www.XPSUpgradeProgramDell.com 

What motherboard will the new motherboard be? NVIDIA 680i?

WOW !!!

Well, I had my doubts, and thought Dell would never make a comment, and would simply behind the words "Soon" and "Be Patient", but alas, Dell has stayed true to its word!  I have not had the time to be as active in the forums in the past several months, but will begin to do so now, as the excitement builds for this future implentation.

Does Dell have a strategy as of yet of how to coordinate the motherboard switches of these systems?  I should hope it would be easier than the phone call method of last year.  I will be very impressed if Dell pulls this off, and may actually start recommending Dell again.

Good job Dell! :) 

griffy208: Glad you're pleased with the update. Regarding your comment toward the phone call method, we're going to make every effort to streamline this process for customers as much as we can.

Frankly, we're still working on some of those details and will continue to do so.

I am wondering whether this is XPS 700 motherboard upgrade is ONLY available to those who come to the forum or blog?

Is Dell going to officially notify all the XPS 700 buyers/owners of this free upgrade (either by snail mail, email or phone call)?

Looking forward to the mobo exg. I love my system, but I was a bit saddened when I had heard I couldn't install a QC proc. Now that I can get one at 25% discount, plus a new mobo, I'll definitely take advantage of that. Plus upgrade memory another 2GB.

 Thanks,

Jim

Wow Dell... I never saw this coming. I thought at this point Dell was done with the XPS 700, and wasn't even thinking of compensating it's purchasers any longer. I'm very happy to see that the people at Dell stuck to their word and are finally taking care of the XPS 700 customers.

I have a question?  I am a 710 owner and I ordered my computer over the phone.  When I ordered the computer I was not told that the xps had the discontinued 590 sli board.  I directly asked the rep if this 710 computer had the newest nvidia sli board and the rep put me on hold then came back on the phone and said the 710 has the newest nvidia/intel sli board.  I at no time ordered the computer over the internet.  I had no idea that the board used the 590 series board. 

 Now that I have read the statement that Dell has made are the 710 users that ordered via phone going to be entitled to the free upgrade.  I honestly dont feel that 710 users that ordered via phone should have to pay for this board no matter what the cost.  I have no problem not getting any kind of other discounts I just want a the newest motherboard that I was told that I was going to get.

 There are other 710 users that have also been lied to and its a known fact that when you order over the phone that the reps dont disclose what kind of motherboard the 710 has.

 Please Dell help out the 710 customers, we are not lying.  We 710 customers also have a legitimate grip and feel that we arent getting a fair shake in this deal.

taylor775: You are right that the XPS 710 is based on the Dell implementation of the 590SLI chipset. The key difference is that your board accommodates quad-core processors. We had to make system-level board changes to the 710 based on Intel's revised guidelines.

Since the 710 supports quad-core, you have the option of upgrading to upcoming processors with your existing board. To upgrade Update To clarify further: If you still want to upgrade to the next-gen board for other features that it will offer, you'll need to purchase it.

Lionel, this is great news!  Incidentally, is there any update on when we might get an update on the availability of pre-installed Vista on the 710/H2C?

Thanks  

Also, will the processor offer be available through the EPP site? Many of us purchased our XPS 700 through Dell's Educational Personal Purchase Program, and the $200 Dell gift card (remember this?) can only be redeemed on the EPP site.

 
It would be very bad if we could only purchase the new CPU in Dell's Home store because I wouldn't be able to use the gift card... Thanks.

my xps was purchased through my company (time warner)  will i have a problem getting the upgrade?  or will i have to go through my company

The motherboard exchange is utterly useless.  Why would anyone waste their time only upgrading their motherboard and not get a matching cpu?  What is the percentage of dell customers that actually upgrade their cpu's?  I bet its less than 1%

 Then if you accept the above as a valid argument then your only option is a "free" motherboard and a 25% discount on an already overpriced quad core cpu?  If its an exchange then isn't that the same as saying the customer has taken the depreciation and now dell is buying back the "older" motherboard and cpu for 25% the cost of new quad core cpu, while the customer pays the rest of the cost.  At best this seems more like a break even scenario, and pr scheme than a benefit to the owner.  The only cost to dell is the service, which probably doesn't cost them much, because they already have contracts in place and it won't matter whether they replace 1 board or 1000.

 To use an analogy, I feel like a customer walking into a car dealership with a 1 year old car to trade it in while the dealer sells me another new overpriced car and pays a fraction for my older car.
 

whackmonkey: Most customers who have asked for an upgrade path want it because it allows them to take advantage of next-generation performance and feature set.

We'll offer the processor discount upfront for customers who want the extra performance gain right out of the gate. Even if a customer opts only for a board exchange when it's available later this year, it still gives them the option to upgrade to higher-performing components whenever they are ready to.

This type of offer was only dreaned of by us all during the process. I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Dell thas was involved in this process and to David as well. I always thought that if we stayed on course and kept lawyers out of this that we would all benefit and we have.  I call this a win win situation for both sides.  Dell will retain loyalty and have it grow and there is already a lot of talk from people that cancelled the XPS 700 or sold it regretting that decision. I personally wish this was put out ASAP to the big hardware sites that covered this in the beginning to further the proof that Dell is a solid standup company.
This phrase is so appropriate, WOOT
 

Whackmonkey,

Have you not read any of the 14,000 posts about this issue?  There are plenty of us who purchased this system because it was supposed to be mobo upgradable.  We have been begging Dell to offer us an upgrade path as they are the only company capable of doing so with our XPS Chassis.  Dell have gone above and beyonf our expectations by not only offering a upgrade path, but by offering it free and in home service.  They have also listened to the customers and have started to open up access to the features that were missing on the original mobo.  I see this a VERY generous on Dell's part and the fact they have incorporated our ideas into the Bios update and hopefully the future mobo shows how much they listen to the customer. 

As far as why someone would want the new mobo without a processor upgrade, I have a E6600 CPU.  It will mildly overclock with ntune.  But, if you add EPP RAM and a 680i or better chipset, the FSB OC should be much more stable.  Nvidia made a huge mistake with the Intel version of the 590 chipset.  It never lived up to the AMD version.  Only Dell and one other company ever used this chipset.  The 680i is a MUCH stronger performing chipset.  We all are hopeful it will be incorperated into the Next Gen XPS mobo.  As far as the QX6700 offer, it depends on the price Dell offers it for.  If it is 25% higher than Newegg with a 25% discount, I still may get it if I can use 0% financing.  At this point, I would spend the same money at Dell because they have earned my business and trust.  If Dell's retail price is equal to the market price(NewEgg), than many more people are likely to upgrade to the QX6700 from Dell and it makes this offer that much more generous.  Time will tell on that.

Thanks again to Dell for listening to the customer and putting us before the bottom line.  This is very rare in today's world.  There will always be those that are never happy, but I believe you will see alot a people come back that may have swore off Dell in the past.  A special thaks to Neil, we have seen a much more timely response since you were put on this.  This tells me you understand how patient we were, but also how important a quick response is.  Thanks to Lionel and Chris, who were our main form of communication.  I have seen great strides here, but it is still the one area Dell needs to work on(timely communication).  Finally, thanks to Mike Dell.  I am so glad to see you back at the top.  I see that you see customers as important to the future of your company as the bottom line.  If you guys continue to listen to the ideas of your customers, you will see your company grow back to the leaders they once were.  Thanks Dell.

I'm glad Dell is finally doing the RIGHT thing here. While I am a bit disappointed that there isn't a better discount on the Quad Core CPU, I am glad Dell is providing the motherboard upgrade free to all XPS 700/710 customers. I can say that I am very excited to get the BIOS update and for the upcoming motherboard.

 Lionel, any way you can comment on which chipset the new motherboard will have?

Deadites:

you said:  Lionel, any way you can comment on which chipset the new motherboard will have? Unfortunately, no can't answer that question. Can't talk about unannounced products.

I see that Bob D asked:

I am wondering whether this is XPS 700 motherboard upgrade is ONLY available to those who come to the forum or blog?

Is Dell going to officially notify all the XPS 700 buyers/owners of this free upgrade (either by snail mail, email or phone call)?

I also see that Jim Parsons asked:

Is Dell going to be proactive and contact all customers who have purchased XPS 700's? How can I be sure that I am not overlooked?

Lionel, would you please answer these two posts for the rest of us?  Thanks in advance.

I was about to order a new XPS 710 H2C, but the comments here have left me somewhat confused/concerned. Is Dell about to upgrade the mobo to say a Nvidia 680, if so should I hold on the order until it does this, or will it offer such an upgrade if I order now? Incidentally I am in the UK, so does it apply to UK orders as well?

 
Thanks 

Lionel this is great news and will go a long way in restoring our confidence in Dell.  We will be holding out breath to see what you deliver.

The big question now is how are we going to be notified when the motherboard swapout / cpu deal are available?  Can you create somewhere we can register our interest and you send an email when its available? 

Chris (Dell XPS 700, Dell 30inch LCD, numerous Dell laptops)

UK

I'm Happy To See Dell Does Give a ****, but unlike others that got ther xps 700 as soon as it come out i got mines not too long ago (4 mots) so i was not that mad, but still i was mad. But What Made Me super mad, was seeing dell put the xps 410 on there gameing site and not the 700, o well sry to going on and on about nothing but I"m just so happy to see Dell steping up and fix what they say they was going to fix. Nice Work Dell.

ps. Lionel thxs for pushing this with Dell, Putting The Fire To Them lol.

""taylor775: You are right that the XPS 710 is based on the Dell implementation of the 590SLI chipset. The key difference is that your board accommodates quad-core processors. We had to make system-level board changes to the 710 based on Intel's revised guidelines.

Since the 710 supports quad-core, you have the option of upgrading to upcoming processors with your existing board. To upgrade, you'll need to purchase the next-gen motherboard""

 Lionel,

I know about quad core, but thats not the question I was asking.  My question was that I had orderd my computer last month via over the phone and was disclosed what kind of motherboard that was included in the computer.  I know the 710 over the internet was advertised correctly but if you order of the phone it's not.  Will some of the 710 customers that ordered over the phone get the free upgrade to the motherboard.  I am not considering and upgrades to quad core or anything else.

I honestly feel as a customer that we should be entitle to the same free upgrade to a current motherboard just as the 700 users.  I know there are ways to verify who ordered the computer over the phone.

Thanks for yourn time.

I have been trying for weeks to overclock my XPS 700 w/ Extreme 6800's. nTune tool will not work on the motherboard. If I am understanding this announcement, is that because the bios does not support overclocking the Extreme 6800's and that the new bios will fix the problem.  I have called XPS support many times and I have to tell you....none of them know anything about overclocking much less why mine was not working.  So is it me or the Bios?  Please let me know, I have spent many nights at this.  Thanks  Gene

Lionel,

Is there a supervisor I can contact regarding my complaint.

Lionel,

I'd like to ask three things. First of all, is Dell going to send emails to XPS700 owners when this motherboard exchange program kicks off, informing them about it? I most certainly would not want to miss this by forgetting to check this website for a week or two.

Secondly, Does this offer count for non-US customers as well? I currently live in the Netherlands and bought my XPS700 from dell.nl .

 Last but not least, what happens to our old core 2 duo processor if we choose the option with the 25% discount off the quad core processor. Is it possible to sell it back to Dell or something similar?

 Thanks in advance,

Alexandros Tzortzopoulos

WOW.  I'm in disbelief.  I guess I'll be skeptical until I have a new mobo in my XPS700, but if this goes through as suggested, this won't be my last Dell system. 

Will all XPS 700 customers get an email when the exchange program goes live? 

Lionel,

 Three items not addressed I'd like to know the status of:

 1. Many of us were offered $200 gift cards during the XPS 700 delay this summer and did not receive them.  (I am probably not the only one who would like to apply the card towards a processor upgrade).

2. Is their a software update or other solution to the lack of Hardware Dolby Digital support for the Dell Xi Fi sound card?

3. The front panel hardware is poorly designed.  The start button is misaligned and the plastic pieces are flimsy (I had the part that opens the floppy drive break off while opening it). 

Otherwise I do appreciate Dell's generosity and look forward to the upgrades soon.

Thanks,

David

WHAT A GREAT NEWS. I PRAISED YOU, DELL

 I purchased my XPS 700 through a promotion with coupon combined. Can I still apply that promotion and coupon toward quad-core processor instead of taking 25% off.

my current cpu is c2d E6300.. can i choose other cpu like E6600 or E6700 instead of quad-core in this program while still apply 25%off or my promo/coupon (whichever is best)....

Thank you Lionel for such a great news/update

If we swap motherboards, won't we have to buy a new copy of Windows?

I bought a "build your own" XPS 700, with an OEM version of Windows XP MCE.

Steven: No. Your hard drive will still have your original OS installed.
 

Lionel,

Could you elaborate as to when and where a XPS700 had/has to be purchased to qualify for this promotion?  The question has been raised on the forum as to whether or not a refurb XPS700 from Dell outlet qualifies.  I think this defeats the reason for the mobo swap since the misleading advertising ended with the launch of the XPS710.  I would appreciate you clearing this up.  Thanks again to everyone at Dell for generously taking care of your customers. 

Also, if you can elaborate as to what limits of EPP memory will be supported with a BIOS update I would appreciate it.  I am looking at purchasing some, but I need to know what speeds and voltage are supported.  Thanks

I bought my xps 700 from the dell outlet. Am I eligible for the free motherboard upgrade?

Can DCSE certified owners of the Dell XPS 700 systems receive just a mobo and install it themselves?

 I think this would save you a bit of money and make my life a bit easier.

Wow, I thought that would never come. First the Bios-Update in the next view weeks and later on this year the motherboard exchange.

How will the exchange procedure look like (in Germany)? Will the customer support call me, will I get an e-mail from Dell, or will I have to contact Dell?

Neil Hand VP worldwide marketing for Dell said later this year we will offer XPS 700 customers the option to exchange their original motherboard for Dells new XPS gaming motherboard. Mr Hand was very clear and concise in his statement. He did not make any conditions or caveats regarding this option, only condition was that you are an xps 700 customer of Dell. The question has since been asked by some if the XPS was purchased from Dell outlet would they be eligible for the motherboard exchange. Based on Mr Hand, since you are an XPS customer, of course you will be eligible, unless by some strange Dell rule, if you purchase an outlet computer you are not considered a Dell customer. If anyone from Dell does not agree with my view on what Mr Hand said, please advise me at the earliest possible date. 

 Thank You

Thanks!!!

But DDR 800 when? Next BIOS upgrade?

And thanks for "XPS 700 customers worldwide" please make sure XPS 700 customers in CHILE (Latin-America) have the chance too because when my XPS 700 become delayed no one call me for the proccesor upgrade.

Lionel, I purchased my XPS 710 Red March 01, 2007 and when it was purchased via telephone, I asked about previous upgrade issues (XPS 700).  The rep advised those issues were taken care of in the 710 and that faster memory would be no problem (800 mhz +). I was on hold while he checked prior to my purchase.  Well, now I have my system and have found out my motherboard is not able to handle the faster memory and that there are several limitations to my next gen MOB?  What exactly is being done to accommodate the new XPS 710 guys that are not so happy.  FYI, I have three dells all in my home and two at work.  They are all several years old but do the job, this was my first chance at a high end gaming computer.  Locally I could have bought the high end computer I wanted that was upgradeable (memory, MOB, ect) at about the same price.  The catch is it would have done what I wanted and I would be enjoying my new computer much more.  Please Help

Mike.

Mike: In the XPS 700 post, I referenced that an upcoming BIOS would enable several things, including support for SLI-ready Enhanced Performance Profile memory. There will be versions for both XPS 700 and 710 customers like yourself. Both will be ready for download by the end of the month.

As far as what we're doing for XPS 710 customers—we're providing you with an upgrade path to our next-gen motherboard for a fee. Later this year, XPS 710 customers will be able to purchase a parts bundle that includes the system board and necessary components. Pricing has not yet been determined.

Lionel, when I purchased my Dell Turbo, back in 1984, I was told over the phone that it would be upgradeable. It has the Intel 8088 (running at 8 MHz!) and I wanted to put a QX6700 in it. Will I be able get this mobo as well? After all, the rep said (over the phone) that it was upgradeable.

 Sorry for the sarcasm....I couldn't resist.

Thanks for doing the right thing Dell. After seeing all of the non-700 customers that suddenly feel like they also deserve a free mobo, I'm starting to understand why this resolution took so long. You will be looked upon as a much better company for it though.

Thanks Dell, I always had trust in you even during the recent Dell/customer mobo war. I'm glad to see you guys back up your products! no wonder they call me  Mr. Dell at work (long story). anyways, i have a couple of questions:

what type of processor upgrade choices will we have? will there be any new quad-core processor coming out at the end of the year? and will these new faster processor be a part of the upgrade choices?  I hope dell doesn't hold back the latest processors from the upgrade program?

as for the Mobo upgrade, do we get to keep our old mobo? just in case for any reason the new mobo don't work properly etc.  you never know....

well we be able to add the H2C system to the new mobo as well? 

Vista OS upgrade option, i've already used up my upgrade with my present mobo, will this create a problem when upgrading to the new mobo?

I'm sure there will be more questions, but in the meantime, the above are my queries for now.

rraallpphh13

XPS 700 X6800 Black Tower Raid0 80gb raptor 10k rpm 160 10k storage x1900

Good morning. 

I was just curious if there was an estimated timeframe on when the MOBO replacement program will start and how XPS 700 owners will be notified. 

Also, I was curious as to whether or not there is a date surrounding the release of the XPS 700 BIOS update.

If any one could post an update that would be greatly appreciated.

 Regards,

Matt

Bios Update

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen

I have one of the original XPS 700s and I just recently purchased (2) Nvidia 8800 graphics cards. Initially I was unable to get both to work properly even without SLI but since the bios update mentioned at the start of this thread I am now able to use both cards and enable SLI. However, whichever card is in the secondary graphics slot (I have tried swapping them) performs poorly. I have tried XP/XP64 Vista/Vista64 and it's all the same.

This motherboard exchange program. Will it be a 710 motherboard or something even newer... perhaps with the 680 Nvidia chipset instead of the 590 version?

Hi...

I was planning on purchasing an XPS 700 from the Dell Outlet.  I wanted to ensure thia would qualify for the Motherboard upgrade... I see numerous other people begging for an answer also...

Could you please confirm if this infact does qualify... Please let us know and thanks!

Hi Folks, I can't wait for the replacement.  I thought about the upgrade path, but without details, who knows.

I was one of the unlucky ones who ended up with an unbootable machine after installing the BIOS flash 1.4.  Not only that, I couldn't even boot into setup and trying to enter the boot sequence (F12) brought up the screen....all those great choices...one problem....highlight any choice and guess what (?).....screen/machine freeze.....no further activity.

Sweet part was, after all the rebooting to get this machine functional and calls to Level II at NVidia & Western Digital, the tech came out to fix the broken power button and I was able to do a "show and tell" to him.  He was astonished.  He didn't have to, but he called into service at Dell to go through the behaviors.  He wrote up a case to come out and do some RAID work, but that was weeks ago and I haven't heard from "y'all".  There it sits, my super expensive doorstop.

I think that making it right is NOBLE, but expediency seems to be at a new DEARTH.  I ordered my machine in June 2006.  I needed the dual 7950 GX2s, which were the ONLY one in the 7900 line with a check mark for HiDef video editing (I do recruiting video and general sports).  The tech couldn't get the cards working, so I faxed directly into CEO Jen-Suhn Huang's office at NVidia because I was getting keystroke macros "Contact Dell".  I got the call back and a floor liason showed my tech how to configure the cards (I have the whole email anthology in a PDF file book),  What does the tech do, sends it out with 7900 GTXs and says we'll figure a way to swap them later AGAINST my ABSOLUTE PROTEST.  I had to buy the cards myself to replace.  Dell reimbursed me kindly after 6 months of calls to explain.

Then, I used an NVidia applet only to see that I was getting a plethora of read/write errors with the WD3200KS drives and the video editing wasn't easy because of this.  Called Level II Western Digital only to hear the sharp tech tell me that using the KS versions of the drives in a RAID array was asking for a major malfunction because their error correction was WAY to slow for all that HiDef data rate,  He said the YS drives had superfast error correction, so I bought 4.  Of course, the restore disk isn't capable of configuring these drives (non-starter).

Had work backing up.  It's nearly a year since I ordered it.

Had PC Club build me a machine around the newer dual 8800 GTXs and a quad core CPU.  Everything else the same except the YS drives, which the 20 something year old KID new was the right drive to use when I started telling him my tale of pain.  It hauls bananas and I'm beginning to catch up on work.

I can always use another video editing station with the quantity of work.  But, EXPEDIENCY AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL needs to be a renewed UNIFYING PRINCIPLE AT DELL.

I am a customer for 15 years.  I got my medium sized company that I work with to use Dell in 1993.  The do to this day.  But, they know my story and your competition is breathing down your neck.  I want to go on being a Dell customer for a long time.  BUT TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK IN THE MIRROR,,,,,AND THEN....TAKE SWIFT ACTION,,,,,NO DANCING IN THE BREACH,  OK ?

Thanks,

TheDoctor

Mission Viejo, CA 

going for the first option, is DELL going to keep the older processor??

thanks

Hello,

 Is there a date set yet to swap out the motherboards for the XPS 700 ? 

Is there a possibility of getting a Core 2 instead of a Quad Core upgrade?  What would be the cost of a medium grade Core 2?

Regards,

Eva Bell
 

Hey Lionel,

 I think I mistakenly sent a PM to Chris M on the Dell forums about this. I was just wondering if there was a more consolidated information source about this exchange. There are over 600 posts on the forums and I basically scrolled to the end of this to get to this point. Thank you in advance for your time.

It's Earth Day April 22, a month of no information update from Dell's Direct2Dell original post, 622 Dell community motherboard replacement thread replies, and several seriously unhappy XPS  (read high $$$) customers that Dell and NVIDIA hope to placate with a PR announcement positioning this fiasco as a path for performance upgrades. 

Send the PR people to Austin and let them test this "solution" before we clutter the Earth with even more dud motherboards.

My nightmere started with my IT retirement gift to myself Sept 2005. I've worn out 2 RECs, 4 on/off power switches, 2 tech onsite calls just to open the XPS 700 case, hundreds of BSODs or mysterious freezes. The XPS 700 "Vista Compatible" is NOT! I can not listen to or RIP music (see Creative Labs Solution ID  24669 ->it's the CHIP SET, baby!!). Hundreds of dollars lost for cell phone overages and unuseable software. Did get Dell to get the hard drives to run in SATA gen 2 mode when the RPC realized the factory shipped the wrong 10K drives.

It is a "What IS" but Dell has mishandeled this fiasco and responded too, way too slowly; but, they have set our expectations high yet again. Now if I could just get some one at Dell to quit changing my customer #, canceling orders and correct its database as to what features are in my XPS 700 while I wait, I'd be a little more pleasant. Peace & harmony to all.

The 1.4 bios was released march 9th ??? Installed it in one, crashed the other. You guys pulled it and said you were going to fix it. It's been over a month, where's the fixed version?

Anybody?

jd

I am interested in the new motherboard and purchase of discounted parts.  Since I see no other place to sign up, I am placing this posting.

Also, I purchased my system from Dell as a refurbished machine.  I assume that this does not make any difference with regard to the offer as the refurbished machine.   I purchased with reliance on the same information as those who purchased new machines.

Thanks,

Dan

I am also posting my desire for the new motherboard with the discounted price on the processor.  WHEN WILL THIS ROLE OUT!!!!!!

OH and DELL THANKS FOR LISTENING!!!

Dan D....I'm in the same situation.  I purchased a refurbished XPS 700 and I'm interested in the motherboard and discount on a CPU.  I called customer service and they said refurbished XPS 700 are eligible for the program but had no information regarding a timeframe. 

North Bridge nVIDIA nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition (C19)

can someone tell me is this the new mother board or the old as i am running a core2 duo E6700 with a ATI1900xt and xtx crossfire sli

will i need the upgrade now as well, is this 1.6 gig of pound sterling not going to do what i wanted it, will i be loseing 50% power to one of my ati cards is this quad core ready

whats this mores law again

Has anyone anywere ever been able to run MS FSX with everything turned right up.

I went and got this pc xps C2D E6700 2 gig 677 Ati xtx and xt 1900 crossfire and its still bad framrates again

what does it take to get the thing to run smooth ... is this becouse of this motherboard problems dell have had to DEaLL with

Johny in London UK

Does the XPS 700 motherboard exchange program managers