Why are people still buying the Nvidia GPU's on the XPS 1330 and 1530?

That's more of a grammar mistake.

 

Agreed with Jack..I have had my 1530 for just about the same amount of months....And, it has been good to me...The one problem I had, that was taken care of very quickly So, I'm happy.

Your question is one that can be answered, by many people with different opinions And, it's like trying to solve a really hard puzzle....

....Wheareas, life is like a puzzle, and were always trying to solve it....You know, by fitting the pieces into the right place ~ to make the puzzle complete . Questions like these are the same as a puzzle, you can try to find the right piece that will fit...and when one piece doesn't fit..you have that choice to move onto another piece Your own choice...


Cin

 

(sigh) semantics...

You gonna look me in the eye and tell me a freaking XPS is a business laptop?
A US company, and you're pointing me to their UK page...

OK - I'll bite...
look Here where Dell EXPLICITLY calls the XPS "Premier Consumer XPS Laptops XPS™ Laptops"

'nuff said?
I think a little common sense is in order...

T

 

My last laptop was an HP dv2050us. Ran very well, held up great.

After two years, I started to hear a noise similar to what you'd hear when you were a kid, and put a playing card in the spokes of your bikes wheel.

I also had system errors... Acronis backup wouldn't back up, it gave me an error message. Other programs also gave me error messages.

Well, after a month of spending literally hours on the phone with HP tech support, I figured out it's either a bad fan, or bad hard drive. HP wouldn't agree with my assessment, so I went to a local repair shop and had them back up my data, and install a new hard drive. FINALLY, after a new hard drive fixed ALL of my problems, HP agreed that that was the issue, and sent me a replacement hard drive (I was under warranty)

This was after TWO MONTHS of dealing with HP support repeatedly, dealing with my laptop crashing, taking about ten minutes just to boot up, etc. etc.

My point is, it did NOT have the defective NVidea card... whow! But it STILL had a problem I had to deal with, which was a pain in the @$$.

There are no guarantees in life... there's no guarantee that if you get an m1x30 it's going to fail, any more then there's a guarantee if you purchase another laptop, it won't.

You pays your money, and youse take your chances!

 

Good thing Dell support doesn't suck as bad as HPs. Hell, when I called in and had an issue, they freakin' did everything for me in 15 minutes through remote assistance xD

But yeah, you always run a risk with electronics. Period. Mechanical parts, and high temperatures means there's a chance that stuffs going to fail. However, having an ever-present, permanent defect isn't exactly helping the situation. You're just increasing the chances of a part failing, which is a pain. Still, with Dells customer service... it's not too much of a pain at least.

 

honestly...if u had ANY trouble readin my post...then u needa take yurself back to school. i use "u" for you and "yur" for your. if a word originally has an apostrophe in it, then i will use an apostrophe in my shortened version.

and i personally think ppl like u, that skip thru all the important stuff someone has to say, and points out somethin stupid like "u" and "yur." YOU need to get out more.

p.s. - whats bein from texas have anythin to do with anythin? stupid yank.

 

These nitpicks are rather petty...

T

 

But houstoned is right, psygn is out of line or hasn't been online much. That was typical shorthand for computers & texting so you don't have to type much.

psygn needs to chill.

 

I like the 8600GT it's a very reliable card. Can play all the current games at very nice settings.

I liek it. But since the 8800GTS is 169 bucks on newegg it's even cooler to get 8800

 

It is really that hard and difficult to type out 'you'. I could understand if it was a complex word, but it's three letters. This is really going off topic fast.

 

Yeah, going off topic fast thanks to you nickpickers!

 

Can these people quoting the failure rate for the GPU's please post the link to their data again? Either the link is gone or broken or it was deleted by the mods. I didn't realize Dell/Nvidia had finally posted failure rates for these computers...

/snark

Nobody on this forum knows what the failure rate is. In the absence of data, opinion and assumption is still just opinion or assumption. Making up numbers, stating those numbers with authority still doesn't make them any more factual. It could be 1 in 100,000 or it could be all of them. Nobody knows and if they do know they aren't sayin'. Nor does anyone know if the problem has been fixed. Nor does anyone know what Dell's eventually going to do about the problem. Nor does anyone know if the Bios and driver updates really lessened the problem.

Next, while it might not be a business machine, in my case its my computer. Its for everything I do that needs a computer. In my case that means I might play games or I might give a power point presentation or balance my checkbook and pay bills or argue with a bunch of goobers on a forum All that means that I can't--and more importanly don't want to--be without my computer or have it out of service for even more than a few hours. So the "but I have a 3 year warranty thing" isn't really satisfying to *me*, but it might be for someone else. Each person's situation is different.

Lastly, I don't care too much about spelling, but all that 'net shorthand makes me think the person I'm talking to is 14. Not that there's anything wrong with being 14. But I'm not going to take that person's opinion all that serious and more often than not I'll skip over the post. My advice would be if you want your post to be read and taken seriously, then do your best to use proper spelling and punctuation. /Lecture

Do what makes you happy though.

Oh and I bought the computer with the 8400 because I didn't research this problem before I bought it. I was in a hurry to purchase. I copper modded within a week though so hopefully that will aid with the problem.

 

Ordered mine yesterday with the 8600. I also got 4 years warranty for less than the price of 3 and as I intend to keep it for at least 3 years I thought what the hell. If it does fail, Dell will replace or repair it. I'm happy enough to take that risk.

 

1) No, it isn't semantics.

2) No, I'm not going to 'look you in the eye'. This is an internet forum.

3) I'm in the UK. Dell has a registered office in the UK, and sells to the UK market. So, yes, the Dell UK site is quite relevant.

4) It's rather odd that the Dell US site differs in wording to its UK counterpart (we do, after all, speak the same language, although it is clear that we have greater command of it). Even if I accept your point as valid, however, it still does not detract from the simple and obvious point that the XPS is offered as an option on their Small Business page. If they did not envisage it being sold to businesses, why is it there?

5) I am happy to be corrected, but what other Dell business laptop can I buy that has a 64GB SSD?

 

after readin countless complaint stories about the m1330 and m1530's GPU issues. i've noticed that most of the complaints are from m1330 users. the m1330 uses a different headsink/fan setup, and doesn't provide efficient cooling. there are very few m1530 users with any of these heatin issues. i, personally, kept my OEM A08 bios. the highest peak GPU temp i've seen to date was: 74c. this was after a few hours of light use and then 3 consecutive benchmark05 tests.

there's no real down time if u do happen to have to go thru the exchange process. i mean...u'r still able to use yur current laptop, while the replacement gets shipped to u. just swap out the HD's if u wanna keep all yur data. u can call yur local courier and set up a time & date for them to come pick it up. u don't even have to be present.

and about all that shorthand bull crap...i would understand if i mispelled and shortened a buncha words, and had horrible ebonics where u guys couldn't make out what i was sayin. its not like i started my post with, "yo mang dis lappy gets blazin mang."
the OP wanted some insight on the issue and i gave him mine. i personally think its pretty f'in ignorant for a person to skim through what i posted, not even comment on the actual content, and critique me on some minor bull crap (that nobody, except douchebags, care about). the dude didn't even post anythin helpful himself...

 

Well I just got off the home with a Dell rep from Canada. They said they won't be sending me a new laptop as a replacement. I'd have to send my notebook into Dell and wait for them to return it in whatever time it takes. Basically I'd be notebookless for weeks possibly, and I'm going into university The replacement is based on your tech rep apparently.

What about Macbook Pros that run the 8600M as well? Any problems yet? Or does it have a different cooling system that is just suspending the defect? Although personally I find Macbook Pros to be very hot at times. I actually think the XPS 1530 cooling is better than the Macbook Pros.

 

This is another ongoing debate as to why Apple is silent about this issue, given that Dell and HP at least came out with a some temporary fix or whatever.. And yes, my friend in the lab right next door has a Mac Pro and its getting so hot at times.. though I don't know if this is because of the graphic card mess. And he has the infamous graphics glitches too.... and he ain't doing anything about it because he doesn't believe anyone' words other than whats coming out from Apple..

And yes, I personally found / felt that the M1530 cooling is way better than the Mac Pro'.. opinions may differ though. As of August 1, APC Mag reported online that Apple and other have done nothing or said nothing compared to Dell and HP who at least did something or said something. Anyways....

 

How has your M1530 been with the A09, fonduekid?

I really hope Dell at least gives out an estimate as to how much the BIOS A09 update is actually helping. Average degree drops, for example. But yeah, from what I've seen not many M1530 users are too worried it seems. Hopefully the 8400M GS isn't any more prone thatn the 8600, since the 8600 does run at higher temperatures.

 

Dont forget, even under warranty, IF your GPU dies and you send it in, what you get back is a refurb unit. :/

Hence why I dont think its really worth extending your warranty. If I had wanted a refurb in the first place, I would have gone with the Dell Outlet in the beginning.

 

(sigh) OK - since apparently this is a child I'm dealing with, I will try to keep it simple.

1) Yes it is ...6/half-dozen - same thing

2) Give me a break, kiddie - semantics again - You know EXACTLY what I mean.

3) Dell is a *UNITED STATES* comapny first and foremost...remainder of the world is secondary marketing to their home territory.

4) I won't even answer that, because it's not worth it - you obviously have no clue on business, and marketing strategies of large corporations. Not that I'm a marketing genius, but what I am discussing is common sense.

5) I don't know....let's see....I work for a company with around 10,000 employees worldwide. Let me see how many SSD-based laptops we have...
Oh...right. NONE! What is the business requirement for SSD, besides rugged/harsh environments? And don;t even THINK of saying weight, because 2.5" HD's weigh on the order of ounces!

Standard business requirements are light, portable, excellent battery life, durable (but not ruggedized) and affordable for deployment. This normally means no discrete GPU (an OPTION on the latitude series), 6-cell batteries, major market is 14 or so inch display size, and normally with a dock option, as the latitude has.

This will be my last comment on this discussion. It is totally OT, time wasting, and bandwidth wasting.
You are more than welcome to have the last word - kiddies usually love that.


T

 

I have had no issues either before or after the BIOS update.. temp' did drop by a couple of C after the A09 update though *for more details please take a look at the A09 BIOS update poll thread*...

 

Yeah, I hate the MBP cooling system. I just can't imagine how hot it would get if it was made of plastic.... I envy the people with m1530s maxing out in the 70s, while my max recorded temp was 91

As for your friend... if he's getting graphics glitches it's probably a problem with the logic board or GPU... and Apple will fix..... why he'd want a MBP with graphics glitches is beyond me, when it could be resolved with a simple phone call and repair.

I really want Apple to speak up about this. Although I must say that, even though I've heard my fair share of stories about Logic Boards melting down and displaying glitches and such, I've yet to see someone with that problem in person... and I know quite a few people with MBPs at school. (pretty much everyone in my course has one.)

 

I guess it all depends on how new those MBPs are and what they're using them for. It all depends on the level of usage, sure MBPs temperatures go higher but now as often and not as long (I'm assuming). Whereas M1530 users are playing hours of games in temperatures 70-80 C So, which one is more likely to kick out? Of course the M1530, despite its better cooling system. Most MBP users don't do some insane graphic rendering, so you don't hear about it as often. And on idle I've felt the MBP get insanely hot left of the trackpad and the upper left above the keyboard.

 

I am proud to not be a owner of a macbook pro. Really though, who would want to game on a Mac? If you run bootcamp on Mac for windows... you should be getting a PC... not a mac.

 

To the OP

I knew about this problem and still bought the unit. And it is to be used when I teach so it's not just a toy to play games on for me. I bought the three year warranty which in Canada was an extra $50.

My suggestion is this. We don't know the extent of this problem but it certainly appears to be an "over time" kind of failure but that is true of anything. Over time everything on a laptop will eventually fail. Screens die, hard drives, motherboards, dvd drives, fans, power units etc. Of course where possible you try to avoid a problem if you know about it but the way I looked at this is that a performance car breaks down usually more than a non performance car and this is what the 8600GT DDR3 is compared to a Intel 3100 in most machines at the brick and mortar outlets. The other option is the 9500 and 9600 series but these cards are so new made in the same plants and likely have the exact same problems - too new to really know about the issue. I also don't see how Montevino is going to fix any of this since it has nothing to do with the actual card. the other option is buying a computer with ATI.

For business users or teachers I would suggest having a back-up laptop that is a bare necessities model that will do Office applications. When i teach in China I will be using the Dell 1530 and I'll be playing games and not worrying about this issue. I will have my old HP that can handle office power point just in case the Dell dies and I need a week turnaround shipping.

The reality is these are disposable products with a 3-4 year lifespan. If 1 day after the 3 year warranty the machine's GPU dies and it costs $400 to repair it I would be able to buy a NEW laptop for $400 that would destroy the current 1530.

My HP was $1500 new 3.5 years ago. It was considered a very good entertainment notebook and at that time had some of the best specs available for $1500 - better than almost everything else out there. Look at what $1500 got 3.5 years ago

1.4Ghz (no Dual core - Pentium M - supposedly the cool running one)
60gig hard drive - most were 20-40)
14.1 Brightview wide screen
5lbs 3hour battery (the battery works perfectly to this day with heavy use) It was on nearly 24 hours a day for 2 years.
512mb ram
no graphics card
$1500

You walk into BestBuy and their $499 model completely destroys this laptop.

I am sure Nvidia and Dell are working on this problem and they may already have a fix for current models being sold - both reputations are on the line - Dell does not want to face higher warranty issues because most consumers probably don;t care if it is Nvidia's fault they'll blame Dell regardless - it will hurt Dell's chances of keeping a possible life long customer. If not now then 6 months from now I'll bet they'll have a fix in place. So if your laptop goes in for a GPU problem the new one they put in will be a fixed one. If not - fine don't buy a Dell and buy a laptop with an ATI.

My only caveat is that American Companies, unlike Japanese companies, tend only to look at the next quarter than thinking about long term customer satisfaction - which is why Ford GM and Chrysler will never get another sale from me and I usually take great delight in recommending everyone NOT to ever touch one with a ten foot pole. And why Toyota has overtaken them.

Hopefully the computer companies will not go down that road.

PS - Two Days into the Dell XPS 1530 and I am extremely impressed with everything about this - the 1440X 900 screen is absolutely perfect - I am having fun playing Ultimate Alliance - the game is responsive - the machine's DVD drive is not as noisy as I was led to believe - it's quite a quiet machine - it's pretty fast to load up despite some bloatware. Personally i see no reason to start uninstalling and reformatting anything. The 320 gig hard drive is weird though as it states 285 gigs - I'm not hugely technical but it seems a lot of space is being allocated to software.

It is miles better than my HP in every way. So if it holds out for 3.5 years I'll probably buy another Dell.

 

That's more in the way HD makers measure hard drive space, and the way we EXPECT them to measure it. My external simpletech 320GB shows up around the same size as yours, under capacity under XP.

There was a huge class-action a few years ago about that, like how TV's/Displays were being measured, and THAT had a class-action, as well.

T

 

"yo mang dis lappy gets blazin mang"

I actually laughed out loud at that. THAT would have been funny. It gets blazin' hot and then your GPU melts! lol.

 

Thanks for prolonging this, jack53.

I've been online for long enough now and I don't mind reading 'u' or 'ur'. I've just never seen the retardized 'yur' and wanted to let him know that it would be nice for many of us if he can at least use "ur". You're right, it was a little nitpick. I never meant to degrade anyone. You guys just blew it up into massive proportions and someone even called me a yank (lol) -- you guys need to chill. No harm intended.

--

I am going to get an XPS m1530 despite the GPU issues. I don't game often so hopefully my GPU will wear out a lot less quicker. Of course I will test my GPU out to see if it's fit for the long run whenever I get it. My warranty will cover me, and I have a backup laptop just incase I need to send it back in.

The big reason I'm getting it is the slim form factor and the power within it. I think it looks nice with the aluminum casing rather than the plastic. I saw the dv5t and it looked nice, but upon trying the touchpad, I found it annoyingly grippy. The XPS m1530 isn't without its faults. I found the m1530's touch-sensitive buttons to be finnicky (requiring several taps to the same button to work), but maybe mine was defective (my volume up button didn't register... defect).

 

One of the things that worried me the most about the nVidia problem was the fact that I was going to university. So what I'm gonna do is bring both my XPS M1530 and my Compaq desktop there. It's an old but still somehow functioning desktop. I'll also be getting the 3-year warranty since it doesn't offer 2, and I plan on using my laptop for years.

 

http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-...ve-gpus--buy-our-new-chips/6351.html?doc=6351

Nvidias solution is finally out.

 

From that link.

Just those 3 cards?