From what i've seen in another post, the card is an MSI card that has the same functionality as the Founder's Edition meaning same speed, cores, etc. The only thing I can think of as to why they did this is because they ran out of FE cards.
However, I've seen the MSI Aero GTX 1080 and they're marked as such on the side in white lettering against a black plastic casing. Mine's just plain black with no visible lettering. Moreover, I've failed to identify the manufacturer in spite of running multiple diagnostic checks.
Also, I don't understand why a simple call to Dell, citing my machine's identification number, hasn't yielded a conclusive answer on what precisely has been installed in my machine.
There's a program you can use to check. You can also click on the hidden icons on the task bar lower right, right click on the Nvidia control panel icon and access the info from there, but I think CPU-Z can also give you detailed information on not only the CPU but the GPU as well.
It's been a week now and I've yet to hear back from Dell Technical Support. It truly beggars belief ... they have my desktop's service tag and have yet to furnish a response re: the make, model, manufacture and specs of my Aurora R5 desktop.
Unbranded card, cheap black plastic casing, no LEDs, no GeForce lettering.
Yes, it may well be an MSI Aero GTX 1080, but most definitely an aftermarket version built on a strict budget and the express intent of minimising costs via the utilization of cheap materials (i.e. as far as the case assembly is concerned in any event).
Have used several PC diagnostic tools and none have been successful in identifying the card.
Any luck on getting a response from Dell? I was told they got lots of complaints and they were going to fix it right away and send me another machine with the FE Card. They in fact sent me another nachibe with the exact same card! This thing will have no resale value, anyone looking at it will surely laugh and move on. I have no response from Dell either on what is going on, support is a joke with them just transferrimg you back and forth tilll they close, at which point they hang up! There are more and more with this issue slowly adding to the forums. Apparently the VP responded to Aaerox saying he will send the correct card for 'him'..... the rest ?
After multiple exchanges with Dell, including escalation of the matter to an ANZ (Australia/New Zealand) 'Customer Care Specialist', I was advised that Alienware's Malaysian factory no longer stocked the GTX 1070/1080 Founder's Edition video cards (inc. alternative 'branded' units). Should a customer opt for a GTX 1070/1080 they'd instead receive a generic, unbranded OEM card encased in cheap black plastic which allegedly has the same performance as its FE counterpart. Admittedly, however, its shroud doesn't have the same build quality.
No word on cooling properties.
I was offered a full refund with no restocking/shipping fees attached. Whilst this an acceptable outcome, it came too late in the game for me to care. Simply put, it's now over 2 weeks out, I've been working long hours over the holidays (inc. a trip abroad) and can't exactly afford to be without a home desktop pc in the lead up to the New Year.
Consequentially, and much to my own shame and disappointment, I've decided to keep the Aurora R5 against my own better judgment. Yes, I could get a new desktop but, being in Australia, branded PCs are exorbitantly priced if purchased from both online/physical storefronts and - to exacerbate matters - I've missed the brief window of opportunity that would've been provided via early bird Christmas/Boxing Day specials.
Definitely a lesson learnt for me ...
As for Alienware, the Aurora R5 received numerous accolades following its release and if tested, I could pen an entire business/marketing analysis on the sheer cynicism both warranted and justified re: the veracity of these accolades. Suffice it to say that it does not present well to prospective customers when marketing/promotional material (TV, print, magazine, trade/tech/gaming stalls) present one version of a product and the company itself another upon delivery to the customer.
Moreover, sales personnel would do well in not being coy re: the components to be installed in a given system, including the make/model/manufacture of key components like high-end graphics cards.
If so, the customer has a reasonable expectation (ie effectively a right under the doctrine of reasonable expectations in contract law) of having a system delivered as represented by company officers and staff. It WON'T suffice for Dell to simply point out a shipping order and/or invoice that merely says "nVidia GTX 1080" as such terms are so generic as to be near meaningless (i.e. there exist multiple makes, models and variations of the same). If a customer asks that you conclusively and definitively identify a component such that it can be recognised, DO SO and don't make vague statements like "It'll be as advertised."
Your ads, commercials, graphical representations ALL show branded GTX 1070/1080 cards. However, and very conveniently, there exists no written confirmation of the same - just the convenient generic term "NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5". When aggrieved, distraught and confused customers are then asked to refer to their shipping orders/invoices, a rather haughty "GOTCHA" eventuates on the part of Dell in arguing no contractual liability to deliver an FE card etc. Dell would do well in reading up on the case law re: customers having 'reasonable expectations'.
Yeah ... I should have taken the full refund but following multiple lengthy exchanges with Dell over some 1.5 weeks - online chats, emails, phone calls, Facebook posts etc - I just can't be fornicated to proceed with a full refund but will do all in my power to educate others on consumer rights laws and the age old adage of Buyer Beware. A lot of lost time, lost effort, important work foregone and a tremendous headache to show for it.
I spoke with Dell support on many occasions to try to clarify what has happened here. I've said before, they just transfer you back and forth between depts. I can't believe they get away with a support depth assigned to give you the run around until you give up. I don't know how you spoke to a supervisor, I was told that there are no Supervisors or Managers at any of their support centers. They told me they just come to work and there's nobody there to answer to. Another support tech told me that I am being transferred and hung up on because nobody in support has to answer to anyone, and they are left to do whatever they link, just need to make sure customers do not get any chance to get resolutions...Arena will either keep what was given, or return it.
Also, they are told to xfer calls for issues that require resolution which could possible cost Dell any funds. So, asking about a video card which I should have had, constitutes a possible loss of revenue through supporting the issue, so they just hang up or xfer you. Nice. Thanks Dell.
Aaerox apparently got his FE card by tweeting to Frank Azar (VP at Dell)...but since this happened, I haven't heard back from him. Hope he didn't just take his luck and run with it :)
The same thing happened back when the product was new, they advertised it as coming with liquid cooling all throughout the line. In big letters too, on every single advert space on the site map.
However when mine arrived with a fan I was super upset. Support were useless, telling me that I could buy the part for 70 quid, but couldn't send it to me for fitting. I had to get an engy to come out for another 05 pounds on top. I naturally told them to go pound sand. But lesson learned. Last dell purchase for me.
Eventually I saw there was a sticky as an "announcement " on this forum to tell us that we are all reading the adverts wrong.
TS suggested mi to flash the bios and yes it worked, after flashing the BIOS (which you can using a tool DELL provides) I was able to set my processor to 4.2 Ghz and above. At the moment I'm playing with speeds to find a stable Overclock. With regards to the GTX FE the TS told me that I was not charged for the FE so I received an OEM, so I replied that the front end purchasing site and further order confirmation emails where lying about what I have purchased. And without stating it TS agreed. So I'm going to my Sales rep to see what I can do.
beamermt79
4 Operator
•
2.3K Posts
0
December 16th, 2016 16:00
From what i've seen in another post, the card is an MSI card that has the same functionality as the Founder's Edition meaning same speed, cores, etc. The only thing I can think of as to why they did this is because they ran out of FE cards.
GabKnitu
6 Posts
0
December 16th, 2016 17:00
BeamerMT79,
Thanks mate, that's a reassuring thought.
However, I've seen the MSI Aero GTX 1080 and they're marked as such on the side in white lettering against a black plastic casing. Mine's just plain black with no visible lettering. Moreover, I've failed to identify the manufacturer in spite of running multiple diagnostic checks.
Also, I don't understand why a simple call to Dell, citing my machine's identification number, hasn't yielded a conclusive answer on what precisely has been installed in my machine.
Cheers,
G.K.
beamermt79
4 Operator
•
2.3K Posts
0
December 16th, 2016 18:00
There's a program you can use to check. You can also click on the hidden icons on the task bar lower right, right click on the Nvidia control panel icon and access the info from there, but I think CPU-Z can also give you detailed information on not only the CPU but the GPU as well.
GabKnitu
6 Posts
0
December 19th, 2016 21:00
It's been a week now and I've yet to hear back from Dell Technical Support. It truly beggars belief ... they have my desktop's service tag and have yet to furnish a response re: the make, model, manufacture and specs of my Aurora R5 desktop.
Unbranded card, cheap black plastic casing, no LEDs, no GeForce lettering.
Yes, it may well be an MSI Aero GTX 1080, but most definitely an aftermarket version built on a strict budget and the express intent of minimising costs via the utilization of cheap materials (i.e. as far as the case assembly is concerned in any event).
Have used several PC diagnostic tools and none have been successful in identifying the card.
G.K.
Ryye
25 Posts
0
December 26th, 2016 03:00
Any luck on getting a response from Dell? I was told they got lots of complaints and they were going to fix it right away and send me another machine with the FE Card. They in fact sent me another nachibe with the exact same card! This thing will have no resale value, anyone looking at it will surely laugh and move on. I have no response from Dell either on what is going on, support is a joke with them just transferrimg you back and forth tilll they close, at which point they hang up! There are more and more with this issue slowly adding to the forums. Apparently the VP responded to Aaerox saying he will send the correct card for 'him'..... the rest ?
GabKnitu
6 Posts
4
December 30th, 2016 02:00
G'Day Ryye,
After multiple exchanges with Dell, including escalation of the matter to an ANZ (Australia/New Zealand) 'Customer Care Specialist', I was advised that Alienware's Malaysian factory no longer stocked the GTX 1070/1080 Founder's Edition video cards (inc. alternative 'branded' units). Should a customer opt for a GTX 1070/1080 they'd instead receive a generic, unbranded OEM card encased in cheap black plastic which allegedly has the same performance as its FE counterpart. Admittedly, however, its shroud doesn't have the same build quality.
No word on cooling properties.
I was offered a full refund with no restocking/shipping fees attached. Whilst this an acceptable outcome, it came too late in the game for me to care. Simply put, it's now over 2 weeks out, I've been working long hours over the holidays (inc. a trip abroad) and can't exactly afford to be without a home desktop pc in the lead up to the New Year.
Consequentially, and much to my own shame and disappointment, I've decided to keep the Aurora R5 against my own better judgment. Yes, I could get a new desktop but, being in Australia, branded PCs are exorbitantly priced if purchased from both online/physical storefronts and - to exacerbate matters - I've missed the brief window of opportunity that would've been provided via early bird Christmas/Boxing Day specials.
Definitely a lesson learnt for me ...
As for Alienware, the Aurora R5 received numerous accolades following its release and if tested, I could pen an entire business/marketing analysis on the sheer cynicism both warranted and justified re: the veracity of these accolades. Suffice it to say that it does not present well to prospective customers when marketing/promotional material (TV, print, magazine, trade/tech/gaming stalls) present one version of a product and the company itself another upon delivery to the customer.
Moreover, sales personnel would do well in not being coy re: the components to be installed in a given system, including the make/model/manufacture of key components like high-end graphics cards.
If so, the customer has a reasonable expectation (ie effectively a right under the doctrine of reasonable expectations in contract law) of having a system delivered as represented by company officers and staff. It WON'T suffice for Dell to simply point out a shipping order and/or invoice that merely says "nVidia GTX 1080" as such terms are so generic as to be near meaningless (i.e. there exist multiple makes, models and variations of the same). If a customer asks that you conclusively and definitively identify a component such that it can be recognised, DO SO and don't make vague statements like "It'll be as advertised."
Your ads, commercials, graphical representations ALL show branded GTX 1070/1080 cards. However, and very conveniently, there exists no written confirmation of the same - just the convenient generic term "NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5". When aggrieved, distraught and confused customers are then asked to refer to their shipping orders/invoices, a rather haughty "GOTCHA" eventuates on the part of Dell in arguing no contractual liability to deliver an FE card etc. Dell would do well in reading up on the case law re: customers having 'reasonable expectations'.
Yeah ... I should have taken the full refund but following multiple lengthy exchanges with Dell over some 1.5 weeks - online chats, emails, phone calls, Facebook posts etc - I just can't be fornicated to proceed with a full refund but will do all in my power to educate others on consumer rights laws and the age old adage of Buyer Beware. A lot of lost time, lost effort, important work foregone and a tremendous headache to show for it.
So yeah ... Congratulations Dell.
Hope you fare better Ryye.
Cheers,
G.K.
Ryye
25 Posts
0
January 1st, 2017 04:00
I spoke with Dell support on many occasions to try to clarify what has happened here. I've said before, they just transfer you back and forth between depts. I can't believe they get away with a support depth assigned to give you the run around until you give up. I don't know how you spoke to a supervisor, I was told that there are no Supervisors or Managers at any of their support centers. They told me they just come to work and there's nobody there to answer to. Another support tech told me that I am being transferred and hung up on because nobody in support has to answer to anyone, and they are left to do whatever they link, just need to make sure customers do not get any chance to get resolutions...Arena will either keep what was given, or return it.
Also, they are told to xfer calls for issues that require resolution which could possible cost Dell any funds. So, asking about a video card which I should have had, constitutes a possible loss of revenue through supporting the issue, so they just hang up or xfer you. Nice. Thanks Dell.
Aaerox apparently got his FE card by tweeting to Frank Azar (VP at Dell)...but since this happened, I haven't heard back from him. Hope he didn't just take his luck and run with it :)
Kitsune1990
9 Posts
0
January 1st, 2017 08:00
The same thing happened back when the product was new, they advertised it as coming with liquid cooling all throughout the line. In big letters too, on every single advert space on the site map.
However when mine arrived with a fan I was super upset. Support were useless, telling me that I could buy the part for 70 quid, but couldn't send it to me for fitting. I had to get an engy to come out for another 05 pounds on top. I naturally told them to go pound sand. But lesson learned. Last dell purchase for me.
Eventually I saw there was a sticky as an "announcement " on this forum to tell us that we are all reading the adverts wrong.
benalvarez
3 Posts
0
January 3rd, 2017 12:00
Hi all! Got the same prblm with the GTX 1080 not-FE and 4.00 Ghz readings on the CPU that was supposed to be OC'd to 4.2 Ghz.
Looping through Tech Support calls and chats I was asked to contact my sales rep. but no word from him either.
benalvarez
3 Posts
0
January 4th, 2017 13:00
TS suggested mi to flash the bios and yes it worked, after flashing the BIOS (which you can using a tool DELL provides) I was able to set my processor to 4.2 Ghz and above. At the moment I'm playing with speeds to find a stable Overclock. With regards to the GTX FE the TS told me that I was not charged for the FE so I received an OEM, so I replied that the front end purchasing site and further order confirmation emails where lying about what I have purchased. And without stating it TS agreed. So I'm going to my Sales rep to see what I can do.