"For customers in the United States, that day has finally arrived!"

Well that part has me worried...is there any ETA or any plans at all to introduce the upgrade to other countries?  I'm in Australia myself and after spending $3500 on this thing and being massively disappointed when it struggled to run crysis on high I would hate for you guys to turn around and say we won't be getting this for 6 months or worse yet, not at all.  In 6 months time these 8700M's will be obsolete, it's bad enough they can't run recent games as it is, I'm stuck running Crysis with custom settings somewhere between medium and high on 1280x800 no AA or AF, Bioshock struggles on high settings, same with World In Conflict and I don't even dare trying to run anything in DirectX 10 or else I walk off to get a drink while the next frame renders.  My parents just bough a Dell laptop for my brother and the support for new customers is great but it would suck if existing customers just had to put up with what they get and worse yet if we were expected to pay another $4000 to upgrade a single part because Dell can't supply an upgrade that has been promised for a long time now.

Alright, now my whinging is out of the way I have a few genuine questions.  First, is it mandatory to have some sort of MediaDirect installed?  What i mean is if I have MediaDirect 3.3 can I just uninstall that, remove the drivers then get the 8800M GTX in?  Second question since it's not too clear, is the upgrade being offered for a single 8800M GTX or 2 in SLI?  If it's the former, is there any chance of getting 2 or is the space/heat/power too much of a problem?  And third, a previous post here mentioned the issue is with the drivers for MediaDirect and the 8800M GTX being incompatible, is this just the Dell drivers or is it a problem with the card itself?  Personally I use drivers with modded .inf's from LaptopVideo2Go and would be curious to know if using other drivers, not just the Dell ones, would possibly prevent having to reformat everything.  One more question which was brough up in the last post as well, will the new video card be covered under the existing warranty?  I've got at least 12 months left in mine and would like to know whether the card will get that warranty as well or if it will get a standard 'spare part' warranty for 3 months or whatever it is.

Well regardless of a few issues, this is still good news that the upgrade IS being done and promises aren't just a load of BS, as long as Dell can provide the upgrade to the rest of the world within due time rather than leaving the rest of us struggling along with our 'gaming beast' running games in barely-widescreen resolution with settings turned down

Daniel-

MediaDirect 3.5 isn't mandatory, but the media is included in the kit. MediaDirect won't function unless it is upgraded. The older version of MediaDirect isn't compatible with the drivers for the new card...

...and it's definitely a dual card. No ETA on release outside the US as of yet.

Also of note, Crysis runs problematically no matter which card you have. It's pretty much been the observation of the community (you should check my forums to see) that this game and several others (as you've noted) are pretty much coded for video hardware that doesn't exist yet. I'd be willing to bet AoC would give you the same performance issues you're having now :-(. I'm in the same boat, and I have an 8800GTX 768MB card.

John

Cool! Any news on when new official 8800m GTX Dell drivers will be released?

@John Blain

John, I am sure you realize how misleading the earlier statements regarding "upgrade program" were.  We, early adopters, understood that an upgrade program would allow us to purchase the card at a reasonable price reflecting our dedication and loyalty to Dell.  What we see here is a spare part offer with an inflated price tag.  

By the way, regarding that "stand-alone part for the slightly more adventurous", what kind of warranty does it come with?  Is the warranty going to be any different with an installation service?  Is the warranty going to match the laptop warranty or rather be a stand alone spare part warranty?

Oh, and hardly anyone really cares for MediaDirect as you must have red after the Jun.13th announcement.

@Paul-

I believe this card comes with a 90-day warranty, or the remaining warranty of the system, whichever is longer.

And for those who don’t care about MediaDirect, they’ll have an easier time with the upgrade ;-)

So you guys are actually expecting us to pay $1100 for a graphics card upgrade when we've already dropped probably around $5000 on this thing already?  If I had a spare $1100 for it and could spend that much money without thinking, I would do it, but unfortunately, MOST of America will not and do not have that ability!

So, $1100 for a new graphics card that will be obsolete in less than a year probably because NVIDIA, you (Dell) and whoever else responsible had to delay this upgrade program for almost 8 months...

Sounds like a great plan to me!  ... or not.

Maybe when you guys reconsider the price... maybe to $300 or less, I would even consider it.  DO REMEMBER that this exact card was supposed to be in my laptop in the first place.  The 8800M GTX was planned for this "beast" on release, you do know.  And now you're asking us to fork over 1/4 to 1/5 of what we paid ALREADY for something that was supposed to be in it already?  I don't think so.

Another point to make... I bet you my 8800 GTX 768MB in my desktop could come very close to or has the exact same performance this upgrade offers.  Oh wait sorry ... for how much?  $409 on NewEgg.com.

I do realize that we're talking about notebook parts here, they are more expensive, but please Dell... If you want ANYONE to even consider this upgrade program, lower your price like... ALOT.  I could buy a decent laptop from you guys for that much.  A WHOLE LAPTOP... and $1100 for ONE part?  Seriously, I had to click on the link to the page on your site a second time to see if it was the real price.

Thank you for reading my rants and disappointments.  Please be wise and consider them for the sake of keeping a die-hard Dell fan.

@ Andrew-

Sorry about the price, as I realize it isn’t cheap, but that's the low end of the going rate on this card. It's bleeding edge notebook graphics technology, and unfortunately isn't an inexpensive upgrade. A $300 price point for dual high performance video cards in a notebook form factor isn’t really possible. Two 8800GTX cards for a desktop would ring in at over $800. You get them on the same board, miniaturized for notebook implementation, and the price starts to climb even further. =(

John

Ouch...I thought there was going to be some sort of trade in discount or something when I bought this laptop. Watching the video on youtube and hearing that guy talking about a program...that's a little misleading in my opinion. Buying a replacement part at full price isn't necessarily a program, that's just normal, and an extremely high price at that. What can we do though, if we want the power we have no choice....which is why Dell can kill our wallets.

And what's media direct anyway.....

So the reward for early adoption is a $1000 price tag....

I see no "upgrade kit" - I see the option to buy a spare part, or buy a spare part + its installation.

I see nothing whatsoever that specifically links this "part" in terms of an "upgrade program" to the existing 8700 owner base, aside from the fact that the part fits our machine.

What an awful, awful attempt to badge a "spare part release" as an "upgrade program".

This is a real kick in the teeth for all the early adopters.

I hope you have a good supply of nomex overalls - something tells me you're going to need them.

Crispin.

I have another note to make!

Everyone at Dell should visit this link to NewEgg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001402&Description=gtx+280&name=EVGA

...okay... now tell me what you see!  BRAND NEW GeForce GTX 280s that put out double the performance an 8800GTX card does and then some... and they run around $650 (depending).  And you are still offering your little upgrade for $1100?

You guys are cracking me up!

Andrew-

The GTX280 benchmarks are somewhat higher than an 8800 Ultra, though not “double the performance”, as you say. The card this blog is about is a Dual SLI 8800m GTX, a dual graphics card for a notebook with arguably more power than the 8800 GTX or the 8800 Ultra, and is in a notebook form factor. These are apples and oranges we’re comparing here. I’m sorry you don’t agree with the price, but this was the price we were able to get it down to.

So yes, we’re still offering this card for $1100, and we had to pull some strings to get that on the table. I’m sorry that this isn’t what you hoped for, but this card retails for nowhere near the $300 price point you mentioned, and likewise retails nowhere near the retail of a single GTX280 for a desktop.

And another thing....if you are using your dell preferred account, you aren't allowed to use the gift card you received from your M1730 purchase to begin with.

So, it's not a program at all, contrary to what has been stated for the past 8 months or so AND the incentive of a gift card from your original purchase can only be used if you are paying cash or cc.

I won't even go into their memory prices (newegg has 4gb for $80).

So why did we purchase this laptop early? For the promise of an upgrade "program" and $200 off the price of the new 8800's using our gift card, at least those were my reasons.

Awesome Dell, thanks a ton.

This is the second brand new xps laptop I've purchased and in all honesty will probably be the last. It's also the first time I've been really really disappointed in Dell. Either they broke their original promise or were misleading us to sell machines, either way we got the short end of the stick.

O.K. DELL:

You did exactly what I projected you would do. So you deserve what you are going to get as a result - a bunch of previously loyal Dell early adopters who will do everything they can to spread the word on how your mistreat your early adopter customers.

May I say that whoever came up with this lame excuse for an upgrade program deserves to join the DELL personnel who have been laid off as a result of a burgeoning number of computer purchasers who no longer believe that DELL aligns itself with quality products, fair treatment and good customer service.

You should be ashamed of how you treated loyal clients for 8 months. We waited almost 8 months for an opportunity to buy a spare part that withheld from us until your inventory caught up to your demand. Well my demand for you, your products and your graphics card just ended.

@John Blain

Let be honest here. I think we would have accepted your "bleeding edge notebook graphics technology" rhetoric if it was presented in January (that's 6 months ago John). But to withhold the card from early adopters for 6 months so DELL could satisfy their other customers and then come up with that explanation is a transparently shallow.

Pilot-

This is currently the best graphics card available for a notebook. That isn’t rhetoric, it’s the truth. As far as notebook technology is concerned, this card is simply amazing, and I’m sure that the people who opt to purchase it will be very pleased with the results.

This is very unfortunate. With the margin that was built into the M1730, (I'm guessing at least 20-25% vs 3-5% on a normal unit) Dell should sub some of the cost of the upgrade. I think taking a little bit of a hit(still making money, no doubt) would be worth not alienating a user-base that's willing to drop $4k on a laptop. The 8800 GT's are available from other laptop vendors now, at a cheaper price. I think this was a very poor move. I think I'll put my money where my mouth is, eBay my unit, and buy directly from Dell's ODM. 

I guess, I'll be stuck with these 8700's until my next laptop...

..I've had Dell XPS laptops since the Gen2, it may be time for a change....

I never even upgraded my M170 due to the fact that Dell is still selling the Go7800 Ultra for $770.99 (stuck with the Go 6800 Ultra )

To add wood to the fire...

I ordered the Nvidia 8800m Part Number 320-6973 only to have the date revised a week later because its BACK ORDERED!! What?? How do you release an "upgrade program" (I wouldn't even call it that) and not anticipate people are going to order it?

Supposedly, after a long phone call today I will get it for sure next week. Of course dell has my $1100.00 (which they took out of my account within minutes!) and I have no way to assure I will get my card next week.

Get this,

I talk to Tech Support and they have 15 XM888 (Refurbished) 8800m's in stock. So I ask well how much is that card, thinking it was going to be less... I was quoted $2000!!!

So I am still boggled and wondering if the additional 1 week wait will only result in the cancellation of my order.

1 week down, 1 more to go

John Blain, Consumer & Gaming Liaison

As the "Liaison" between us and people like Louis Bruno - the Program Manager "responsible" for this ghastly decision, can you assure us that our comments are being passed to these "non customer facing" DELL employees for consideration? (for whatever "consideration" is worth...)

The sentiment from all the comments above (and those to come - I have no doubt) should be as clear to you as getting slapped in the face with a 20lb Salmon John.  It would be useful if you would acknowledge this....

The early adopters of the M1730 deserve not to have to pay $1000+ for this "part".

I wont even bother to mention upgrade program any more, because this offering, as everyone is consistently and repeatedly pointing out to you, is NOT an upgrade program, is it merely the release of the spare part for horrendously overpriced purchase.

Crispin.

Not much of an "upgrade" program if you ask me.  It appears to me to be a full price replacement part.  Heck your own cost to upgrade a new PC from dual 8700's to 8800's is only $700.  How about charging us $700 and taking back our old unwanted 8700's?  Now that would be an upgrade.  And eat the labor costs while you're at it for making us wait so long. 

Full price for a replacement part?  That's an upgrade program?  Heck I'd be more interested in paying the $700 difference you charge "NEW" customers for the same part upgrade from 8700 to 8800...and you can have my 8700's back.  Generate more goodwill by paying the labor for the tech as well, since you made us wait so long for essentially a non-deal. 

As it stands, I'll probably shop more vendors before settling on Dell again.

Why this upgrade isn't yet available outside the US?

Here in France, we haven't ANY upgrade for M1730 (even RAM or bluetooth modules...)

And with the weird change rate that dell apply between euros and dollar, I have already spent 5 963 dollars for this laptop here in france!!

For Dell 1euro = 1dollar, but in real life 1 euro = 1.5 dollar!!!

Please Dell stop acting like this or you will loose a lot of clients!

Come on!

No ETA for Australia!

That is pathetic!

@John Blain:

Can we address the subject of an UPGRADE program with some logic please.

When one currently desires to purchase one of your XPS M1730s, one is given the option to UPGRADE the graphics card to an 8800 SLI for an additional $700.00.

Now this scenario assumes that DELL wishes to receive $700.00 more than what it would make if the unit was equipped with an 8700 SLI graphics set-up.

For the life of me, can you please walk us through how DELL, who promised and publically notified us of a graphics UPGRADE program is attempting to get us to put out $1200+ for the same scenario described above.

Please follow me now, I know this is higher mathematics, but please follow me and please reply with an explanation of where I have make an error.

If DELL offered us the option to UPGRADE the graphics card to an 8800 SLI for an additional $700.00, wouln't this be the same courtesy they are extending to their current prospective customer base? Remember now that the current customer base is offed the 8800s as an UPGRADE from the base 8700 configuration. Please note the words in bold typeface are the same.

In this scenario, it is understood that DELL has already made their profit on the 8700s we were stuck with in the first place so the fact that we would be getting two SLI systems shouldn't really not be an issue. I think the general public would agree that  the 8700s are worthless anyway (why some even suggested that they were used to merely bridge demand until the 8800s -- which were the original design card for the "beast" -- became available). If you think the 8700s are really worth anything, we'll all be glad to send ours to M. DELL personally (or have the technician pick them up following successful installation).

I hope you will post this and that a reply is offered. I really haven't heard much applause from your program yet. Does DELL offer bonuses for programs that the consumers hate?

Thank you very much Dell. I guess I still wont be able to play AoC the way I would like to due the 8700 drivers. Could I ask you a few things? What do you mean by hardcore gamer? A person who is willing to pay any price for a product that should have been in our laptop from the start? Why where the 1730's relased with the 8700 cards anyways? Couldn't you hyst relase them when the 8800's were out? Please do not tell me that you didn't know they 1730 would ever have the 8800 cards. I would like a honest answer. Do you see us as suckers who you just want to bleed dry. Trust me you would make a larger sum of money if you sold the cards for $500-$750 bucks. Since with that you will be able to keep comstmers coming back for there other compter needs. But with this I doubt many people will come back to dell for there gaming needs.

Thank you very much dell you have lost one. I wonder how many others will follow.

@Chris

Well Chris, as you can tell, DELL lost me as well. Oh, I forgot, they lost my company as well, for DELL is no longer an authorized computer. Poor customer service and less than expected quality.  What a shame.

Dell.... i dont know what to say anymore...

I have a 3 year warranty... If I install this card myself, will the warranty stay at 3 years for my system as a whole?  I would really like clarification on this.  I asked this question before and it did not get posted.

James-

Installing the card yourself will NOT void your warranty. No worries. Your three-year warranty will still be valid after you do the installation.

Also, your new card will be covered under that warranty, as well.

@John Blain:

Would you please direct me to a Dell web page where I can get a reliable information regarding warranty dual 8800M GTX comes with?  Not that I am going to buy one now because this card must be nearing its life expectancy on the market anyways.  After all this months I will wait a little longer for a new crop of video cards and inevitable price reduction for existing ones.  I will reexamine my decision when the price tag is below $700 mark.

You might not be aware of this but there are rumors on various forums that self-installation of this card as offered by Dell would void the warranty.  And here is what you wrote earlier on this page as the answer to my question: "I believe this card comes with a 90-day warranty, or the remaining warranty of the system, whichever is longer".   With all due respect, this is not a religious debate and what you believe is irrelevant to the issue.  I need a very specific answer to this question since quite a number of dual 8800M GTX cards as reported by users has a serious heat problems and don't last very long.

Also, in case you would like to refer me to someone else as is a standard procedure at Dell, please note that relying on Dell Customer Care for the answer could lead to more misunderstandings since these people seem to be trained mainly in how to say "no" in 1000 ways to any simple question.  Provided, of course, they understand what the question is referring to in the first place.

Awhile ago I put in a suggestion for a single 8800MGTX upgrade for the M1730  it might be a wizard everyone to promote that item!

Bob

I'm in Australia and have 3 questions.

1. Firstly do we have an eta when this card will be available for us? and if not.

2. Can I order this card from the US and will it work on my M1730?

3.  How would this effect my warranty?

The whole situation is a real shame.

The point Dell seems to be happy to ignore is that at the price of the original laptop the gamers who were likely to buy are not just gamers. We make decisions regarding hardware for our employers, businesses and usually provide advice to friends and family with regard to hardware purchasing.

By upsetting loyal Dell customers with the exceptionally shoddy way of dealing with this issue Dell will not just loose the support of few hardcore gamers but all the business they refer as well.

It’s not just a case of lost sales but more importantly the seriously damaged public reputation of Dell, which had in my mind, until this fiasco been improving.  

Unfortunately it appears that customer service in this instance didn’t enter the picture as the push to sell more boxes was pushed to the fore.

Well I like many others who bought this laptop as an early adopter will take the view that Dell may no longer be trusted. It’s a shame that nowadays that also means Alienware is off the buyers list.

Goodbye Dell, keep this up and you won’t have any gamers, hardcore or otherwise, to sell to

@John Blain

I understand that you guys are doing what you can, and I appreciate the effort.  Just a couple questions:

Why is there no trade-up program in which you take back our existing cards?  Ideally for slightly more than the price of changing from 8700M SLI to 8800M SLI on a new build.  Unless you're taking losses on the new laptops, I don't see the reason for a $400+ difference in price between the upgrade on a new build and the upgrade kit for an existing system.

What is the value of the upgrade kit?  A few months back I talked to Dell replacement parts and was told I could purchase a new 8800M GTX SLI for $1000.  I decided to wait for the upgrade kit in hopes of a better price, hopefully some kind of trade-up program, but the kit is now available and costs even more than the replacement part did.  I'm sure there's an explanation beyond simply "bleeding edge notebook graphics technology."  I cannot think of such an explanation apart from something akin to cashing in on early adopters.

I don't know where you got that figure. On a new system, an upgrade from a single 8700 to this card is $1000, putting the value of the card around at least $1200 alone.

Needless to say, the price offering is at a discounted rate. When you consider that the only Dell machine this card can be installed in is the M1730, there's little doubt that this offering is aimed at existing M1730 owners. I've been told that these cards when sold from spare parts are considerably more expensive.

Dell,

This is unacceptable considering that many users paid upwards of $5,000 for this "beast" of a notebook. From day one, it was understood that the XPS M1730 was supposed to ship with dual 8800M GTs, NOT dual overclocked 8600s, 8700M GTs. Many customers loyal to the XPS brand purchased the XPS M1730 under the notion that the 8700s were a temporary option in light of 8800 availability issues. It's obvious from the beefy heatsinks and oversized power supply that the XPS was always intended to be used with dual 8800s.

That said, I waited for three months, and then an additonal two, to get my XPS with dual 8700s. The performance has been less than stellar considering that this thing cost approximately $6,000. It's hardly a "beast" at all, except for the price tag and level of frustration. I've always loved Dell, I've always purchased XPS, and many people who buy XPS are enthusiasts who know what they can get/build.

For that reason, charging $1,099.99 is a slap in the face, nay, a blow below the belt, to customers who have already dropped upwards of 5k on this thing. I hate to utter it, but I'd expect to get this sort of treatment from some low-tier OEM like Compaq or Toshiba, but not the likes of Dell.

What's really ironic is that this was supposed to be available around February when you first posted. Yes, you used the words "around the corner" in that post. I've rarely heard those words used to describe the span of multiple months without ANY news. Tack on a backhand to the slap in the face. You've mistreated the customers who mean the most, these are the enthusiasts who sell and recommend your computers to family, businesses large and small, enterprises, research labs, and finally their personal use.

I love spending two hours on the phone with your XPS reps, only to find out that they don't know about the upgrade program (this was a few months after you announced that the program was just around the corner), and then get quoted a whopping $2000 for the then "out of stock" XM888 part. Now, you've basically taken it down a bit, slapped it on your website (without even a photo, I mean, just amazing considering it costs $1100) and released it SO late in the game that it'll be obsolete as soon as I get it installed.

Great going Dell. Depreciate 8700 drivers (which were unstable BTW to begin with), neglect the early adopters who cared the most, and now slap them in the face with a ridiculious price and release date.

Thanks, but I can build a Geforce GTX 280-based system at this price. Next notebook I'll be getting will be something light and portable, and NOT a Dell. Heck, I already told a friend of mine who was considering the XPS M1530 to get a mbp, because at least they won't slap her in the face to upgrade something. Best of all, she did.

Thanks again. /sarcasm

John Blain,

I am curious on how this issue is any different from the XPS 700's that you shipped out with faulty mother boards?  Those of us that bought that machine were given the chance to upgrade the motherboards to a XPS 710 board at no cost.  You also gave a chance to purchase a better CPU at a huge discount and even sent a tech to install all the parts at no cost.

I am a Dell Tech myself and I work for a university that is a full Dell shop.  I must say in the past year I have been very disapointed with the full line up of computers from your company.  With the issues from of the 700's and now the kitten of all laptops the 1730.  I don't even recomend to our students they buy Dells.  Its is sad that a xps 1330 can out perform this 1730 I paid over 5k for.

I agree with the above posts that the upgrade should be reasonable.  Your company has done it in the past why not now?

On another note,  I think I found where all of our hard earned money went.

"Dell today reported record fiscal first quarter revenue of $16 billion, a 9 percent year-over-year increase, and earnings of $0.38 cents per share, a 12 percent increase. The results were driven by better-than-industry growth of commercial and consumer products and services, and lower operating expense as a percent of revenue."

Glad to be able to help the bottom line.

Let’s not forget that the part that is a supposed upgrade is BACKORDERED for 2 1/2 weeks now!! (could be longer but I did not see the product become available until it showed up on line 2 1/2 weeks ago)

Dell this is unacceptable! Not only do we have to pay $1099 but you don’t take into consideration that maybe some people may pay this ludicrous price (me) and actually want the product. I was hung up on 5 times today and when I finally did get someone on the phone to check status on my order "sorry sir our systems are down and we recommend you call back in 2 hours" I finally get a hold of someone and they tell me my order for the upgrade video card will be delayed AGAIN! It was suppose to be shipped tomorrow.

So I ask you this, WHY? Why do you wait 6 months to come out with an upgrade program only to have the product go back order?

I called an accessory company and they sell the stand alone video card for Sager (Same as ours, 8800m SLI GTX 1gig) for $700!!! They have 42 available!! Come on Dell... This is absolutely not acceptable.

Please resolve the issue of supply for the 8800m's

I will never ever buy another Dell computer again.  I wish I can send the XPS 1730 to Dell (even though it's way beyond 21 days) and get a credit on my Dell preferred account.

The reason why I want a return:

1.  Driver support is poor and I should not have to go and get "hack" drivers to make the system perform at acceptable levels.

2.  The computer is buy no measure a "beast" as advertised by Dell.  I though this computer would performed as advertised, however it has not.

3.  You "upgrade program" is nothing more than a slap in the face to earlier adopters of this computer.  I have spent $$$$$ and to advertise the upgraded card to 1,100 + is just insane. 

I'm not so technical, and i have some questions that hopefully can be answered here.

1.how much will this new card increase performance? (compared to my 8700gt's with a total of 512mb)

2.and is it worth it for the money?

thanks for the info guys.

ari

Might as well add my name to the list, Dell make it $700 and appologise ASAP.

Now for that X9000 upgrade...  Check THIS article peeps.

-Shea

Oh well, Guess everyone from dell ran away since they know they're wrong. It sucks $5.5k down the drain just like that. Last time I do something like that next time I will just make a super comp and forget about my silly idea of gaming anywhere.

Just wondering Dell do you  thinksits ok that you can get an 1730 with the upgraded cpu and 8800's for the same price as people payed for it with the 1730? Did you get a good laugh as you saw people buying them trusting your word? I think we have a right to know what you think about the people who bought the 1730 with 8700's?

@Chris:

Yes Chris, I noted the same absence of both Big Bad John and Lionel. They miust be recovering from the massive celebration M. Dell threw for the department following the successful introduction of their M1730 "Upgrade" (or is it downgrade?) Program.

This overpriced spare part program presented as the promised upgrade program is one for the ages isn't it? Unfortunately for many of us, it signals our farewell to DELL.

Pilot, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. If you're not willing to pay that much for the card, by all means, abstain.

The truth of the matter is that this stand alone part offering is below market value for this card, and the card can only really be used by M1730 customers. Comparing this dual mobile card to single desktop cards is confusing and misleading. They really can't be compared like other commentors are doing here.

Taking shots at me or Lionel doesn't really help your cause. We both fought to get it lowered to the price it is today, and fought tooth and nail, I might add. We and others went back and forth for weeks on this to get this offering on the table.

I'm sorry you're not happy with the offer. I wish there was more I could do, but unfortunately, that's not the case.

i like how Andrew Merskin  said BRAND NEW GeForce GTX 280s is only $650 but that only price for one card right. that card u buy from dell 8800 gtx is that dual sli  card?..lmfao

@John Blain

Sorry you were personally taken back by my comments on your absence from the forum. My comments regarding you and John were made to get you back into the discussion -- which I guess worked.

However, you are a liason and we want you to get involved in the discussion. I really don't think we're talking about a "cause" here. You should be receiving our comments as they are meant to be interpreted -- our response to your announcement.

Now, if you honestly believe that the overall response (not just me) to the upgrade program has been positive, then I might suggest another review of comments made by other people who have spent a rather large amount of money on the M1730 laptop only to experience a trailing edge laptop compute that has not performed to what was suggested in your marketing/sales materials. Further, you might consider the promises of an upgrade program might have lead many purchasers to expect somewhat of a better offering than DELL has presented.

I do notice that you are now referring to the announced upgrade program as the "stand alone part offering." Certainly a step in the right direction. At least we know we're not getting an upgrade program.

as rgunner notes the links are broken for both standalone and installation parts (as I write this of course).  I hope Dell's rethinking their pricing...though I really don't expect them to. 

I hope that the upgrade shows back up, I was going to pull the trigger on it today.

@ John Blain,

i think that all we are asking is for a little more respect from Dell.  Your company led us to believe that we could purchase a cutting edge laptop and when it was available we could upgrade "not purchase a spare part" the video card to what it was supposed to have in the first place.  I am one of the early purchasers that signed up for the option to buy the day it was available.  When speaking to the reps on the phone I was assured numerous times that I would be able to upgrade the video card to the m8800 as soon as it was available for a SMALL fee.  I see know all of you were just telling us what ever it took to get the sales.  It's too bad Dell has such a poor business model.

On the college campus I work for we have always bought Dell computers (300-400) a year.  I will do my best to now to make sure our purchasing dept. finds other options.   Not just because of this instance, but for the whole lack of quality and professionalism the past few years.  You promise one item and then at the last moment it is no longer available but you are eager to up sell the replacement.

It would be remarkably easy for Dell to give a special discount or rebate on the 8800M upgrade to those who purchased the M1730 BEFORE the 8800 was offered.  I am sure we would be happy to return our Dual 8700GTs in the box the 8800 came in.  At least Dell could recoop a tiny bit of the expense

Bob

I think the resounding sentiment of the commenters encompass the sheer frustration that many users have experienced in purchasing "the beast." After purchasing the XPS Gen 2 and now the XPS M1730m before the 8800GTX SLI upgradfe was available, I will honestly never purchase Dell again and will echo this feeling to all my friends and clients.

$1100???? What about the availability in Canada? What would be fair is $700. Not a penny more.

Why the part is to available anymore?

Is this blog still alive? What is status of 8800M SLI spare part?

This is as bad as the waitress bringing the Ketchup to the table after it has already been 25 minutes waiting on your food.  I think the "You can order the 8800 cards now" is just Dell bringing the ketchup to the table to make us think the food is on the way.  Of course I bet I will not see this card before they try to cancel the order again.

I think this is one for the Harvard Business Review. We can title it, The DELL Business Model -- Revisited!

This is not an 'upgrade program'. The failure to set the price point at the same level as simply opting for the 8800 cards at system build has ensured you've lost a customer.

What greed.

Well DELL, is this the old carrot on the end of a stick trick?

Don't you feel you owe it to your customers to get someone on the blog who can tell us what has happened to the "stand alone part offering?"

WOW! The appeal of the program keeps rolling along doesn't it?

@John Blain

Is this upgrade available in Canada? I've spent quite a bit of time on the phone with dell and nobody seems to know about it.

Still no word from DELL?

Well it looks like they must be spending their time talking with Nvidia about Nvidia's admitted problems with graphic cards prior to 8800s.

See link for info on Nvidia's admission of problem on July 2, 2008.

http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/17183/nvidia-cops-to-defect-in-notebook-gpus

Apparently there are some overheating problems. Now if we didn't use drivers outside of DELL's most recent (September, 2007) and we didn't monitor our fans and just left to the M1730 system, then I wonder what the temps woul;d be with the 8700s?

We may have a replacement program insead of a spare part program in the future.

But we sure could use some communication from DELL.........

Dell, from what i heard a few months ago the upgrade from 8700m GTX to 8800m GTX costed $700.00 USD. On your website,  I see the 8800m GTX for $1,099.99 USD. My question is when you first offered the upgrade it was a simple " trade in my old 8700m GT for a 8800m GTX for $700.00 USD. "

Now I am wondering, is the trade in still availible for $700.00 USD or do we have to buy the 8800m GTX for $1,099.99 USD or is it that horrible that we have to TRADE IN our 8700m GTX and PAY another $1099.99 USD for the card? I hope not.

Hopefully you will respond to this because if you are still doing the $700,00 USD with the 8700m GT trade in, I still find it buyable because who needs an 8700m GT laying around when they have a 8800m GTX in their XPS m1730?

Huang-

No, this is not a "trade in". This is an upgrade option, just like you would upgrade a desktop's video card.

The $700 price point is the difference between the 8700 and the 8800m at point of system purchase. Those customers never receive the 8700, so it's a different process and price altogether.

So basically if I purchase the  upgrade on the dell website I will have an extra 8700m GT laying around at home?

Also as Pilot44 stated above that Nvidia has announced that they sent out many graphics cards with overheating problems. Can Dell ensure the ones they sell for $1099.99 USD on their upgrade/part website will not have the overheating issue?

Huang-

Yes, you will keep your existing video card. You could either keep it as a spare, or potentially sell it to someone who has a graphics card failure out of warranty.

About the overheating, if you notice any problems, the card comes with a 1 year warranty, or adopts the warranty remaining on the system, whichever is longer. You can have the card replaced within that time if a problem develops.

if i own a m1730 bought in singapore, and i purchase this card and install it myself. will it be competible as well? i've been waiting for this upgrade...

Yes, Marcus. Your system purchased in Singapore will be compatible with this card.

When is this upgrade option going to become available in the UK?

>>No, this is not a "trade in". This is an upgrade option, just like you would upgrade a desktop's video card.<<

However, it should be a trade-in for those of us who did NOT have a choice when we purchased the system.  We all know that the leftover Dual 8700s that we replaced are of no use to the us.  There is no one who will buy them at least Dell could render them for their components or metal and sell that.  Please remember that we would have willingly selected the 8800M if we could have and that we were told an upgrade path would be available. 

Perhaps if Dell gave us the option to purchase ones that only had one working video chip then we could both be happy.  Dell would have an outlet for otherwise unusable parts and we would still have our 8800m at a resonable price.  After all one 8800m is better than  2 8700GTs.

Bob

Any ETA on this reaching Canada?   I don't like to ask, but finding the upgrade on the Dell.com in the US is hard enough without going through this blog for the link, so even if it were to show up I'd probably never find it.

John,

I understand everything you have done for us Dell customers and would just like to thank you for replying on here.  A lot of people are angry with you because of the price but I completely understand.  Thank you for being honest.

Dave from Toronto (PS When in Canada?)

Well i am not going to cry about the price i think its worth the money as long as it delivers the power but..... the only question i do have is when this upgrade option will be introduced to ather countries like Czech Republick and if there is no eta on that when will we know , and why isnt it on high  priority couse i believe we deserve same treatment as any ather dell costumer and we did pay same or higher prices for that machine.

Well I don't know when it will reach the rest of the world.  I know I have had an order in since 6/17/2008 and it still has not shipped.  Dell has my money but I am still empty-handed.  Go figure.

This is the first time I have heard of Vaporware used to describe hardware.  Put on delay again.

I ordered a card on 6/17 and is there a realistic ETA on when these cards will be available for shipping instead of a (seemingly) automated script that adjusts the ETA by 1 week every week? Even if it's end of September, would just like to know. Thanks.

Thanks Dell.  Next time I'm buying Sager.

@John Blain:

John, could you please address the growing issue of defective Nvidia 8700 (and other) graphic cards and chips and how this will affect the upgrade/spare part offering from DELL.

I make reference to the following:

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/09/nvidia-g84-g86-bad

This article states that 8700s are potentially defective. Now we're not in an upgrade/spare parts issue, but a bona fide repacement environment. WHAT IS DELL'S POSITION. You answer hard questions such as when will Singapore be offered the program. Now we want you to answer the question, "What is DELL's position on REPLACEMENT OF OUR 8700 CARDS (that are potentially defective) with 8800 cards. The costs shoudl now be FREE.

Pilot44,

There is too much speculation in that article, but I wouldn't be suprised if it was all truth. After all I did have my GPUs replaced on my m1730 three times in less than half a year. If that's the case then the free upgrade is definitely in order and Dell could bill Nvidia for that.

John,

say something, it's been more than a week since I posted my question on ETA in the UK.

Alexei,

I concur with your point that the article is speculative. I am however, disappointed that John is not addressing issues that could clear up the confusion and soothe frayed nerves.

Has anyone use Dell Customer Service and received good results?!

I have had the most dreadful experience with Technical support.  I have spent hours from February 2008 to July 2008 trying to get a new laptop fixed with no avail. 

I need assistance with this or I am taking legal advice as well as take it to media.

@John Blain:

As David L pointed out in post (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/06/17/a-beast-of-a-card-for-a-beast-of-a-laptop.aspx#89961) I think you have done a stand up job sticking it out in the thread and trying to explain whats going on. 

As a 8800m owner, I'd like to ask, when will see an updated driver?  I think most people purchasing the 8800m to replace their 8700m would like to see an up to date driver as well.  Having to go to a hacked driver website is rediculous. 

I would like to see Dell update this driver and provide timely future updates as they are released. 

Several times I have heard the response from XPS Support that driver releases are determined by NVIDIA releasing a driver to Dell for testing. 

The Quadro in the M6300 is up to 174.75.  I think an update to the 8800m and 8700m cards is in order.

Thanks for looking into this!

@ laurel

Yes, I had a good experience with Technical Support.  I don't know where you are located but I dealt a few times with Technical Support people in Kanata, Ontario.  They were always very professional and very helpful.  For example a graphic card (refurbished) has been sent to a remote village in Michigan and I had it in my laptop in less than 24 hours from the time I made a phone call.  It would be hard to do better.

But I had a horrible time with Customer Care, regardless of where they were located.  I bought this laptop with 2-year warranty but in the specs it stated it had only 1-year.  I noticed it a few days later, didn't have time to call though since it usually takes more than a few minutes to go through all the hoops.  Finally I talked to the Senior Sales Associate who sold me the computer, he remembered the case well and sent internal email to rectify it with a copy to me.  Well, Customer Care people decided that the purchase specification was the binding one and did not allow that second year of warranty.  They made a liar of their own senior guy and me, a customer.

Btw, I am not sure if this will be posted so I am making a copy for future reference.  My last message was not posted.  No reason given.

 I am from Puerto Rico and also purchased the M1730 recently with 8700's thinking it would be just as what DELL marketed it to be, A BEAST of gaming. Nope, not at all. I am INCREDIBLY disappointed. And I have been a DELL fan ever since my first DELL Desktop lasted me more than 5 years with nothing going wrong; i just simply retired it.. Before the m1730 disaster of a buy that I commited, I wouldnt have thought in any other company when buying a computer. Next time it will be very hard to think about DELL first after the lack of trust that this company has created on me. I simply cant trust your products or you guys on anything anymore. And not only was I a DELL fan, I was a dell advocate, I told everyone to get DELLS.. My family members, my friends, EVERYONE that talked about computers I would always say that I was a proud DELL owner and wouldnt have it any other way; not anymore.

Dell, I think you need someone to take you to business class again and teach you the basics. DELL should take SOME KIND of hit $$$ wise in order to please the costumers because after all we did take a very high $$$ hit ourselves. I think DELL gains more taking some kind of loss by dropping the price to $700 by regaining the faith of many of its costumers, costumers that are usually enthusiasts that are some of the most valuable to a computer company. Its as simple as that, is it better for dell to actually make a profit out of this debacle and have people sick and tired of dell or is it better to take a loss and please your costumers so that they will come back in the future? Or, is DELL thinking that their mistake was so monumental that they probably wont be getting those costumers back so might as well squeeze another 1000 out before they leave? DELL is really spurring very reputation damaging questions amongst their costumers. This is the kind of stuff you should avoid at all cost because it ends up hurting you more than taking a little $$ loss.

@ laurel

I had a good experience with Dell Technical Support. They are very good as long as you are asking the right questions and their ability to send an engineer to fix your computer within 24 hours (at least here in the UK) is quite impressive. There is however a huge quality gap between call centres you're redirected to with Scotland and Canada being my favourite.

 I think DELL is asking of its costumers to do something they are not willing to do: to have complete disregard for money. Why do we have to pay $1,100 more for this and yet DELL cant give us some kind of substantial discount? We have already handed out multiple thousands of dollars for this system which simply does not fulfill what DELL tricked us into beleiving when we purchased it. It is DELL who should be asking for forgiveness and doing some kind of deal to repair its reputation amongst these disgrunted costumers? Dell, take a loss and show that you really care for gods sake. Every move you move to try to fix what you did ends up making it worse.

I for one will NOT purchase this upgrade until its cheaper. Show some kind of responsibilty for your mistakes DELL.

-Alejandro

   On some positive notes; because even though my posts reflect that I am very mad, which I am, there is still some positive to see: I am very glad to hear that DELL decided to include the 8800's into one's warranty plan if we ever did this "upgrade". I think that is a very good move in the right direction to ensure that your costumers regain some love for DELL. I for one would never even consider buying this upgrade if my warranty didnt cover it fully. I always purchase 4years warranty and I do not want to have any part in my computer that is not covered for those four years as well. It is a liability that DELL could easily take advantage of and just point to the video card whenever something bad happened to the comp. Its just something I do not want to get into. So kudos to DELL for that. In addition, I think its a step forward to actually decide on selling these over the net for us unfortunate costumers who purchased the computer with 8700's. Now, if you would only work on the pricing! ><

Again, I aint buying them till I see a significant price reduction. Im talking about $400-500 taken off that thing.