Very disappointed with my XPS 710

Tom,

Sorry to hear your disappointed, but the specifications for your XPS 710 indicate that it only supports 533 or 667Mhz DDR2 memory modules.

Perhaps someone should tell Dell this - since using their memory selector and plugging my service tag in returns the following memory choices from the dell website...

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&category_id=4325&mfgpid=193417&chassisid=8247

This is the exact memory that I ordered the first time around that did not work.

-Tom Steele

I see what you mean.  Unfortunately this isn't the first time I've seen double standards from Dell.  The amount of max memory some systems can have is another.  Just for the heck of I also checked crucial.com for memory specs on an XPS 710 and they also come up with 800Mhz memory modules.  Your experience however says it all though.  One question, do you have the latest BIOS update?

I ordered the same 4GB memory kit from Dell, installed the memory, changed the BIOS setting from STD to SLI/EPP - system works just fine. I am running BIOS 1.41 which provides for the use of 800Mhz RAM. I hope this information is of use to someone.

***UPDATE*** After using my computer for a day or so, I am now having random reboots - seems to increase as I task the PC harder. So I ran MEMTEST and it failed about 13-15 minutes into the test (Block Moves, 64 moves) - six times in a row. I should have know better than to buy from DELL again, I've contacted CORSAIR and am waiting to hear back from them. - Bruce

That being said, I agree that my XPS 710 ownership will prevent me from ever owning another DELL. While the computer works it does it does so not in any exceptional way. A poor enough product that DELL produced a motherboard upgrade, then choose not to inform all of us owners that it was available - for a very short period of time.

Now you can't even buy the upgrade, the computer which was marketed to me as being "fully upgradeable",  isn't in the slightest, having been abandoned by DELL (BTX format no longer produced, can't buy parts). Great marketing guys, sell one computer - loose a customer for life, not to mention those I tell my story to.

I also am very disappointed in DELL,

Bruce Bowles

Bruce,

Did you use Ntune or a software solution to turn up the memory voltage, or did it just work in your system?  I tried both the Corsair memory and SuperTalent (more relaxed latencies) and neither of them worked.  If I enabled SLI/EPP they would boot to Windows, but they wouldn't last long - I got spontaneous reboots.

I am very much in agreement with you on the XPS 710 souring me towards Dell, not because of what happened - but because of how they handled it.

I'm sure they have people that buy $600 dollar systems from them every three years and irritating one of them may not be a big deal, but frustrating someone who plunked down $3,600 for a system isn't as smart.  Especially since we are likely to be the "computer friend" to many people who buy PC'.

I have ordered Dell Computers for friends through my account and had them pay me because they didn't know what to order.  The next time I do that for a friend, I'll order HP.  It isn't like the $600-800 systems are significantly different anyway.  I also won't recommend Dell to my friends who ask.  And when I do decide to upgrade my XPS, I will either build one from scratch or find another solution besides Dell or Alienware.

They could have offered me some nice upgrade or even a significantly discounted upgrade path to make me happy.  I had a 2.4 processor in mine, they could have offered a nice 2.93 processor at a good price and I might have felt like they cared.  But they offered nothing but a spec sheet showing me how I am an idiot for thinking 800Mhz RAM would work because that spec sheet says only 667Mhz max - even though they marketed this computer as upgradeable and they offer the 800Mhz RAM on their site for this computer.

I've directly ordered 10's of thousands of dollars worth of Dell computers in the past 10 years and been responsible for 10's of thousands of dollars more in purchases.  I won't be any longer.

Of course, I'm sure that is a drop in the bucket to a large company like Dell and I'm sure they are doing just fine, so they don't need to go to extra lengths to satisfy someone like me.

-Tom Steele

This is an example of Dell getting too big for their brithces. This experience is not unique as lately their documentation is not matching the true hardware specs.

My advice for high end pc users.....build your own. then you know exaclty what you get.

Tom,

I have updated my original post.

***UPDATE*** After using my computer for a day or so, I am now having random reboots - seems to increase as I task the PC harder. So I ran MEMTEST and it failed about 13-15 minutes into the test (Block Moves, 64 moves) - six times in a row. I should have known better than to buy from DELL again, I've contacted CORSAIR and am waiting to hear back from them. - Bruce

But to answer your question, no - the computer just seemed to work. Did my email, played on the internet, AVG ran it's system scan - ran from yesterday untill later this morning when I had a few programs open, then a reboot, then another.

I opened NVIDA's program (newer version of NTUNE) and the memory voltage showed as 1.85V, the memory as you know is rated at 1.80V, however after looking on COSAIR's web site I found that they showed the memory as tested at 1.90V, so I raised the voltage - no change.

I ran a windows version of a memory tester and the testing caused a reboot (twice), so I downloaded the latest version of MEMTEST with the above results.

Sorry for getting anyones hopes up, but I figured after close to 24 hrs of running, the computer was OK, should have known I was not that lucky, besides it's a DELL.

I'll try to pawn it off on my wife (her PC is old and needs to be replaced) and just build one for myself. When I bought this I knew I'd be married to DELL for future upgrades, but we were building a new house and I just didn't want to be bothered with putting a PC together - with the sales pitch on the system and how it would be no problem to upgrade in the future, it sounded good at the time.

Bruce

While i agree with some of your comments some are not entirely correct. The motherboard upgrade was NOT for a shoddy boad it was for misleading advertising on the XPS 700 and was offerd to 710 for a price so it was not free to the 710 owners.

Now for something for both of you to try. With ntune installed open up the advanced bios listing. In the advance bios section will be a some setting labled Spread Spectrum. What you need to do is set all of them to disabled.

This was discovered early on in the 700 which uses the same chipset. And was a cause of random lockup and crashes with the faster ram sticks.

The system will run 800mhz ram and will handle voltages up to 2.1 volts. You should only enable EPP/SLI if the memory is spec'd as being EPP/SLI certified as what this is doing in essence is overclocking the ram.

Dave,

Thanks for your suggestions.  Unfortunately for me, after blowing a fair amount of money (relative to what the RAM cost anyway) on shipping, I bailed on trying to get the 800Mhz memory to work.  After trying to get the 800Mhz memory to work based on Dell's memory selector program, I called and spoke with a Dell rep who told me that the 800Mhz RAM would not work on the computer.  So I finally sent it back.  She never did explain why it was sold by Dell as working, and clearly the BIOS recognizes it - I just couldn't keep my system running with it.

I never got around to trying different settings in Ntune's advanced BIOS.  I made the mistake of upgrading my video drivers to 181.22 (I think) and now Ntune (or at least the new version) doesn't work anyway.  I can't even get Nvidia's control panel to open right now.  That isn't Dell's fault though, I and if I rolled back drivers I could get back in I assume.  But since I sent the memory back I don't care right now anyway.

I have ordered a QX6800 to upgrade the processor though.  So I may need to get back to Ntune when it arrives, especially if I want to try running it at 3.2Ghz.  It is stamped as a 2.93Ghz chip, but being an extreme it should go over.  I understand the Dell BIOS will allow it to go to 3.46 but I've heard that runs the chips pretty hot.  I'll gladly take 3.2 if that is stable.  But I have 4Gb of 667Mhz RAM and I guess that I will be sticking with that.

You are absolutely right about the Dell MOBO upgrade program, but what you leave out are a couple of facts. 

1.  You can't even buy the upgrade now from everything I can tell;

2.  They did not make a real effort to get in touch with 710 owners and let them know of the offer.  I only found out about it recently (nearly 2 years after my original purchase) when the computer began to get a little aged and needed upgrading.  So basically I am out of luck because I bought a computer that was advertised as being upgradable and when I went to upgrade it I found that it is very limited what I can do and I missed Dell's solution to that because I had no clue that there was even a problem.

Dell basically has washed its hands of the 700/710 XPS systems.  They were late arriving, did not live up to expectations or advertisements and after a short period in which they made a token effort to fix some of the problems, now they are saying "tough luck."

So I am too.  As I said, this has really soured me on Dell products.  I don't need them in the future because clearly they don't stand behind their products.  There are other options out there.  It is particularly disappointing because Dell used to take special care of XPS customers.  I guess in this case it would cost too much to do the right thing and it is cheaper to alienate a few customers and hope most of the XPS customers never notice.

-Tom Steele

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Dave,

I’m sorry that if from my comments (“… A poor enough product that DELL produced a motherboard upgrade …”) you took it to mean that I was accusing DELL of selling a “shoddy board” in their system that was not my intent

And you are correct; it was free to 700 owners and carried a price of $250 to 710 owners. Again, for whatever the reason, the 700/710 was a poor enough product (all things inclusive) that DELL tried to pacify their complaining customers with the motherboard upgrade.

My XPS 710 is the first DELL I’ve ever owned (used them at work), so I cannot speak to the concerns raised by the 700 owners. My 710 worked and still does, so I would never expect any free upgrade from DELL.

 $250, I love to be able to get the motherboard upgrade for that price, Unfortunately DELL choose NOT to inform all the owners of the program when it was available. I didn’t find out about it until it was too late to take advantage of it, when I tried it was no longer available for purchase and continues not to be.

Then DELL decided to abandon the BTX format, so the chance of any future motherboard upgrades is out of the question, thereby completely negating their assurance when I purchased the 710 it would be upgradable.

DELLs apparent lack of concern for their customers is my problem with them, not so much their product. I’ll take responsibility for purchasing the computer, it was my decision. They failed to live up to their end of the bargain, so my only real recourse is not to deal with them, and to be sure that my friends know of my problem – hopefully sparing them similar circumstances.

Bruce

I only just learned of that upgrade program... today, through reading your posts!

In a sense, after seeing the troubles you went through, I'm glad I decided not to try to upgrade my 710... It's getting to the point where it needs it to keep up, but I've known for a while now that it'll be getting no upgrade, and that my next computer will not be a Dell (and I'm not recommending that anyone at all get one, for other reasons as well).

Seems building our own is going to have to be the way to go.

The BTX configuration was pushed by Intel and then dropped after a short period.  Dell is not the only PC company that used BTX for a short period.  I just repaired a Gateway desktop for a client and it too is a BTX style.  Gateway, from research used the BTX for about the same period as Dell.  HP also had some BTX models and maybe other PC vendors.

I have a Dimension E510 and it too is the BTX configuration.  Given the age of the E510 and the "old technology" BTX motherboard Intel chipset and hardware, which is not condusive to real upgrading, it's not going to be upgraded over what it is now and if it fails it's "history".   Any PC/hardware built in the timeframe of these model PC's is obsolete compared to current technology.