Dell XPS M1330 GPU done for?

[ihateibuypower]

So the GPU on my M1330 has been going crazy. white screen with colorful lines, black screen while im in the middle of something. so should i send it back to dell and get a new computer or something? also, im thinking about handing this one down to my brother and getting a new one. so far im looking at the dell studio line and the only thing wrong is not a great GPU. Sager looks very nice but a bit pricy. i want to stay in the 2000 range and i want portability/battery life/good GPU for warcraft and game design. anyone want to point me in a better direction? also idk how fast the processor needs to be for that stuff?

 

[cjl]

Call Dell's XPS support line - it's in the US and they actually know what the heck they're talking about. Are you still in warranty?

 

[ihateibuypower]

yeah im still on warranty but im also unhappy with the performance of the computer...i got it when it just came out with a 1.5ghz processor

 

[cjl]

Call them anyways - you should be able to get it fixed for free, and so the worst case is that you have it as a backup computer. Trust me, the XPS support is amazing.

As for a new comp, the XPS M1530 looks pretty good, and can be had with an 8600m. The Alienware M15x can also be had in that price range, though only as a fairly low config (T8100/8800M).

 

[ihateibuypower]

i did the dell chat with them and got a new bios upgrade and GPU upgrade. if this doesnt work ill have to send it in. but laptop shopping is truly difficult. i dont know if i would go with the 1530 just cause i already have the 1330. so far im considering, dell studio 15inch, sager np 8660, asus m50, and alienware m15

 

[ihateibuypower]

ok time is of the essence now. GPU has failed completely and i need a laptop. im going to send it in soon but im also going to buy a new one. i like the sager np8660 and the alienware m15x and the dell studio. only reason i would go for dell studio is battery power and heat. can anyone attest for sager battery life and heat situation?

 

[cjl]

If you get the flexbay battery, the Alienware would probably have the longest battery life of the 3, the studio in the middle, and the sager the shortest.

As for heat, I'd guess the Sager would have the best cooling, followed by the Alienware, followed by the Studio. Of course, I'd also guess the Studio would be the quietest.

 

[ihateibuypower]

yeah actually the new design on the alienware makes it so it runs cooler and quieter. the total is going to be around 3000 because i need to get an additional battery and an extra 200 for a 2 year warranty. is this a good choice guys? alienware m15x. ive heard many mixed opinions...some love some hate. its about 50/50 now with opinions. maziar, cjl, what do you guys think?

 

[frozenlead]

3000 is a ridiculous price for a mid-range pc like that, i bought my monster for 2500. you can get much more power for that kind of money.

 

[theworminator]

I don't like the idea of dumping so much high heat output components in a 15.4" chassis...like, a lot of 17" chassis have problems with dealing with that much heat, and yet they're trying to make them work in a 15.4". On paper it's a great machine, but I worry that that much heat in a small space will reduce the life time of the machine.

 

[cjl]

3000 is a ridiculous price for a mid-range pc like that, i bought my monster for 2500. you can get much more power for that kind of money.

More power?

For that price, you can get a T9300 and 8800M, as well as a bunch of nice other add ons in the M15x (or alternatively, a T8300 and 8800M GTX, but far more other options). It's quite reasonably priced. Heck - I'd get it if I needed a somewhat portable, gaming capable notebook.

Oh, and theworminator, I was noticing your GPU overclock in your sig - I have a 7950GTX, but it hard freezes when I get the memory up past 740 (I have the core at 650 though ). Are you using ntune?

 

[ihateibuypower]

okay so what do you guys think then? im looking into IBM thinkpads now, idk how good their GPUs are though. Sager is still appealing but i need good batter ower. Still need options, what do you guys think?

 

[theworminator]

Nope, I'm using a flashed card BIOS. I've thought of using nTune to mess around more, but haven't come around to it yet .

Thinkpads (now Lenovo, not IBM) are actually pretty good machines, quite reliable, and good customer support. though their graphics cards tend to be on the business low-mid side of things, and even then some of them use the rendering cards as opposed to the Geforce and the Radeons. Though they're very good otherwise, from what I hear.

 

[Canuck1]

It might not be the computer and instead, may be the Nvidia graphics chip being defective. It might need a major modification. Check this pages for info:

http/www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/27/dell-models-defective-nvidia

http/direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx

I would like a new laptop and was looking at the Dell XPS M1330 but this has me concerned. I would probably go for the discrete/separate graphics chip and also since the HDMI port is only in the Dells configured with the Nvidia chips. I wanted that port but also the option of better graphics.

I think the Nvidia chip problems are limited to the 8400M and 8600M cards, though.

I'm not sure which laptop to get now but it has to be one that can be shipped to Canada and be quite thin. I want portabillity, Intel wireless and perhaps, a discrete graphics chip so hopefully, a DVI or HDMI port as well.

Anyway, I hope those links help but I doubt a BIOS update will solve the problem.

 

[r_manic]

Anyway, I hope those links help but I doubt a BIOS update will solve the problem.

Agreed. Updated my BIOS to the most recent one, and my XPS M1330 GPU (9400M 256MB) still gave out about a week ago, with the colorful lines described by ihateibuypower. Was lucky my laptop was still under warranty, god knows I'd have to pay a lot for a replacement if it weren't.

Or maybe the GPU failed coz I spent a week running Fallout 3 with the XPS hooked up to a 22" HP w2228h? Lol.