Dell finally speaks out on the NVIDIA FAULTY GPU bug...

Isn't that the onboard Intel graphics? I don't think it would affect dedicated graphics cards, although don't quote me on that!

 

I think your right. I just assumed it was for the NVIDIA problem.

 

From what I understand from here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&lang=en&docname=c01087277#c01087277_identify

...HP is repairing any affected notebooks experiencing nvidia defect problems (screen flickering, bars on screen, etc), and will cover all problems for 2 years from the original warranty date. For most people with the basic 1-year warranty, that means an extra year of protection.
Hp also released a fan-revving bios, but at least they're doing a little something extra.

 

Oh... so they didn't fix the problem. They are just replacing the GPUs that crap out DUE to the problem.

 

That's an update for the onboard Intel graphics so has nothing to do with this. This is only a problem with Nvidia chips.

 

The point was raised whether the BIOS update would affect the performance of the chip which it cannot do (you would need a Vid biod update for that) which is the point I was answering.

Bios, firmware .... tis all the same low lovel software realm

 

I recently purchased a DELL 1720 with the 256 Nvidia card...why? because the 1720 wasn't on the list of problem laptops.

Guess you can figure where I'm heading... received the laptop, started it up right off...just to make sure it worked. All seemed fine. Then, since I purchased it from a prior owner (only one month old, supposed to have never been booted up) he sent me a link to change ownership. He also said to make it easier, to do it from THAT laptop. So, I booted it up and got what looks like a plaid design/reds/purples/blues mostly, with a black background!!!!!!????

So, looks like Dell should ADD the 1720 to the list, and now I've got my second Dell paperweight! Ugh.. thanks a bunch~

Not sure what to do now, fill out the change of ownership and see what kind of support/help I get from Dell, or try to get my money back from the fellow I got it from (another state). sigh.. You'd think I'd learn, already went through bs with my last laptop and defective Nvidia card. Only in that case, by the time I got someone from Dell to answer my questions, my warranty was expired.

Ticked off now~
dhughes

 

Well, first I would hook up a tv via s-video to your laptop and see if the same image is on the tv. If the tv image is messed up too, that means it's not an lcd issue. Next, I would try to download the latest drivers for your card on another machine, save it to a thumb drive, boot the laptop in safe mode, and install the latest driver. If the laptop is still messed up, you may be able to just buy a new card and slap it in. The 1700 has a separate card, not one on the mobo. I don't know what card options you can choose, but maybe someone can help you on that one.
Good luck.

 

Does the picture you see on the monitor resembles this in anyway?:

 

Well, Lionel finally posted an update. Apparently they will:

 

Thanks for the news, Batboy. Why the poop won't Lionel say if the new ones are being shipped with defective chips? And why won't he come out and say that the 1500, 1520, 1700, and 1720 aren't affected? I am still suspicious.

 

Because Lionel is not the top most decision making authority in Dell. He is just an employee of Dell who is making this blog' for whatever benefit of the customers. And he can only say certain things, and he can only keep his mouth shut on other certain things.. As you would understand about how any organization would work, there are people to say specific things and not everyone can talk about everything, unless they wanna get kicked out of Dell... So there Cheers... and Please.. Be patient And enjoy your machine as long as it lasts or as long as it is working fine.. and if things fail, it is going to be covered by warranty (and if ur warranty has expired, they are going to give you for 12 more months) So please be patient..

 

Er, I can imagine why.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/18/dell-offers-1-year-limited-warranty-enhancement-for-nvidia-gpu-i/

DELL WILL BE EXTENDING WARRANTY BY ONE YEAR!!!!

 

1 Year, big fu*kin deal!. I guarantee you that the majority of these faulty GPU's will die not in the next year but 2-4 years out. Getting 1 year warranty means very little to someone who has a 1 year warranty. Dell should extend the warranty for the GPU for the life of the notebook period. If its going to fail its going to fail, its not a matter of if, its WHEN. So, those of you with a 1 or even 2 year warranty, good luck, my guess is you got yourself a paperweight during year 3 or 4.

 

A warranty for the life of the notebook is an unrealistic expectation. Most notebooks have an average lifespan of two years. So you get two years and that seems like a very good compromise to me.

 

Do you have any idea about how organizations as big as Dell and HP and nVidia work? And you think they are gonna give you a 3 or 4 year warranty? No way Period.

Rather be happy with what' being given and try to make the best use of it. In fact, Dell can simply put the blame entirely on nVidia and do *nothing* at all, not even extend the warranty... who would you go and complain to then? nVidia? What if they tell you as a matter of fact that "Yes, there were defective units shipped, we don't know which batch exactly, BUT we have rectified everything since then and no more defective units are being shipped out anymore."??? Fine, some one would probably file a legal suit against them, which would probably take at least 2 years to complete... and????

Also, as ATB said, warranty for the life of a notebook or even 3 or 4 years is unrealistic and unreasonable to ask for too, IMHO.

 

I disagree, the lifetime warranty should apply to faulty GPU's not necessarily the whole notebook, if they know they are going to fail, then they should repair/replace them. If not a lifetime warranty, 10 years? 5 Years even, but 1 year does very little, and No, most notebooks should have a useable life for at least 4 years, I know at my office our corp policy is 3-4 years until a new unit is delivered. When you are buying a $1500 personal laptop, it should last at least 4 years, I for one am earning and spending my own money and $1500 is too much for 2 years. Can you imagine throwing away your TV, DVD, Tivo, after two years? especially because of a known defect? Maybe if I had money to burn or someone else was paying my bills...

I think you seem (Foudue) to lack an understanding of how business works. I bought a machine from Dell, not Nvidia. They are responsible for the parts THEY decided to use by designing them into a notebook, and up to them to deal with this issue with Nvidia, NOT ME. Its up to us, the customer to demand our rights. By saying "we should be happy with whatever they give us" is pathetic and weak. Ask for a lifetime warranty and maybe they will compromise and give us 4, but to be "happy with what is given" just makes them push this issue away into our wallets, not theirs. Lemmings...

 

Yeah right, 10 or 5 years... no way, mate. As much as it sounds nice, its a losing argument or a fight or whatever.. waste of time to be even thinking that we'd get a 5 year warranty!!!

 

You may be right founduekid, but why roll over and accept it without a fight? There are other options out there, ok, a one year extended warranty and how about a $300 credit on your next Dell XPS with complimentary 4 year warranty? or Dell could say if you have a GPU failure outside of warranty we will give you a $400 credit on your new machine? Lots of options that are reasonable and fair...You just accept whats given, no matter how unjust? Come on, you know Dell reads these sites, and if we just roll over and play dead we will get nothing in return for our continued loyalty to the brand! All I'm saying is lets not accept this as the only option.

 

That would probably drive all those companies to being bankrupt, if they give all those life time warranty' and 300 or 400 $ credits to everyone...

There are so many options out there, yes, but there is no point in fighting over it.. If that was the case, Dell would have been reading all these forums all this while, and by now, they would have come out with something better for you... There would be a reason why they are coming out with this extension alone.. probably if there are faulty GPU in your machine, may be they expect it to fail within 2 years.. if not, probably you are good to go on the long run. As for the question, what happens if my GPU fails after 2 years or after 3 years, well... they can simply blame it on usage patterns, general life wear n tear of electronic components, so on and so forth!!

So fighting for something has its own limits.. beyond which the opponent is not even going to be listening to you, let alone fight back and see who is winning!!!

 

How do we make Dell take notice? by firstly, voicing our outrage with Dell on these pages, calling them, posting wherever we can. You would all be very surprised at how much a difference this can make..at the same time, writing how we should just accept it and be happy with whatever Dell blesses us with, will also make Dell forget about anything more than a 1 year warranty extension.

I also have a feeling that ultimately if Dell does nothing more than this 1 year insult, a class action suit will surely materialize...

 

And as for we just accepting whatever is being given, no matter how unjust, well.... simply don't get a system with this card from now on Go for one with a integrated card or chose a model that has ATI As simple as that..

They wont care beyond a certain point. thats what I am saying...

And for those with a faulty card or faulty unit, they are taking care of it by extending the warranty'.. and also, as they said long back, they will deal with it on a case by case basis.. and I have already seen people reporting that their mobo have been replaced for temperature or graphics related issues, though its not sure if they were specifically related to the GPU part!! So.. they are doing something, step by step.

one of the best ways to get something done or achieve something as best as possible is to be patient and accept whats there on the plate rather than fight for something thats probably not even beginning to cook in the kitchen.. you would lose whats in ur plate too in all probability

 

As someone mentioned above, Dell is within its rights to put the blame on NVIDIA and not do anything about the GPU issues. I for one am actually happy that Dell is extending our warranties for another year. Dell is in the business to make money, which means it has to take certain actions to keep consumers happy. While I understand people are wanting 3-4 year warranty extensions, prices on new computers and accessories and services would jump to accommodate for extra labor put into the machines. I can also understand why people think a laptop should last longer than 2 years. Honestly, I don't think that is completely unreasonable. Most of the affected laptops are consumer oriented notebooks. Dell makes a ToughBook for the rugged laptop user - now those are designed to last a long time. And as far as current technologies develop, computers do need to be replaced to keep up with the latest trends. Intel offers integrated chipsets which are 95% suitable for the business world where laptops do get replaced every 3-4yrs. Notebooks with dedicated chips such as the defective NVIDIA ones are designed mainly for gaming, and for most consumers who willingly purchase the NVIDIA cards know that the laptop won't be able to play many games 3 years from now. If anyone hasn't noticed, most Dell laptops ship out with Intel integrated chipsets because I'm willing to bet most people who purchase laptops from companies like Dell and HP don't really know a whole lot about them other than turning the machine on to check their email. So I beg everyone to please calm down and stop crying foul, when Dell has actually decided to DO something about the situation. According to Direct2Dell the details haven't even been released yet so we can't make assumptions on Dell's actions when the full plan hasn't even been laid in front of us yet.

Please, stop bickering. Thank You.

 

Mark >> everything you say is right... and thats what millions of people are already doing, not only in these forums, but even in the direct2dell blog, by emails to customer service, on the phone with tech support and so on.... But then, where is the line where the customers and the supplier are standing on? There is a thin red line... which is being drawn by the supplier If you wanna erase it and draw your own line and ask Dell to move to that new line, good for you, and good for all the customers but everything being realistic and practical and materializing is one thing, while fighting for it, voicing our feelings n opinions is completely different from that..

And for ALL THATS BEING SAID AND DONE, Dell has indeed been doing something in the background... FIRST, they released a BIOS update thereby acknowledging the issue, SECOND they come out with a warranty extension SO BE HAPPY FOR THAT.. Step by step, something happens.. compare this with others like Apple or whoever, who haven't even said anything

 

Come on fondue kid, Nvidia has a huge problem on their hands that really could drive them to bankruptcy, the solutions they will have to dole out are on the magnitude of over $400 million by some estimates! They already have estimated a $200million hit. and why should I give a **** if they do? They produced a faulty product and need to make me whole, end of story. And do you really think they have my best interest in mind with a 1 year warranty? They know good and well that its best for their bottom line! You are fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

and I guess i won't convince you that there is a point fighting for your rights, I suppose its easier to do nothing and let people take advantage of you. There is a life lesson in there somewhere...

Fondue, just read your last post above...and yes, I agree, Dell is doing more than most, and that is commendable. The case by case issue is also very valid. I am hoping that by our comments here, that Dell keep Nvidia's feet to the fire. Dell has a lot riding on this and they should know that we as their consumers stand behind them but at the same time want them to keep our best interest in mind along with their bottom line...

 

I am sure you would have done the same if you were running nVidia or Dell Do you really think you would have given a **** about the customers to whom you sold these faulty chips? I don't think I would have seen the same intention from you of wanting to help customers if you were in their position

As much as fighting for your rights, its important to take a moment to reflect on the position of your opponent, his stature and everything associated before waging a full scale onslaught

It was not a purposefully committed blunder in manufacturing faulty chips it was an honest mistake, I would guess.. and as much as its shocking to us customers, I am sure even they were shocked too, to learn about it in the first place, when they realized one (or some) of their card manufacturing units have been using a faulty or weak die packaging material

Anyway, good luck to you

 

Thanks, my comments are not meant to be a full war with Dell or Nvidia But I do want to be sure we as a community stick together to voice our concerns. I do understand Dell's position as well as Nvidia's. My problem is that Nvidia has not said anything about this at all which reflects poorly on their image, compared to Dell who have been very vocal. Mistakes happen, sure, I know, but I should not have to pay the price, there is a fair solution to all this, and yes its going to cost both Dell and Nvidia and YES you and me at the end. I'm just not convinced that a 1 year warranty is that happy ground! Good luck to us ALL!

 

A question that I keep seeing on this forum and comments posted around the web is: "is dell still shipping systems with the faulty cards?"

and guys, what have you noticed as far as higher fans speeds after the bios update? is the battery lasting shorter?

Thanks

 

Its not significant, IMO...

I checked this couple of times few days back and went from 100% to 10% battery charge in ~ 3.5 to 4 hrs, normal work (browsing, chatting, a couple of word and excel files open) and this is with the Zalman NC2000 plugged in at half fan speed...

 

Thanks. But what about without the Zalman? I mean, I work a lot out of my lap and don't carry a cooling system around.
Thanks

 

Of course without the Zalman, the battery would last longer

And in case you didn't notice, I am talking abt the 9-cell, since I have a 9-cell

 

is this what is meant by gpu failure or is this just cod glitching once again?

 

should be glitch... go stress test ur GPU .... if its not glitch, means the stress test should push the GPU off and crash.... better now (if u have warranty) ...

 

I just wanted to say that I am glad that Dell is giving a warranty extension and I agree that it should have been more than a year. If for no other reason than it is not fair that Joe next to me will have his laptop fixed because he has a longer warranty over an defective part. I think it should have been at least 3 years, if not lifetime. What can we do about it? Realistically, not much other than voicing our opinions in spaces such as this. Remember than the vast majority of the users of these laptops do not even know about the issue; it is only a small number of us who know or care about this. Of course Dell is going to try to keep the hit on it's bottom line to the smallest amount possible, even if it means not doing right by their customers. All we can do if we do get caught out of warranty with the card failing and Dell refusing to fix it is to make sure that Dell knows that we are not buying from them again and are telling our friends and family not to buy.

 

Ok. Hey, does the 9 cell stick out?

Thanks

 

I have been keeping an eye on this and I am outraged by this.

Dell and Nvidia have both tried pulling the wool over our eyes by offering a 1 year extended warranty, which is garbage on machines that cost thousands.

So what happens if Mine our Yours Craps out 1 week after, will you be ok with this when an indian call centre is saying to you too bad its passed the warranty.

I think people need to start demanding their money back is Dell or Nvidia will not reslease the exact chips and models that are broken so we know for sure. or send over an engineer to look and see if its dodgy.

I for one am not happy with this 1 year warranty and for me I will be demanding my money back if they cannot tell me if mine is broken or not, as I cannot afford to spend £800.00=1600.00 every two years on a new laptop.

If they dont give me my money back, I will threaten legal action until they tell me wether my chip is broken or not.

I will take this to small claims court, which in the UK only costs £30.00 so not much.

We all need to take a stand and not listen to DELL AND NVIDIA BULL SH%T LIES.

WE ALL NEED TO STAND UP TO THESE BIG COMPANIES AND SAY WE WILL NOT TAKE THIS LYING DOWN AND WE WANT AN ANSWER!!!

 

First, please DONT DOUBLE POST Thanks for that.

Second, this has been much talked about all over the place.

Third, you think Dell or nVidia or whoever is the party at fault, going to pay you (and all others) back with whatever you are demanding? And I don't think they are necessarily 'lying'... they are just not releasing any information and thats it. (is it possible even they are not sure about which batch were affected and from when / where were the affected units shipped? I think its possible) Or even if they know, I guess they are not releasing info. for some good reason from their organization' point of view.

I am sure, as much as you outraged, even they (the big companies) won't let their status and public image go to dust n pieces just because of this issue and by not caring for their customers. They are doing something and instead of going all gung-ho about this, I guess we should rather be happy about whatever thats being done, step-by-step, and acknowledge them accordingly.

And for everyone who demand complete repayment or complete new machine or whatever, I am sorry that its *simply not going to happen*. The maximum we will get is extended warranty' (which has been laid out now), dealing with replacements on a case-by-case basis, which I believe big companies will honor for sure.

You can go to whatever court and file a suit.. For sure it will take minimum of 2 years to even get to some verdict (either good or bad for either party).. and by that time probably your laptop would be half used and they could easily blame it on usage and other factors. Also, for those who complain, I just have a 1 year warranty and if I add this free 12 month extension, I would have 2 years, BUT still its not enough, well... electronic items are bound to fail over a period of time... and 2 years is a reasonable amount of time to see a reduction in performance and material durability as far as electronics such as laptop' are concerned.. If you are not happy, get another year... I mean if you can spend 1500 $ average for a laptop, why don't you go ahead and spend the extra 100 or 150 $ to get a warranty for couple more years? In any case (irrespective of a faulty GPU or not) a warranty for any product is there for people to use it. If you wanna save money and end up getting just a years warranty and then go on to complain, 'oh my systems failed on the second day of the 13th month, well....... go ahead and complain I don't think Dell or HP or nVidia are gonna listen.

Worse case, this issue has been around for quiet some time.. so why don't people just stop getting these machines with nVidia cards and instead get an ATI or an integrated one??? Simple..

 

@ Canada16, Finally someone with some b@lls! Good on ya mate. This is the kind of reaction I have as well. Too many here are just 'happy that dell is doing anything'. Pathetic. For those of us who value our money, we should continue to be vocal and push for more. and Double Post all you want!!

I'm so tired of people thinking that Nvidia just doesn't know which chips are affected or that they are just doing what they can, and are nice people helping mother earth, wonderland, happy thoughts...blah blah...they are protecting their fantastic screw up for as long as possible, pushing the cost to Dell who in turn will push it off onto us. I think some here are just too naive, maybe just young and inexperienced in the ways of the world..but understand that these companies are protecting their investors, mostly short term stock price/earnings...this issue with Nvidia is going to cost them more than they know. On top of it, Nvidia has done and said NOTHING, NOTHING at ALL, Dell is offering this, Nvidia continues the silence, again to protect their bottom line as they know if they say anything it will be used against them as the problem is that widespread, all chips, every one of them. People keep buying them as Nvidia is doing a great job keeping this very quiet, Dell too, as it would destroy their quarterly earnings..imagine people stop buying the entire XPS and Inspiron line which use Nvidia, disaster!!

Why the heck should I buy a longer warranty for their screw up? You really don't get it!! Do you earn your own money yet? I should spend more of my money to protect my investement because their failure to QC their product? It just boggles my mind that there are people so oblivious to how this works.

 

Do we at least know if the new systems are being shipped with faulty GPUs? It's my understanding that the problem was with the insulation. Couldn't this have been fixed on the new systems?

Thanks

 

They said they changed the manufacturing process which is hard to believe since the GPUs were toward the EOL before we even knew about the problem.

As for the extended warranty, it is sufficient in what Dell is doing. Some people are just expecting their notebooks to last forever and this is an unreasonable expectation. If it doesn't fail in two years, then you should be happy yours probably isn't affected. If you want longer lifespan than there are solutions out there for you.

 

I expect mine to last for more than 2 years, especially if a known defect exisits! Who pays $1500 for a 2 year use of a notebook? Nobody expects nor has anybody demanded it to last 'forever', come on. Our office uses them for 4 years, and most are still chugging along with no problems. I think reasonable people expect them to last until the technology is just so far advanced that they want a new one. Would you be saying that about your TV or DVD player?

 

First, your office doesn't use consumer grade notebooks. The average lifespan of notebooks is 18 months. TV and DVD technology does not change as often as computer technology so comparing the two is apples and oranges. I still have a microwave from the 80s, so I guess I should automatically assume my notebook from the 80s would be perfectly fine too, according to your logic.

 

It should still work, function, yes! However, I don't know if they had laptops back then, did they? Just wondering. Anyway, the technology makes it obsolete no doubt, but it should work. Why expect otherwise? More realistically, a 5 year old laptop makes for a perfect web surfer, so why should I accept to throw it away for a KNOWN DEFECT?

 

And are you saying most people replace their (consumer) laptop every 18 months? or is this what they are designed to? That seems very short...where does that figure come from?

 

They just have short lifespans than desktops due to them being moved around and also due to them being obsolete and cheap to replace.

If it still functions properly, great keep using it. However, don't expect it not to break and then be repaired for free. This is the point I am making.

 

I've got 4 to 5 yr old Dell notebooks that work just fine like the Inspiron 8100 and Latitude C800...my Inspiron 7500 finally died though

 

I'm not sure I understand your point or logic atbnet, nobody has suggested that there should be a lifetime warranty for the whole machine nor is there any doubt that laptops are more fragile than desktops...fine..but this issue is about a known manufacturing defect! There is a difference. Nobody is realistically going to spend 1500 bucks every two years, because Dell/Nvidia produced a faulty product...thats nuts. THIS IS NOT ABOUT NORMAL USE AND FAILURES, that is what a warranty protects me against. THIS ISSUE IS ABOUT A FAILURE THAT WILL OCCUR that Dell/Nvidia should protect me against.

 

I expect my laptop to never die with proper treatment. I have a Latitude X300 and Inspiron 9300 both running great and no problems whatsoever. I even have a used Portege 2000 which was made in 2001 that works just fine except for dead ethernet i think.

 

hey ONEHIT, the 21 days starts when the laptop is shipped, not when you receive it. Check the packing list for the ship date.