2 p8600's have different vids?

Okay, so a replacement 14z that they sent me no longer can go down to .875v, but only to .9250. I've tried changing between 32 and 64 bit, between vista and windows 7, and it even between different drivers. I'm beginning to think that it's the cpu itself, because everything inside should be basically the same. Could the cpu be a newer version that has the vid locked higher?

 

On the contrary, I think the newer versions are the ones that have the lower VIDs. My original E6400 that I bought in September '08 had a P8400 that went down to 0.925. The refurb that I bought in January '09 had a P8400 that went down to 0.875. It is a matter of the CPU itself, because these VID limits can't be circumvented by software.

 

So, considering this is the fourth laptop they sent to me, is this something I can complain about? It just feels bad knowing that you're settling on something you've paid so much for that should be better.

 

Not all CPUs of the same processor number are equal. I very much doubt you'd get anywhere complaining about this; the notebook still does what it is supposed to do; just because the CPU doesn't undervolt to the level of a previous CPU, does not mean it does not work.

 

How far do you think i'd get if I asked them to send a tech to swap internals/cpu?

 

They probably wouldn't do it unless you a real problem with your machine. Even then, there's no guarantee that you'd get a 0.875 chip as opposed to another 0.925 part.

 

Well, I have 2 laptops right now, the original and the new one. I want them to swap out the cpu or the motherboard if they feel like it (so they don't have to reapply the thermal stuff)

 

One of those machines is technically the property of Dell if you were given a replacement system. I'm afraid you will most likely need to return the entire old system as is, otherwise they may very well charge you for the replacement machine. It will all be in your terms and conditions when you originally bought your machine.