Does the XPS Studio 16 1645 line still carry the 4670 GPU?

Hey all,

I just mailed my system to the Dell Depot for repairs earlier last week. I've been having severe overheating problems (system crashing, locking up, shutting down, etc.) and my graphics card started showing artifacts and glitches whenever I was doing anything 3D-related. The dell rep told me they would have to do a mobo replacement and that they had a new design in the vents (I've heard about this in the forums prior to the events). While everyone else proclaimed that A09 was the best thing since sliced bread in regards to system performance, I noticed when I used it -- my GPU heated up like a beast, to the point where my FPS and system performance was worse than the compute throttling -- I was getting 5-10 fps in games and my computer was just absolutely crawling like a snail. In which case I'm currently running A11 on the machine.

One of the things I noticed is that the Dell US site no longer offers the 4670 GPU in their XPS 16 lines. The dell rep was, as usual unhelpful as ever when inquired about it. I'm not complaining if they did actually upgrade it to a 5730 per-say, although I'm more concerned about the tech bricking my system or returning it in a faulty/dented state with all the horror stories I've heard of. I've been very careful with my system, and doing weekly cleaning/maintenance to keep it in the best shape I could -- although the speaker grills are a pain to clean!

Has anyone had experience with their systems at the service depot? The box they sent me to ship the laptop back seemed REALLY questionable...so I bought additional insulation (those peanut things) at FedEx, as well as additional tape since all they gave me was a 4x4 piece of brown tape, and that was asking for trouble -- not to mention one of the styrofoam pieces that held the laptop in place was torn.

Has anyone had the same issues as my computer? Did Dell actually fix anything or did you receive it in a worse state? Am I just postponing the inevitable need for them to replace my entire system? I've had it for less than a year -- I received one of the first 1645 units back last November.

Thanks for your time!

 

You will get a refurb 4670 motherboard. Also A09 is the best thing since sliced bread

 

May be or may be not. They might use a new board /w 5730 attached. All depends on what's available when they repare your system.

 

Well, I don't doubt you guys about the A09 -- whether it's a 4670 or 5730, I just hope my system stops choking this time when I use that particular Bios. =)

 

Either way, keep us updated on the "new vent" design.

 

Yea, this is the second time I'm hearing about this supposed "new vent" design. I also would appreciate any update on that end. I also hope they actually fix the system for ya.

 

There is a new vent design. The older models 1640 use only 4 rows of vents. The new ones from the 1645 use 6. It increases airflow a little

 

But we're talking about an update on the XPS 1645's vent system. Both users already had an XPS 1645 and were told there was an update.

Maybe you already have the "upgrade" because mine has 5 rows.

 

even though the 1645 has been shipping with the 5730, I just had the motherboard swapped and it was an original with 4670. as others said there's the possibility they have supply issues or something and you end up getting the 5730.

 

The unit just arrived at Dell's repair depot this morning...so I should *hopefully* get it back by the end of the week barring any supply shortages...I'll keep you guys updated.

 

I have the 1645 with hd4670. Is it possible for dell to upgrade my vga to a hd5730 ?

 

Are you having problems? You would have to swap the entire mobo as the gpu is embedded to the mobo.

 

To anyone who has sent their laptops in for repair: Is it normal for the Dell Reps to be misinformed regarding what pieces needed replacement?

As mentioned in my original topic, I had severe heat and throttling issues with my 1645; the heat also caused a few of my plastic pieces to wear down...which I asked for replacements to. (I'm under complete care warranty)

Apparently my laptop was shipped back earlier today, so it remained at the service depot for about 1 full business day -- I figure "okay, no problem...they probably had a tech available and the parts...so it shouldn't have had to take more than one day". Upon receiving my tracking number, I inquired to the rep as to what pieces were replaced:

"What was replaced was the part number W520D. This includes the heatsink and fans for the system."

...Seriously? Okay, I understand that this tech probably thought a new heatsink and fans would make my system run well. Fair enough, and it might -- although I'm a bit disappointed that they told me they'd replace my mobo and add a new vent system.

However...there was no indications at all that any of the plastic pieces I requested were replaced.

Sigh, I hope this is just a misinformed rep -- otherwise I have a feeling I'll be sending this unit back very shortly...that or I'll be demanding parts sent to me and I'll do it myself...

Anyway, I'm expected to receive this unit back on Friday, the 24th.

 

I wish to do the same, but that would void your warranty. Sadly, all repairs must be done by one of their contracted techs(some talented, some incompetent) or their depot.

 

That's unfortunate...

Well, here's hoping the rep was misinformed; there's no way they couldn't have known of the issues I've addressed...I e-mailed them twice about it, and included a printed letter of what was wrong with the system.

 

Update:

Received my laptop back are bout 2 hours ago: NOTHING was changed. The vents are exactly the same, none of the melted/loose exterior was replaced, the only thing marked on my sheet was "heatsink/fan". Needless to say, I could have had an onsite tech for this job and the only reason I went with a service depot was all the things the rep told me. Angry E-mail to dell inc.

 

Unacceptable. Have them send you a new mobo(ask for a new mobo with 5730). They should be able to overnight it to you along with a tech.

 

Serious? Last time I asked the rep to send a M1330 mobo, new monitor module w/o screen to me and I spent three hours fully dissembled and reassembled it back and my warranty is still here...(now transferred to my 1647, which I switched the screen by myself).

 

Lucky, you met a novice rep and have the skill to do repairs yourself. They usually only send crucial parts to your local tech. Imagine letting your customers do their own repairs.

Edit: They could've cut of your warranty by saying you did your own repair and they don't have to be responsible. It's safe to have their tech do the job or let him watch while you do it.

 

that's not true, you can have them do what's called a Parts Only Service request and you can do the repair yourself. I've done it a few times, they've usually given me option for simple things like hard drives and more recently I made the request to replace the motherboard and heatsink/fan assembly myself. you're allowed by the warranty to replace or upgrade any component you wish yourself, only thing not covered by the standard warranty though is damage you cause yourself. CompleteCare should take care of it though if you have that.

 

I see, but you kind of stated the downfall of that yourself. If your computer doesn't work after you did your own repair and don't have CC = you're screwed. Might get lucky and they might still replace/repair it, but all that depends on your rep. They can simply deny your warranty by saying you did your own repair. It's Dell. Their CS is so random so I wouldn't count on it.

 

Update:

Spoke with the rep that's been handling my case -- she's going to request a replacement unit through her manager, likely a refurb -- but as long as it doesn't have half the trouble I have, I wouldn't mind.

Sigh, the unit would have probably been in decent working order if the Dell tech spent more than 5 minutes on it. I guess he was in a rush for his lunch break.

 

Update #2:

Just spoke with the Dell Rep's manager today; they couldn't find an XPS16 in the outlet section that matched my original specs so they're building a new one for exchange. From what I can tell, it's pretty much the same config with the exception of the new mobo via the 5730 GPU; I'm fine with that since I was satisfied with what I had with the exception of the throttling/heating issues...(I'm not trying to gouge them into upgrading my RAM, HDD, or CPU...although it's kind of lame it had so much problems 8 months into my purchase). It's *supposed* to take 7-21 days although I'm not holding my breath...I ordered the original 1645 and it took over 2 months to build and ship.

However, quick question for anyone whose recently received a new 1645 model: Did they *actually* change the vent system to allow better airflow? I'm skeptical since my unit got shipped back to the Dell Depot only to get my heatsinks replaced -- which was a lie on its own, I had the same temperatures as before...AND they managed to fry one of my USB ports and break the adapter strap.