Will Dell eventually replace the 650i motherboards on the XPS 630?

My 630i came with 2 nvidia 8800gt's but all of the nvidia drivers that I tried were truly horrible, I replaced them with one HD4870 and the system is far more stable and seems faster overall, however the card will only run at x8.

 

While the performance difference is not huge between x16 and x8 I feel that the motherboard is deliberately and pointlessly crippled, I can't get maximum performance out of the machine unless I want to go with a better motherboard.

 

I don't understand why dell crippled this board to only run at x8, couldn't they just send a bios update to fix it so it runs at x16 like any other 650i chipset?

MaverickmanTP,

I know that there are valid complaints of false advertising by Dell regarding the specifications of this motherboard.
* I disagree. The sales page was very clear in stating you would get two PCI Express x16 Expansion slots. It never stated how many PCI Express lanes were connected in those slots. That data is presented in teh User Manual specifications.

Dell would hopefully be inclined to replace the 650i on its customers XPS 630 system with a real motherboard like the 750i which offers two x16 PCI-E slots.
* Nope. There will not be an XPS 630 Motherboard swap.

There are some posts claiming that Dell has already done this on some of the newer XPS 630 systems with a 9800 GX2 video card.
* That is incorrect. Concerning the two XPS 630s that are showing the 750i chipset in CPU-Z. The chipset ID is the same between the 650i and 750i. One of the differences between the two is the 750i has an extra pci-e to pci-e bridge. The GeForce 9800 GX2 video card has its own pci-e to pci-e bridge.
So, CPU-Z reads the chipset ID and checks to see if the bridge ID is present. It mistakenly sees the one on the GeForce 9800 GX2 video card and in summary, calls the PC chipset 750i. CPU-ID has the information and we have started communications with them to get their software corrected.

---

@Anonymous-Chris_M wrote:
* I disagree. The sales page was very clear in stating you would get two PCI Express x16 Expansion slots. It never stated how many PCI Express lanes were connected in those slots. That data is presented in teh User Manual specifications.

---

Chris, can you get someone at Dell to explain to us how it is Dell's marketing department thinks it's okay to not disclose that information on the sales site and claim that the customer should have read the manual prior to purchase when that is contrary to what the Federal Trade Commission says is required by law?

 

 

 

Also, why is it the specs have been changed if Dell felt nothing was wrong with how the PCIe slots were previously advertised?

 

 

 

The previous ad was at the very least omissive but leans more toward blatant deception.  It was Dell's burden in their advertising to provide information that would be detailed enough to prevent any confusion or a different interpretation from the actual specs.  It is obvious with the number of people that were unaware of the PCIe x16 limit of 8 lanes that Dell failed to meet that requirement.

 

 

Note: It clearly states "Whether a disclosure meets this standard is measured by its performance-that is how consumers actually perceive and understand the disclosure within the context of the entire ad."  That doesn't mean marketing can stomp it's feet and say "technically" we meant physical slots.

---

@Anonymous-Chris_M wrote:

* I disagree. The sales page was very clear in stating you would get two PCI Express x16 Expansion slots. It never stated how many PCI Express lanes were connected in those slots. That data is presented in teh User Manual specifications.

---

 

So what it boils down to is shady advertising?

 

A few weeks before I made the purchase I called dell to ask if I could get the 64 bit version of vista with an XPS 630i, his reply was that both 32 and 64 bit versions will be on the master restore DVD.

 

Of course I was lied to and had to purchase vista 64 so the shady advertising also comes as no surprise, I wish I would have never bought this thing now, I can't even stand the site of it anymore because I know I am going to have to pour even more money into it just to get it to run the way it should.

The locked lanes looks like a cost cutting move.  I guess it cost a bit more to implement that switch.  Considering that by years end newer chipset and processors will start appearing, having that limitation is no big deal imo, since we can swap out the board for another, like a 700 series or x48 when they are sub $150. :smileytongue:

---

@player8 wrote:
The locked lanes looks like a cost cutting move.  I guess it cost a bit more to implement that switch.  Considering that by years end newer chipset and processors will start appearing, having that limitation is no big deal imo, since we can swap out the board for another, like a 700 series or x48 when they are sub $150. :smileytongue:

---

 

I agree

 

The main  reason i got the XPS 630 was for the case. Has good look to it (my opinion). After reading the problems people were having, before i purchased the system. I dicide i would replace the motherboard, after  3-4 of having it. I  guess i'm not as disappointed since i knew what i was getting my self into.

 

 

edited for no message once posted.

I think this has been beaten to death. And the last rounds of posts by Chris_M has reiterated this again.

This is an issue that just won't go away until Dell issues an apology or agrees to replace the XPS 630 motherboards, neither of which is going to happen. Hence, this issue keeps coming up. I think we have a need to let Dell know we are unhappy with this situation. If we knew beforehand the limitations of this 650i motherboard, this issue would not have been brought up. Looking at the excerpts from the ads above makes me even angrier. Still, I'm happy with my 630, crippled motherboard and all. I just keep getting the feeling that somehow I've been taken!:smileymad:

---

 "QUOTE"  DELL-Chris_M

 

MaverickmanTP,

I know that there are valid complaints of false advertising by Dell regarding the specifications of this motherboard.
* I disagree. The sales page was very clear in stating you would get two PCI Express x16 Expansion slots. It never stated how many PCI Express lanes were connected in those slots. That data is presented in teh User Manual specifications.

---

 

*    C'mon Chris trhats the same as a used car salesman telling you he is selling you a car with a V-8 and you buy it then find out it is really only firing on 6 cylinders because he took the sparkplugs out of 2 cylinders.

  How is the consumer supposed to see the user manual untill they buy the computer?

You admit that the sales page did not state how many lanes were connected to the slots; yet anyone who would see that advertisement would be falsely led to believe that they were getting X16 lanes because its a PCI Express x16 Expansion slot ! ! ! ! !  That is what the x16 means in technical terms ! ! ! !  

chembane,

How is the consumer supposed to see the user manual untill they buy the computer?

* The User Manual Specifications are available from day one of the sale. You can read through it before the purchase is made. Do most consumers do this? No. Should they? Yes.

So once again Dell is laying blame on the customer instead of themselves.   The tech specs never said it was 8 lanes.  The manual might have, but the tech specs didnt, which is what 99% of people go by

KryttosArcadia,

I am just stating the facts, not laying blame. We are giving the customer an option for a full refund.

     I don't want a full refund, I want x16 lanes per x16 slot that was advertised and I was under the impression I was getting.  I want a working ESA as well.  Still not able to set profiles to start with programs.  Fan sliders still not showing corect speeds. 

chembane,

I want x16 lanes per x16 slot that was advertised and I was under the impression I was getting.
* That will never happen with the XPS 630.

I want a working ESA as well. Still not able to set profiles to start with programs. Fan sliders still not showing corect speeds.
* So do we all. We can try replacing your CY641 Master I/O Cable Assembly and CY260 Master Controller I/O Board. Please provide me with the following information in a private message -
Name:
Shipping address:
Phone:
Service tag number:
Reason: Replace CY641 Master I/O Cable Assembly, CY260 Master Controller I/O Board