
08/23/2009 11:18:48AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "You are welcome."
08/23/2009 11:20:13AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "If you go through any web site, you can find that it's one of the best models available in the PC world. However, I'll take your feedback as an opportunity to improve our model and will forward to the concerned department."
08/23/2009 11:20:32AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "I really appreciate your time and business with Dell."
08/23/2009 11:20:53AM Wen Ling: "you are welcome."
08/23/2009 11:21:33AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Is there anything else that we may assist you with?"
08/23/2009 11:22:04AM Wen Ling: "no, you guys have been very helpful."
08/23/2009 11:22:24AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Thank you very much."
08/23/2009 11:22:40AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "Thank you for choosing Dell XPS support again. Have a great day ahead. Good Bye."
08/23/2009 11:22:52AM Wen Ling: "Bye"
08/23/2009 11:23:08AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "bye bye."

 

He just b.s.'d you to give you a feeling of satisfaction. Right after your chat ended, he closed his browser, laughed and had a chai.

 

that's probably what happened. lol

 

DEAD ON DUDE! its as if you were there with him

 

And I am the smartest person in the world...

Great service Dell! Sure this isn't a bot answering?

 

Nope... as strange as it is, I had a college buddy who wound up working at DELL's chat service for a summer. He told me that a lot goes on that explains the robotic feel of the chat, and even calls to a service center. For starters, a lot of times a direct translation from the local dialect to English is used... American english grammar rules tend to be thrown by the wayside due to sheer volume of chats coming in combined with just plain stress. Secondly, DELL instructs their reps to act as though the end user does not know anything about the computer, as well as to redo all steps to verify to DELL that in fact everything has been done correctly. I asked him what if the person already did the examinations, to which he replied "I can usually tell a person's level of technical skill based on how they answer and react, however most people use the computer and assume it should never break down or have problems... while this causes aggravation to those who legitimately know their ways about a computer, it reassures the novice that they are doing the right tests, and protects DELL from liability if we require the tests to be done again."

I then inquired about the same issue you have, which is where DELL gives "stretched information" to presumably assuage customers. He shot from the hip here, saying that DELL requires that service-reps, without solid evidence (ie: photos, videos, with data from say HWMonitor and i8kfangui and whatnot) from the end-user, must reassure customers to think positively about the overall aesthetics about the computer, and that the problem with many of the studios is a case of putting form over function. I asked about the m1710, which tends to have a cooling problem as well where the fans and vents are poorly placed, and received the same answer: Dell is more interested in aesthetics than cooling and performance, and that if you want a laptop that runs cool, look more to the alienwares as they're better designed to handle high-performance and high-heat situations. Remember, DELL doesn't want to spend money replacing parts unless they're cornered and have an insurmountable amount of hard evidence against them.

What I would do is this: Run a program that allows you to monitor and record the temperatures in the background. Run a long-term torture test (3 hours should do) and record the temps of the system with the monitor down at a 45 degree angle (peak and start), and then do the same for the monitor in the normal operating position. A normal computer should see either no difference, or a reduction in temperature, as the LCD makes a decent amount of heat, and leaving it open allows for heat to escape towards you. If the open position is hotter, log this, and show it to DELL, and then you'll have a case for something to get done. Remember, DELL chat service exists to first and foremost assuage people who don't know any better. To prove you're not a lemming, you must first get the solid evidence.

Jason

 

That was the first thing I discovered upon stress tests for undervolting purposes. The temperature of my lapy dropped from 74C to 64C after undervolting the cpu. The temperature, however, did not stay that way. Because I had the lid open at a 45 degree angle, the temperature went as high as 70 in a matter of 20 minutes. We all know that the SXPS has a venting problem, and I only wanted to see how a person in a slightly higher up position would react to this common found problem. As you can see from the chat log, the dude didn't care much.

 

It is hard to believe how they missed such an obvious thing. The vent could have been designed without being blocked by the screen without hurting the design and the aesthetics of the computer.

 

Maybe the ought to consider moving the heat vents on the left side of the laptop where there is some ample space. It's really a let down for a premium machine to have a design flaw.

 

I think the reason they put the heat vent in such a bad place is because they wanted to copy the MacBook (I believe they have a heat vent in a similar place)

 

Im actually surprised how such a tiny vent takes care of all the cooling. On my old Inspiron 6400, not only was the vent bigger, but the intake was also from the sides and the top (incase the bottom gets blocked).

 

But if you look at the macbook pro (since it's similarly priced as the sxps), the vent is a little lower, therefore not obstructed by the screen. Seems like all Dell did was amalgamate a lot of cool ideas without even first testing them. But imo the sxps is still one of the best looking laptops that is not made by Apple or Sony. In a way, Dell succeeded. If it wasn't for the atrociously high price of Sony (even higher than Apple...), I would buy a Sony in a heartbeat.

 

ahahahahahah i'm surprised with this thread.

 

08/23/2009 11:15:32AM Agent (Sup_Reneesh_200954): "This model is designed in a way that the air flow is perfect on this machine."


RIIIIIIGHT.

 

Reneesh probably also still believes in Santa Clause...

 

It would have been nice if the vent was better engineered. I don't mind it thought, the temps are fine on this laptop and it only gets hot in high performance mode with SLI enabled. On power saving mode running integrated graphics, it's very cool.

 

+1. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

SLI enabled??? You must talking about a different laptop then, as the SXPS does not support SLI...

 

Yes it does (i.e. the SXPS 13)?

 

False. Like said above, the 1340 does.

 

Indeed it was already said above... No need to say it again...