XPS 8100 general, delivery, delays, hardware questions and discussions

So far so good. Only downside is that the processor fan (i7) is making some noise every now and then.

Really??? I'm constantly having to look down and make sure the Pc hasn't shut itself down cos its so quiet lol Kudos to you on the free blu ray drive

Ok... I called dell support today and they told me that i'm not the only one that mentioned this problem. The processor fan speed increases evry minute to appr. 3500RPM for only 1 second then goes back to normal. It also does this when the system is idle. Even when it's just started up. Oh even when i'n in the biosscreen.

What are your specs? i do have the i7 and the A03 bios firmwre version. Maybe there's something else going on in my machine. i have no clue... The Dell fan test reported no problems.

Hi

I placed an 8000 order on the web in the UK on 29 Dec. It was delayed and then cancelled when Dell ran out of bits. Charged my CC though but finally got that back! I immedateltyl re-ordered an 8100 on 27 Jan which was shipped on 29 Jan - wow. Received it on 2 Feb. Working fine currently except today it refused to recognise a parallel port PCI card I just added; Device Manager doesn't show it so that's that. Could be the card or the 8100 system itself? PC is whisper quiet and no fan problems despite the high-end Radeon HD 5700 series graphics card fitted. Disappointed that Windows 7 start-up is as slow as XP on my previous Core Duo. This is with a core i7 and 8GB. I thought Microsoft had worked on start-up speed but obviously there is still far too much code to load.

My Studio XPS 8100 is now in "Delivery Preparation"

Ordered: 1/8

Original EDD: 2/3

First Delay on 1/28 with EDD: 2/1

Although on 3 different pages I am getting a different status. On "My Account - Recent order Status" page it says "Delivery Preparation". On the "Dell Purchase ID" screen it says "shipped". ON order Details it still says "In Production". But hey, its progress!

FYI: I did nothing to get my order shipped faster. I was going to call if I got a second delay notice.

stargazer424:

The three different status indications means that the unit has been shipped from the factory in Mexico and is working its way through customs.  In the next couple of days you will get a tracking number showing it being shipped from El Paso, TX.

I recently placed an  order for the xps desktop 8100. I got the order acknowledgment email but its been over 48 hours and I am yet to receive the order that verifies the bank details, even though I have money in the account. I am very worried by this. Could anyone tell me what is going on here?

To anyone who has actually received their XPS 8100, I have a couple urgent questions.  My 8100 EDD is far off in the future (don't ask) but when it eventually arrives, I'm planning on upgrading the PSU and putting in an ATI 5770 video card and adding 4 more GB of RAM.  Some questions...

1) Power supply

Will a standard ATX power supply fit in the 8100 case?  Are the mainboard power connectors far away from the PSU? Meaning, will there be issues with the length of the cables coming from the PSU?  I'm thinking of getting at least 500W to run the video card and everything safely.

2) ATI 5770

Will one of these (non-Dell) cards fit in the case and one video card slot, considering I think the ATI 5770 is a double wide card?

3) Adding RAM

I'm needing to mix and match RAM here for the 8100, as I accidentally only ordered 4GB and I need to buy and add 4GB more once delivered.  I know I need DDR3-1330Mhz 2x2GB unregistered non-ECC but unsure of the timings (CAS what?) needed to work on the mainboard and to play nice with the installed Dell 2x2GB=4GB.

Technically minded folk, please help!

1. Yes

2. Yes but you might need a adapter if that card as two 6 pin power slots.  You will have one 6 pin from Dell.

3. I bought 8GB of Corsair for 200 and now selling the 6GB of Dell ram on fleabay. Would not suggest for optimum performance mixing and matching RAM.

Can someone just help please?

I range Dell and told them I didn't get an email about my order being confirmed. They then said it was all fine and they asked for email address. I gave it to them. They said they sent it.

Still have NO confirmation. The lady gave me a order number but no customer number so i have no idea what is going on.

i had the exact same issue. It took two weeks before i heard anything from dell and then they cancelled my order. I ordered a XPS800 at the end of december. Eventually they offered me a XPS8100 instead (for the same price). So everything turned out fine, but it took a month!

You can call customer support. They can search on your internet number and tell you what the status is. If you paid by credit card it might a few days before you get an update on your order status. Even when the payment is already done it maight take a few days.

If you want to be sure: contact customer support...

I can't do that. I only have the internet receipt number. I have not had the second email that gives you the order number or customer number. You just get an error message if you try using the internet number.

My spam folder has nothing from dell, not did I delete anything since they made the call. I have checked my email filters to ensure that nothing is blocked or deleted and they are fine too.

Ok. I'll guess I'll have to wait til Monday then. :(

Do you think their business lines or any 24/7 lines would help?

djpailo: Check your email spam folder. Its possible that the confirmation went there. If you ordered online you can also log into your account and see what the status is. A new order should say something like "Order processing" as the status.

Dear everyone,

I am planning on ordering an XPS 8100 with the i5 750, the nvidia 240 graphics card, 4x2 GB 1333Mhz RAM and win 7 pro.

My question is the following:

Is it possible, both technically and space/slot-wise to add a second graphics card to the system in order to connect three displays (2x 20" 4:3 + 1x20-24" widescreen, no mirroring but extended workspace)?

All I get from the Dell tech specs is that there is 1x PCIe x16 (used by the built-in card I suppose) and 2 PCIe x1 -slots. I am aware of the fact that PCIe x1 is not intended for graphics cards, but again, this is not about additional power but about addressed displays. However, I do not know whether all slots are accessible (whether the graphics card doesn't block at least one of the other ports, and whether the other is not used already by.. a sound card? the card reader? etc.).

If someone has already done something like this in an XPS8100, please tell me which additional card you bought and what your experiences are!

Thank you very much in advance for your help!