Possible Dell 1501 issues

So I just want to know if any one has had the same issue I'm having with dell. I got a dell 1501 laptop on Friday and all was ok I took a low end laptop as I did not have a lot of money to spend on a better one. ok so issue I'm having with dell right now. The lap top is suppose to have a 1150 chip set(or video card) but I got one with a 200m chip set(or video card) that is not even offered by dell, so i call dell and they are not open weekends but I did get some support from them in the tech support department what turns out he can understand me or does not want to. I give the info and they are going to get back to me Monday with what is going on. So if you have a dell 1501 check to make sure you have the 1150 with 256 hypermem as this one only has 128 and is not a 1150.

 

Sounds like you got the wrong model, good luck

 

The two chips are pretty much the same, based of the x300 graphics core. I'm pretty certain you didnt get the wrong model, the 1501 is the only AMD based solution they offer at the moment, and its not a card, its an integrated chip on the motherboard with no dedicated memory, its all shared. A couple questions, 1) Are you running on the original Dell install with the original Dell drivers? 2) Windows Vista or XP? Vista drivers still arent close to 100%, this is just speculation, but it could be entirely possible that they are using the 200m driver right now for the 1150, since they are in essence the same chip, after some time an official 1150 could be released resolving the issue.

One other thing to note, it doesnt matter about the 128/256 video ram, its all shared, and with the low rendering power of the card, you'll barely take advantage of 64 meg, let alone 256. 256 dedicatedmemory wouldnt make any difference as the chip simply isnt powerful enough to take advantage of it.

I would go look in the AMD forums, I'm sure you will find an answer there.

 

Iceman0124 is correct. The X1100/50 is sometimes mis-displayed as the 200M, because it is basically a refresh. Perhaps a new set of graphics drivers, or a third party program, would help correctly identify it.

And don't worry about the amount of VRAM. You want it to only take 128MB. 64 would probably be even better, as Iceman said.

 

try looking in the bios? or hyper memory is 100 percent a driver thing?

 

I am certain that is not the 1150 but to answer your questions driver is factory and all programs that i have check with show it as a RS480 and SB600. I have used both Dell driver and Ati driver makes no difference, both Ati and dell driver show this chip set as Xpress 200 or RS480 as does Cpu-Z, 3d mark. also it does make a difference if it is 128 or 256 not on a display front but from a what I bought front it would be like getting a AMD 1.8 but you ordered a intel 1.7 not the same and not what you ordered. now I I know that hypermem is a diver/software thing but even the dell tech could not get it to run at 256. And I ordered 256 this laptop will be going back most likely for a dell 6400, but I kind of have a bad taste after getting this laptop. I do not have any problems with dell but I wish that both times I ordered from them they got the orders right. On a side note I have very bad luck and and stuff like this happens to me all the time so it most likely not dells fault.Oh yeah it is Vista 32bit. and when I was saying video card it it was so that you guys would know that I'm talking about the Video portion of the chipset.

 

I'd make friendly wager that if you reformatted and installed xp, it would come up as the X1150. You got the correct machine, its just another example of how vista is not yet ready for prime time. If you wait awhile, you will get full support for the x1150, you will just need to be a bit paitent.

 

I will not wait if I ordered a laptop and they sold it with stats like the one I got it should work the way it is sold if not then they are going to to take it back and compensate me for the inconvenience.

 

The drivers and vista are not dells domain, they sold you the hardware you ordered, with the OS you ordered, they sell computers, they dont write computer code, I hardly see how this is dells fault. You were not blindsided with an older part, right now your present cofiguration of hardware and software is giving you a false reading of sorts, thats all, if everything is working I really dont see the problem. Your anger/disappointment should be directed at AMD and Microsoft, not Dell. The drivers will catch up, you will just have to be paitent.

I dont see any basis for compensation, you purchased a computer "designed for windows XP" you are having a minor issue in windows Vista, which is still in its infancy so to speak with raw drivers and bugs that are common with any OS launch, your well within your rights to return or exchange the system, but Dell does not "owe" you anything more than what their policy entitles you to. Any system you get right now with Vista will have issues, those will get sorted out eventually, in your case its far from a system crippling situation, I would be thankful about that.

 

If there are known problem like this then they have a responsibility to the consumer to fix the issue or at least inform the consumer of it before they buy it. And second dell repackages drivers in their name so if I was a unknowing consumer then it would be their fault. Last they do not give an option for Xp so if they don't and there hardware does not work with the software they are providing the it is their fault I am not against dell but if it is a software issue and there is no fix then I want them to replace with a different computer or give my money back. please do not take this personal as you seam to be very pro dell. I'm just not happy with this laptop that does not work the way it should.

 

I'm not taking it personally, I do get tired of people berating any company due to unreasonable expectations, the OS is a month old, the system is built with parts designed for a different operating system, your machine works, there a few things that need to be ironed out, but the same is true with EVERY PC running Vista at this point and time. I've been dogging creative labs pretty harshly the last few weeks, and I feel justified in that, they have no stable support for any of their internal soundcards, it is true that microsoft changed the rules a good bit with with vista, but base level stable drivers SHOULD be available, and they arent, the latest driver they have is a pre launch beta, and that doesnt look to change anytime soon for older hardware. I also think Nvidia is doing a respectable job considering, there are new beta drivers popping up on a weekly basis, and they have a scheduled set of goals established.

In a nutshell all the above are the growing pains of a new OS, there are no ways around it, if you have to have a perfectly functioning computer right now with solid fleshed out driver support, you have to run XP. Or wait 6 months to a year before trying again with Vista.

 

I do not agree with you and I am not making unreasonable demands. If they offered XP I would have taken it. As I do not have a extra copy of XP if I need to run XP to get what I want then they should supply it. Plus I have had Vista for over 8 months in beta form and also in full Ultimate release form for a month on my desk top with no issues other then Audio as for "berating" them I like dell I always get a good call responses from there call centers and there laptops are very sound. as for Vista not working and waiting well that is not even considered as there tech support tells me there are no issues with the divers then it has to be chipset and if it is drivers I will not wait six months for a computer that shuts off 3 drivers do to compatibility issues and will not work the way that it was sold to me from day one. Now I'm not going to respond any more as it is not up to us it is up to them, and I needed to vent and let others know about the issue I'm having but this was fun anyways love how passionate you are about dell I'm the same way about chevy.

 

I was thinking, you used third party programs to ID the chipset, if its an older version of the program that doesnt list the x1150, it makes sense it would read as the 200M, as that is what its based on. Have you tried checking the chipset ID with windows device manager? Control panel, advanced system settings, click the hardware tab, then select device manager, check the display adapter and also system devices.

 

programs I'm using are most up to date ones available and display apt. still sows Xpress 200 but thanks I been around computers for along time and build and maintain my works computers and network I am a+ and Microsoft certified I have a degree in computer analyst programmer so when it comes to checking computers I'm good at it. it is either a wrong mother board or bad driver vista drivers but as I said if it does not get me what I ordered then I want something else. or at the very least XP.

 

The RS480 chipset is the chipset the X1150 uses. It's an almost exactly the same (just higher clocked, really) version as the 200M. Don't worry, Dell gave you the right stuff. They don't use the old chipsets with the new processors.

 

You are right this was a chipset base on the older 200m set, but it is a earlier version of the 1150 set. Ati had made a driver just for this problem and label the driver 7.4. The driver was made about April 2007. The Geekz will say that this guy is crazy because the last driver created was 7.1. Poke around on the ATI/AMD site you will find the driver version 7.4.

Yup dell has no knowledge and you have a laptop that should have been exchange to the correct chipset. I had to fight with dell from April/07 to November/07 to prove there was a real problem. They still did not have a answer. I just wanted what I paid for was a fully function 1150 chipset.