Vostro 1710 WTH

Yeah, I am seriously leaning towards the fact that you have a GS. 3dmark06 does show GT's as GS's. But I have never seen GPU-Z or Rivatuner show that. OP I am sorry if I am "freaking you out" It would almost make sense that you got the 3dmark score that you did, even if you do have the GS. What are the stock clocks on the GDDR3 GS? Is it me or does 600/702 seem really high? Maybe not on the memory. But even the GT GDDR3 has a 475core. If the clocks are wrong then I would lean towards driver.

You said the 174.31's from Dell's website will not install? That is even stranger. This is what I would do. Go to Add/Remove programs. Uninstall the "Nvidia Drivers" in there. Download "Driver Sweeper". Reboot into safe mode. Run Driver Sweeper, and have it delete all the Nvidia Display stuff. Now boot back into Windows and try to install the 174.31's from Dell (get the ones from Dell, not from Laptopvideo2go, not sure if they are different at all, but for troubleshooting get the Dells). If it is still showing as a GS after that. Then I am afraid to say it, but you have a GS.

 

Out of curiosity how many SP's does GPU-Z say you have? IIRC, the 8600M GS has 16, while the 8600M GT has 32.

 

having same problem here.

 

there you go, a screenshot with systems, rivatuner, gpu-z.
lost coast stress test@1280*800 full hdr all high, 0aa 16af
average fps is 65.

 

I'm going back to Beijing for summer holidays on 6th july, coming back in sep.
I don't think dell uk can deal with this in 20 days.
Is it okay to leave this issue until I get back to the uk in sep and get a replacement? or should I do it right away and hope for the best, or even call dell china when i get to beijing?
sorry for the load of questions.

 

Ok so it looks like you definitely have an 8600GS, going by the 16SP - but the fact that it appears to be running faster then default clocks and using DDR3 ram is making up for it.

Yes, you technically have something inferior to what you were supposed to get on paper, but in real term performance, it's actually the same in its current state.

 

funny thing is, the uk site where I ordered it didn't even have the option of 8600m gs! the choice was a x3100 or a gt for the 1710.

 

wow you're patient!
I'm going to demand they bring a replacement to my door to swap immediately.

 

Now getting rather Worried bout it.. anyone else been done over by dell??

 

Man , this is not acceptable. Judging by your posts in this thread I definately think you really do hace the GS instead of the GT. You buy a laptop with one spec and they ship you another. Whats even worse is that they give you a cheaper, inferior part than what you've paid for. I would call Dell and have this thing sorted asap.

 

600\1200\700 are the stock clocks for the 8600m GS which i believe usually comes with gddr3 memory. It is by no means similar, performance wise, to the 8600m GT which is a mid-range performance card.

The only thing that could make it read as a completely wrong card is an edited driver inf or edited registry entrys.

@dtwn83: I think you missed my point:\ Here is a list of my 3dmark scores for referance.

 

in other words the GT is a much better card and we have every right to be angry, correct? ultimately we have paid for something that we did not receive.
Why do I have the feeling that Dell will not care about this and will do everything in their power to make it difficult for us to get a replacement or refund?
It is very hard to speak to someone further up in ranks at Dell than the robot call centre non-english speakers. Im going to demand to speak to someone in Australia, wish me luck.

 

Your right longroad. I'm sure there must be some consumer laws(?) that protect you, legally, from this kind of thing. Get a refund anyway and go for an msi with a 8600m gt or even a toshiba with 2 in sli

 

Yes there is the ACCC but you know how long those sorts of processes take.

Does the MSI or Toshiba cost a similar amount to the Vostro?

 

Well, in the screenshot I can see that your graphics card has 16 unified shaders (which I assume it's the same as "stream processors"), so your card is a GS. However, it's using GDDR3, meaning that it's performance is about the same as a 8600m GT with DDR2 (which is the same one used in non-XPS machines).

If it performs the same as a 8600m GT, perhaps it would be a good idea to just keep the laptop, no? The graphics core might not be the one you expected, but the graphics memory is also very important (8600m GT GDDR3 performs a lot better than 8600m GT with DDR2).

In any case, call Dell and tell them about your situation. I guess that they're using the "GT" name when they really mean "GS with DDR3", so I don't think they'll replace your laptop, but I'm sure that you can get a refund, if that's what you want

 

longroad, are you and I in the same situation?!

Dell should really have some serious explanations for this. I'm gonna call for a replacement!

 

guess what?
dell uk's web site changed the dedicated graphics card option to 8600m gs now. usa site still sells gt.

 

I've seen that thread. My point was using yours as a comparison wasn't particularly fair. Firstly, you're using a 8400M GT, albeit clocked to 8600M GS clocks, secondly, you have a more powerful CPU. If you looked at the array of 8600M GT DDR2 scores, tianxia's results were in the area as well.

@OP

What I find rather interesting is the sudden update in Dell's site. Since you have the order confirming the 8600M GT, you will have more options available.

You could settle for the 8600M GS which performs roughly similar to the 8600M GT you ordered, or demand for them to give you a GT, which they might not have in stock, or you could return it for a refund and demand some form of compensation (the second half might be a tad iffy).

 

wow I'm so glad I did not get a dell. I hope everything works out for you!!!

 

As others have stated you are actually getting normal 8600GT DDR2 performance - the only difference is in model name only. You would really go through all the hassle of sending it back over a naming scheme?

 

Regardless of your graphics card's performance, thats no excuse. Shipping a different system than what you paid for is unacceptable. A GPU is a huge part of your system, and has a large impact on performance. Its not something you can just swap.

Even if the card behaves like a 8600m GT, so what. What if you want to get a 8600GT and OC that? By the way, your benchmark is in fact much higher than that of the typical stock 8600m GS. For reference:

http://www.notebookcheck.nl/NVIDIA-GeForce-8600M-GS.3728.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.nl/NVIDIA-GeForce-8600M-GT.4110.0.html

 

I do like the laptop and I am happy with the performance. But ultimately dell has sent me the wrong machine. a bad way of saying it would be that dell lied to me about their product.
I might just settle with this laptop, i'm loving it despite the flex and different gfx card, but i just don't like to be cheated.

 

tianxia - yes we are in the same situation as is another person on this forum who posted yesterday.

Don't let them get away with it like many other people no doubt are who have not checked. Dell would rub their hands in glee if no one calls to complain. They are swapping a more expensive GPU that we paid for, with a cheaper one. And I dont believe its an error as its happened to so many people.
Call them today and blast them, and mention that other people online have the same problem and their reputation on popular websites has gone downhill fast (not that the call centre robots will care).

 

I just wanted to shed some light on this issue:

I just got my new Vostro 1710 and it does in fact have a 8600m gs with GDDR3 memory. I ran 3dmark06 with the newest forceware drivers in xp pro and scored 3675 points at standard clock speeds which is on par with most 8600m gt cards with gddr2 memory. more to follow...

 

Still a GT is a GT... the core (gpu) quality is different.. i think you should claim what you bought and not let them get away with this...

Why you want a GT rather than a GS (There's much more resell value if u state it's a GT)

 

I just called the idiots. They sound ten million miles away, you can hardly even hear them on the phone. It is disgusting.
I asked to speak to someone in Australia but they said there is no one available. LOL
I am utterly appalled and disgusted. I will be calling them back later today and demanding to speak to someone I can actually hear on the phone.

 

Well.. the last resort is to do the refund and go for another machine.. like the new HP(next month?)... there's the freaking 9600M GT in it..

 

Well when i customized my 1710, the only option was a GS which i chose. I only found out about the possibility of a gt when i got the e-mail confirmation so i'm not actually angry since i didn't even expect the gt. So far im really happy with this machine

 

Its not that Im totally unhappy with the machine, its the principal of the matter.
If you advertise a certain product then you must deliver that product. They even had this video card as a prominent promotion as the free upgrade on this notebook "for the next 3 days" so of course I ordered it. Then they don't even put that card in anyway.

I don't really care about performance difference to be honest, I care about the principal of the matter and Dell should be forced to honour and respect their customers.

 

I agree but the thing is, Dell Canada didn't even advertise the video card as a 8600m gt so i got exactly what i expected.

 

Thats good for you then You're lucky.
Dell Australia however were advertising the GT, there was no mention at all of the GS during the promotion that I purchased in.

 

Very strange happenings!

As others have said, an 8600m GT DDR2 @ 1280x800 will score at most 3500, so your score is in the correct range for that card, taking the system CPU into consideration.

BUT I guess the 8600m GS GDDR3 scores about the same, which is weird as I thought it would be lower...but when was the last time anyone saw one of those benchmarked eh?

Most of the confused people in this thread are likely failing to note a) the resolution and b) DDR2 vs GDDR3.

Anyway, 3dmark06 isn't exactly a stellar measure of real-world performance, so despite the fact that the scores are close, the GT should still beat the GS as others have said. GL with everything :\

 

Another factor could be the XP - Vista version.

 

Well I would run 3DMark and post results here if i could get it working!
The notebook will not even let the program start, it just stays on the loading screen forever. Wow, what a great product/company this is.

 

Have you tried installing the latest drivers?

 

Dell Canada is advertising the 8600M GS

 

Right! Thanks for reminding me

 

To be honest, I ignored that factor as the OP was using Vista. If he had been using XP, I would have been more concerned.

I think I'm making sense?

 

Looks like this has turned up on the front page of the notebookreview website.

To the affected parties: Call Dell and demand an exchange ASAP since your receipt and configuration must be honoured despite their incompetent video card switch.

 

if your invoice says a GT, then by all means demand what you ordered plus a little something extra for the inconvience

 

This shouldnt be an argument of a 8600GT DDR2 vs 8600GS GDDR3 , It dosnt matter regardless ,
An 8600GT has 32 Shaders but a 8600GS has a mere 16 , Yes an 8600GS is clocked at 600mhz , vs an 8600GT's 475mhz , but in the end they are differnt cards , The OP paid for a 8600GT , and he should get an 8600GT , Receiving an 8600GS instead is not acceptable.
You neva know you may get a voucher for money off or somthing

 

Yea.. use the technical specification reason to ask for a voucher or watever things.. Dun let them sneak off with it!

 

On your next call, calmly go through the motions again, dont get uppity with them, but dont cave into them either, after the rep has finished his/her spiel, demand to talk to their supervisor , it may take a few tries, but your paitence could be well rewarded, all your dealings with CS are logged and recorded, when the higherups see how much times you've spent trying to resolve the issue, they put that into great consideration, it alsodoesnt hurt to remind them of how much of your valueable time has been wasted. I've had to wage war with Dell CS a few times, but once my issue gets moved to "escelated claims" its usually resolved quickly and quite fairly. Dont threaten or get ugly, but dont take no for an answer. After the initial rep keeps repeating that there is nothing they can do, repeat back to them " I understand, please connect me to someone that can do something" and eventually they will. It will get frustrating, and your paitence will be pushed beyong breaking most likely, but in my experience, staying calm and not making absurd demands are reaming out the reps usually ends up with richer rewards. I see all the posts with the threats and screaming and yelling, and at the end the posters are usually showing off thier "gift cards", i've never been offered a gift card, monetary compensation has always been direct payment to my credit account, and or specific items. Good luck!!

 

Going to chime in again

Agree with lite.
The 8600m GS CANNOT compete with an 8600m GT!
The fact that it's GDDR3 means NOTHING!
3Dmark06 scores do not account for gaming performance!

I'll try to end the confusion *sigh
With newer gpu's the stream processors do most of the work. The speed of the shader clocks determines the strength of the processors (with similar nvidia cards). Therefore the 8600m GT (32 stream processors @ 950MHz) will perform significantly better, in shader intensive games, than the 8600m GS (16 stream processors @ 1200MHz).

GDDR3 gpu's usually have higher memory clocks which increases memory bandwidth. This allows the card to take advantage of more video memory.
I have yet to find any significant performance gains, outside of synthetic benchmarks, for increased memory bandwith on my 8400m GT:\ I've ran crysis at 1440 with textures and AA bumped up to the point where i'm only getting 5-10 fps and i rarely see 1 fps difference with a 300 Mhz increase. Just so no one point's it out i do have a GDDR3 version but i have also underclocked memory with little performance difference.

 

Out of curiosity, wouldn't that imply that if you had more video memory, you might see a bigger gain with overclocking?

 

Yes if a game needed more memory and was using turbocache. But it would also depend on the game (how it stores textures etc)

Edit: did i really say GDDR3 means nothing

 

You should read the fine print. You may be able to get what you want with persistance, but most vendors have clauses in their contracts (which you agree to implicitly by your act of purchasing products from them) saying something to the effect of, "we reserve the right to replace components and systems with items of equal or better quality without your knowledge or consent." Their argument is probably that the 8600M GS with GDDR3 is equal or greater in quality to the 8600M GT with GDDR2. I'd just recommend not getting a Dell again.

 

Then they really are idiots... Should ppl email nvidia and sent them a specification sheet and the performance's summary of the cards?
If so, you should just send an email to Micheal Dell himself.

 

One was able to switch his 6800 to a 8700M GT rather than a 8600M GT because of the 6800's 256bits bus. (When his warranted computer broke and asked for a recplacement)

 

Man Dell really messed up on this one.