Dell is Replacing My Video Card in the my Inspiron 1720... What should I get?

Alright, Dell is replacing the video card in my Inspiron 1720 Laptop. They have given me HORRIBLE customer service for 2 months, and I have a bit of leverage on them at the moment. I just got my laptop back after 2 months, and they gave me an 8600 GT to replace my 7900 GS. I'm not happy at all since the 8600 is a huge downgrade in graphics performance, but I do gain the ability to run Direct X 10. Either way, I'm trying to figure out what fits in my laptop. I was thinking about going for a 7900 GTX, a 7950 GTX (if I'm lucky, and of course if it will fit in my system. I have no idea.). I was going to push for a 8800, but I don't think they fit in my system, but I'm not sure. Can anyone tell me what will fit in, or if they think I should try to go for something else besides this? I'm pretty sure the 7900 GS is no longer supported by Dell.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

how do u reason the "HUGE downgrade"?

 

I was under the impression that 8600GT is the best they can offer, or else they'd let you customize a laptop with better options to begin with.

 

I may be wrong here, but I do not think you can have a video card in the 1720 better than the current 8600M GT offering. The 7900 series cards could fit into the E1705, either normally (single heatpipe GS) or with little hassle (gtx / gs with dual heatpipes). I honestly haven't kept up to date about the new generation of Dells, but I'm assuming that they changed stuff around enough so that the old cards will not fit in your new Dell.

 

There actually very Very similair even an upgrade really

 

I don't think 1720 can fit 8800 because there is no 8800 for the mobile. There is 8700 but I think that's MXM III and your 1720 seems to use II because it only fits 7900 and 8600 but of which are type II. I don't think 7950GTX would be kept cool enough in the system... And I think Dell has its own MXM type even though it's II or III.

 

is it not a huge downgrade? I've found multiple discussions on a few forums talking about how horrible the 8600 is compared to the 7900. I've also been told by a friend. I've scoured the internet looking for specs, and I find specs, but I don't really have anything I can compare with. Why are you saying that its an upgrade?

(example of the specs)
http://www.nvidia.com/page/go_7800gtx.html
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8600M.html

 

i was torn between 7900 gs and 8600m and chose the second one and don't regret it a bit...yet i think, they r pretty comparable cards(+8600 supposedly has dx10 support)

 

it does have dx10 support, but I've been told that its as far as processing goes and all that, the 7900 drives the 8600 into the ground.

 

The 8600m GT performs just like the 7900 GS, but with DX10 support. Dell does not use standard MXM, their GPUs are proprietary. They're probably not going to give you a 7950 GTX, or cite reasons why it won't work in the new 1720s.

 

7900 Gs is faster. That's a fact. However, they are fairly close- 8600m GT will probably perform around a desktop 7800 GT/GS, while the 7900 GS will slide in a little higher, somewhere between the desktop 7800 GT and 7800 GTX. The difference is negligible, and 8600 is cooler, quieter, has HD video decode acceleration, and DX10. It's a matter of preference, really. Also, 8600M GT is likely to improve in time with better drivers in more shader heavy games, while the 7900 GS is basically around its max performance.

 

Let me fill yall in...

Well for the sake of brevity I didn't tell you the whole story. They are giving me a completely new system because they took a HUGE amount of time repairing old system (with the single condition that the graphics card specifically could in NO way downgrade my graphics card). They sent back my broken old system, and "began to make the new system." I received the new system (after calling again after 14 days, had them tell me it would take 4 more days, I call 4 days later, and they tell me that the order never went through and it has to be redone) and it had a 8600 on it. I complained about it, they said they'd fix the problem, and they rose the situation above they tech support managers head. Said I'd receive a call in 48 hours. Never received a call. I call back, tell them that I'm about to go to school in 2 days, and that they had all summer to fix this problem. I demanded that the problem be fixed, and he actually wanted me to send the broken laptop back to him, and the new laptop. I refused and told him I wouldn't do it. He told me to take both laptops to school and he'd call me on monday. He never called (out of 15 times I've been told Dell would call me, Dell has called me once). Anyways, so now I'm starting to receive calls about how i need to send my old system back and they are pissed. I explain the situation and they want me to call tech support to get it handled.

Anyways, yes its a long story, and I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm just trying to get what I paid for. I got my computer solely for the graphics card, and they are screwing me. As stated earlier I told them that the graphics card could NOT IN ANY WAY be worse than the 7900 GS. Thats what I agreed to the system exchange with, and yes I know I'm being picky, but dell has strung me along for well over 2 or 3 months now. I'm just trying to figure out what I should try to get in it since they don't support the 7900 GS anymore (which was why they couldn't repair my old laptop in the first place.)

I appreciate any suggestions.

 

Well, if they're out of 7950 GTX's, or if the 7950 GTX doesn't fit, then there's not much you or they can do. The best GPU they have after that is the 8700, which faces the same problem as the 7950 in the 1720 - it wasn't built to support that card. Thus you're stuck with the 8600m GT - the best GPU they have for that series laptop.

 

Just for the record, a go 7900 gs is an MXM type III not type II. It's true that Dell doesnt use the standard MXM format.

 

I'd go for the 8600m GT, but only because I believe that the 1720 version is GDDR3. In the case of the GDDR3 model, you will see better performance than you did with your 7900 GS. As others have stated, the 8600m series is still going through rapid driver revisions that have drastically increased its power over time. The original drivers I was using would max me out at 15 FPS in Supreme Commander, the newest (non-beta) ones (163.44) let me reach up into the 22-23 range. That is more than a 30% improvement in performance over 3 months of driver revisions. The 7900 GS is probably not going to see much more enhancement over time, it has been optimized.

If the GDDR2 model is the only one available, that'd be a really close call, with performance in the 7900 gs's favor. I'd still personally go with the 8600m GT.

It is newer technology, it will be supported longer, it will support more games, and it WILL perform better as newer drivers are released. Also, I find the video encode/decode to be absolutely fantastic.

 

wow that is flawless logic, im convinced the 8600 is better now.

in reality im just about ready to rip lithus's, big_v's, thomasH's head off over the internet...show me a benchmark where the 8600 beats a 7900 please! don't just say "its better" without proof. Not to mention on the inspiron 1705 you could easily flash the 7900gs with 7900gtx bios (see 7900GSX http://www.notebookforums.com/thread180011.html).

 

dell's 8600m GT on the 1720 is GDDR2

 

lmao

depends what the resolution is. 1440x900 and above the 7900gs is alot better. Below that and they are more even. and dont rip my head open link you know this to be true

 

The 7900 GS scores 3800 on 3DMark06. The GDDR3 8600m GT scores 3700. I do admit I overlooked the fact that Dell uses DDR2 8600m GTs, but you can't blame me for thinking about my GPU instead.

Please make sure that the 7900 is definitely much better before claiming to "rip" people's heads off. http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-Go-7900-GS.2133.0.html

 

never said it was better, i just said that they are comparable(aren't they?) and that i'm happy with what i chose, that's it... spare my head, please...i still need it

 

How could you possibly know the 1720 wont support a 8700m? Dell hasn't even released it for any of there systems yet. If the past is an indicator of anything, they'll most likely offer the 1720 with a 8700 or better in the near future that you can easily upgrade to.

 

Well, Nvidia will tell you the 8600 outperforms the 7950GTX anyway, according to their benchmarks in specific games. There are links you can find that will support this.

That may be debateable, and in fact we've debated it on here. I think even those who want to argue against the 8600 would agree it at the very least compares to the 7900.

It's an upgrade, not a downgrade. And it's the highest widely available card out right now because the 8700 doesn't seem to be in much use yet among manufacturers.

 

I don't. That's why I said it faces the same problem as the 7950 GTX - no one knows whether it will work or not.

 

lol, I still don't know what to ask them to replace it with lol. will the 7950 fit? Does Dell even support 7900 GTXs?

 

If they have it in the inventory.. and u might need to go thru a lot of hassle.
I wouldn't bother that much since they gave you a dx10 capable card and probably would last you a few more years than it was intended. Unless that is you're changing your notebook quite soon.

 

your best bet is just to keep the 8600gt. The 7900 would be too much of a gamble at this point. I'm sort of in the same situation as you. I'm getting a replacement notebook for my 1705 which has 7900gs, theyre giving me a 1720 with a 8600gt. Im not too thrilled since theyre still giving me the 1920x1200 screen and the 8600gt has 128 bus. So I also feel like im getting a downgrade in a sense.

 

why not get 1520 instead with at least 1280*800 screen? that one is an overkill

 

Because, Like I stated, its a replacement notebook. They won't let me change the configuration of it, they are giving me another notebook as close to my e1705 as possible, which would entail a 1920x1200 screen

 

I'd fight it bro. I just called 'em up and I swear every one of those tech support guys I talk to is a retard. I was clearly telling him the story, and I was comparing the 8600's capabilities to the 7600, and he kept coming up with the conclusion that I wanted a 7600 in my laptop. I'm trying to get a 8700. I've decided that thats my goal. I'm REALLY not happy with the service I've got from these guys. Apperently I'm going to recieve a call from whatever is above the supervisor of the tech support branch I called. This is the 3rd time they told me this though. I won't get the call and just wasted an hour on the phone... AGAIN. Dell sucks so bad unless its on-site repair, its not even funny. Yes the 8700 is an upgrade, and a large one at that, but I have dealt with so much $h*t from Dell, and I'm not happy... not happy at all. I know that whenever I get this new laptop working, its going to mess up. I refuse to buy dell ever again. I'd rather invest in something a bit more reliable and that has better service than dell that costs a bit more. Maybe thats why Dell is doing so poorly now.

 

Well, the 8700M-GT is not (yet) offered in the I1720, so I doubt that they would give it to you (if it was even possible). Either demand a certified refurbed 1705 with the 7900GS, or an M1710 with a GTX, or settle for the 1720 and the 8600M-GT. I suppose if you really wanted to push it you could try to get them to give you a preorder for the M1730 with the single graphics card option.

 

Exactly. They aren't going to get a special configuration just for you.

 

After arguing with them yesterday, they finally agreed and they are sending me a XPS system.

 

SLI-8700GT XPS m1730!!

 

yeah right....

 

yeah okay i dont believe that for one minute no offense.. and i spoke with dell today about my return and asked the dept i have to now deal with about the 7900 and they said they never offered it in the 1720 it was never installed in the 1720 and never will be so again no offense but you are full of it..

 

No, what happened is I had a 1705 7900GS. They had a month to fix it, and after that amount of time (and calling every single day), one of the supervisors agreed to give me a new computer. They replaced it with the most up to date version of the 1705 (which is the 1720). It took them a month to get the new laptop to me (because of numerous errors in their system), and by the time I got it I had 2 days before I left for school. I open up the laptop, and take a look at the graphics card. It's an 6800M GT with 256 MB. I compared the specs online with the 7900 GS and decided I was getting gipped, so I called up dell and complained. Argued with the guy for an hour about how it was worse video card. Finally he agreed, and rose the issue to the dell resolution team. I never got a response back from dell (which is typical of dell.), and I did this 2 more times with no result. Finally I got a dell supervisor who knew video cards pretty well and he agreed with me. He escalated the issue and I actually got a response from Dell's resolution team (this is now past 3 months since I sent the laptop in initially). We argued for 30 to 45 minutes or so on whether or not the 8600M was better than the 7900 GS (He kept telling me the 8600 with 512MB of ram made up for the slower processing speed), either way, I eventually got through to him, and had him agree that the 8600 was an inferior card. Then he went on to see how we would deal with it. See, the 1720 can only hold the 8600M and 8400M cards. Nothing they could give me in the 1720 they sent me would be acceptable. They offered to fix my 1705 and maybe upgrade some of the components. I told them no, after all this I am GOING to get a new system. He told me it just wasn't possible for them to give me an XPS since I paid $1300 for the computer and the XPS sells for a minimum of like $2200. I told him that its not my problem that the upgraded version of my laptop can't hold a card of equal or greater means. He told me he would call me the next day and he would see what he would do. When he called back he told me he created a system exchange for an XPS system for me, and i would receive it in 7 to 10 days.

One of the main reasons for this I believe was when Dell told me that they were going to give me a new system with "similar or better parts", I countered that and agreed ONLY on the terms that the new system COULD NOT have a worse video card by any means what so ever.

 

So you basically got the XPS M1730?

 

zfactor I hope that story kind of clears that up for you. I have no reason to lie about it. The XPS system they are giving me has a 7900GS (I complained but he didn't budge on giving me a 7950 GTX. Only if the 7900 is out of stock will I get a 7950). Either way, something Dell didn't use that I would have resorted too was the Better Business Borough, and posting the story on as MANY forums as possible and getting the word out how I was mistreated by Dell. I know it doesn't seem like much, but Dell isn't doing too hot right now. Truth is they would probably realize that if you did that, they would lose A LOT more money from doing that, then it would just to make you happy with whatever system you fairly should get. Also, something else that I found out, the 1720 system that they replaced my old system with, I discovered was refurbished. The XPS system that they are sending me is brand spankin' new. If you let me get my laptop and settle everything with dell, then I'll be more than happy to give you my case as a reference and maybe add some leverage to your cause.

 

no, I got the XPS 1710. They are re-creating my laptop as much as possible, and they can. I made my laptop on the Inspiron 1720 and it was like $1600. I made my laptop with the XPS 1710, and it was like $3100. Note, most of the components were exactly the same or the difference was so miniscule you would never notice. The ONLY major difference was the video cards. The XPS had the 7950 GTX, and the inspiron had the 8600 GT. XPS is a rip off to be honest.

 

OMNI...

Gotta admit your story is way out there and if true, you are one in a million. What you describe goes against every policy put in place by Dell.

First off, there is only one depart, in the whole US of A that can change and replace your system. Check on the success with that from others...not very good.

Next, there is only one department (same one) that can approve a change to any component in your system. Nobody else in all of Dell can do that, not even Michael himself. Your replacement is simply the same exact specifications you have ordered and cannot be changed unless a complete system was granted.

Next, if this were the case, it would have been done by now and everything finished since you started this thread. You are one in a million to Dell. To believe that people will spend the amount of time you describe on 'just you' is unfeasible.

 

It's really not that unbelievable. Dell is already EOL'ing the XPS M1710, so a similar spec'd one to his original 1705 is a perfectly feasible replacement. And if Dell agreed in writing or an email that the replacement would have "equal or better parts" then they are pretty much legally bound to either find him a certified refurb 1705 or a 1710, as those are the only equivalent systems to the original laptop. It's unusual for someone to actually succeed in getting a replacement in this short of a time, but it's not unknown.

 

sorry man but i tend to have to agree with flamenko on this one

 

Its not only unusual but almost impossible to get Dell to replace your system with anything but what you originally had. The amount of time adds to that.

The replacement issue has nothing to do with human choice, but rather, that of policies and computer results. The computer only allows a replacement to be the exact specification to which you originally received.

I am well versed at this because I received an m1330 upgrade for my squealing m1210. I learned throughout how truly difficult and the multitude of hoops that must be jumped to get this.

The only way he can be upgraded any peripheral much less system is if Dell grants him a "one time gesture of goodwill". This is exactly as it sounds and the part that is ordered comes under the approval coding starting with 'G' which stands for gesture.

This means the part is not covered under warranty whatsoever and, if it fails, he gets what the specifications state on the original purchased invoice.

 

I don't know about the Home and Home Office side, but at least on the Dell Small Business side this is not necessarily true if the original system has been EOL for a while, in which case they will upgrade you with it's newest alternative. In the case of the e1705, it's newest alternative is indeed the M1710, so I don't see what the problem is.

Also, how do you know that Dell didn't do the same thing for the OP as they did for you? Certainly many people with the M1210 had M1330 replacements sent, just like what happened to you, so it can't be that unusual.

 

First off, I think I started by saying that if its true, al the power to you. there are just so many invariables about the way Del is doing business with him whether you look at it from a business or home sale, both ends of which i have dealt from.

I could go on about how a CSR cannot just say ok, we are sending you a new upgrade and then how they definitely wouldn'e send your system back to you once that is said. I could carry on ny explaining how they cannot tell you to pick what you want and can only allow something if it asked in the correct fashion by you and is recignized as a 'performance upgrade' that falls within the scope of the upgrade.

Next I would explain how the whole process for his new system would have been done in a period of 30 minutes once the sole exchange approver walked through the system with him.

I have dealt with Dell on all angles for many years...there are just way to many things in this thread that Dell just would never allow of their CSR or do.

 

I literally called them every 2 days or so. I really don't understand whats so "out there" about it. They gave me HORRIBLE customer service. I spent easily over 30 hours with them on the phone trying to get this resolved. Each time they would tell me something wrong, and would NEVER do what they said they were going to do.

They also offered me a full refund for my computer plus 2 to 3 hundred dollars in a rebate for when I purchase future Dell products. I refused. I wouldn't be able to deal with not having a computer while all that went through.

Either way, I think I'll be happy with the results of this.

I really don't see what is so ridiculous about it though. Seriously, Dell took me by a string and lead me around for 3 months.

 

take some pics when u get it, would ya!?

 

i dealt with dell prob as much as you did and this they would not do for any reason for me.. id never buy from them again from my experiences

 

I only have two comments:

1) Though I'm not completely happy with Dell's quality or service, they've overall been really good to me, and really easy to talk to, and replacement parts were always sent out the same day with little to no questions asked. This is why I stick to Dell Small Business.

2) Too many people b**** way too much and try to get free upgrades all the time. Dell has no obligation to give you free upgrades, and many companies would have simply canceled your order altogether and refunded your money long ago.

 

WELCOME TO AMERICA!! hahaha