XPS M1730: Should I get it refunded?

Hey ALL,

I've had my XPS M1730 for 3-4 week now and as i mentioned in my thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=179479 i'm really not impressed with the quality of this notebook and it's lack of performance in gaming.

I've spoken to alot of DELL techies which have esclated the issue to the USA which they got me to try new drivers and try bios updates etc etc etc .. There were slight improvements but nothing what DELL was claming this Laptop can do..

I just received my finial call from the DELL techie who let me know that there is nothing more that they can do, he only left me with the option of a refund and apologies.

The interesting part is he mentioned that they were getting alot of similar calls from people complaining about the performance of the laptop...

Have DELL stuffed up on this laptop??

I don't know what to do now??

Should i take the refund ?? I need the laptop for work but i also want to play games.. Is there any other laptop which can do what DELL claims the XPS M1730 can do???

Steve

 

get a sager

 

idd
the Clevo D901C, sold by Sager/XoticPC/... as the NP9261 is a similar, but better and less expensive notebook

if it needs to be a bit more portable: the Clevo M570RU (sold as NP5791) comes without SLI or RAID (and the corresponding price tag)

 

maybe i should wait for the release of the 8800m

 

I think the only thing letting the m1730 down would be the graphics cards, theres a few things to do:

1) Use XP instead of vista when gaming
2) Get a M1710 with a 7950gtx the fastest single card in laptops atm

Theres alot of people saying how the 8700 is a mid range card, the thing is the m1730 is upgradeable to the 8800 when its finally released, if i were you i would hold onto what you have until the 19th nov when rumours of the 8800 are to be heard, if dell announce anything then send back for a refund and reorder with the 8800 , if not then its one of the 2 above i guess

 

ohh forgot option 3....

this mofo.. http://www.rockdirect.com/viewNotebook.php?pName=XTREME SL PRO

 

I'm really not a fan of the m1710's keyboard layout etc..


DELL told me that sure it might come out soon but its going to be a while before DELL Get's it into their laptops.. they have to do testing etc..

 

I know we have talked about this notebook before with the GRAW problems. But I really think you should see what happens. The only real bottleneck in this laptop is the graphics card I think. And the 8700 is still the best dx10 card you can get in any laptop at the moment, so i don't think these problems are just DELLs issues to deal with. Did you try the 169.04 drivers? These made a world of difference for me. Way better than anything DELL has out now.

You will still get the argument "why go dx10", but am I the only one that can really see how much better dx10 looks than dx9. Maybe so, but i will stick to my opinion.

And there is always the upgrade path. i have no doubt we can put 8800/8900 cards in this rig. Might not be November, but it will happen.

If you will be content with a stationary desktop, then I say turn your XPS in, but as for a portable desktop, the XPS will hold its own for a while.

 

Thats taking one step forward and like 5 steps back...Old technology + no possible upgrades is just a bad idea

 

Check:
www.eurocom.com

Specifically the D901C Phantom-X

I was present when they did Vista & 3D Mark 06 tests.
(Duo core with 1 8700 video)
Vista 5.1 (with quad & SLI 8800GTX 7.9)
3D score 5738

 

i would prob say get the refund, and find a laptop that does what you want it to do! Im sure there's plenty on the market!

What about AlienWare? I know that DELL now owns them, but from what I've heard they're still as good as they were before DELL bought them over!

 

I think it is best to get a refund. 1730 is badly let down by 8700 cards, plus SLI has lots of problems. Even though 3D mark scores are not so bad, in real life games it is considerably slower than 7950.

I am sure Dell will offer 1730 with 8800 at some point in the future, however whether there will be an upgrade for existing owners is not known, and even if there is, it is likely to be expensive.