Precision M4800 : Input lag at log in, Switchable graphics not functioning, GPU fan "chirping" when it starts up.

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LAPTOP RETURNED FROM DELL on 9/29/2017

Had Loose screws inside laptop chassis that had to be totally taken apart to find before attempting to power on.

Multiple Screws are now Stripped or missing, including ones that secure daughter cards to the mother board, and the motherboard to the chassis, and the ones that secure the keyboard.

NEW display hinges "stick and pop" again See Video on last page. Display appears to have been replaced as an assembly with Lid, Bezel, screen and hinges.

MOUSE AND TRACK-POINT DO NOT FUNCTION IF USING DELL DRIVERS. Works in Bios/Ubuntu, and windows before installing Dell Drivers. This was listed as an issue when sent in, and was not addressed. 

IF ANY DELL REP is reading this thread -> Can I please get some assistance that is not just replacing parts with other used parts? Others with this model were granted replacements. Why do I keep getting junk parts? I've Even asked to just exchange it for an OLDER model like a used m4700.

I get no help if i call the help line Which usually gets me round robinned until I get disconnected. I barely get help if using the online chat. The only thing that's been remotely helpful is this thread and personal assistance from Justin-C from dell who monitored this and has basically ordered all servicing on this laptop for me.

-> Display EPROM failure. No Dell Boot Logo, Cannot Access BIOS. Can Still Boot Windows and Ubuntu. If internal display is active, track pad gets disabled. Manifested after a (stupid) decision to heed DELL COMMAND | UPDATE For Bios A19.

Dell Dispatched a box to return the computer for diagnostics that is comically small (physically smaller than said laptop in x,y dimensions -- Appears to be for an 8-10 Inch tablet or notebook)

Running Failure Log So no one has to read 4 pages of me complaining every so often over the past 2 years:

DOA : Original Hinges, AMD FirePro M5100 stuttering, CPU/GPU Fans that Chirped

Replaced : Multiple Sets (at least 3) of CPU and GPU fans for Rattling, Chirping, Failure to spin.

Multiple Sets of display hinges - Laptop is primarily docked and uses an external display for weeks at a time. There is no reason they should fail - (i have never had a hinge failure on any other laptop, and have had some for 15+ years)

FirePro m5100 First Replacement, DOA, Exhibited Same Symptoms

Quadro K2100m : Replaced 2 FirePros after a year stopped reporting temps, killed GPU fan control. Assume to be related to Bios A19. Replaced with a FirePro Again in June 2017.

MainBoards : it has now had two REPLACEMENT main boards.

This is a complaint, here, not an out right failure. -> This M4800 is also the SLOWEST computer to access my SSD's they have been in. Despite them being in Raid0, it takes 10-15 seconds to open single page word documents with only text. It did it in about 2 seconds on my Lenovo T61p with only a single drive AND not true full speed support for the SATA3 drives, that this was purchased to replace. They open nearly instantly on my DELL E6230 with a cheap 100 buck SSD from a few years ago. All Run/ran windows 7 Pro, All have/had office 2010 Pro.

One or Two of the BIOS versions I complain about on the first page or two were pulled from the driver page for this laptop, presumably due to the same errors I got being experienced by a lot of people.

Original Post Follows:

I recently purchased a new M4800 with an i7 quad, and a Firepro m5100 GPU. So far i have been rather satisfied with the purchase as it does everything i need it to do. However there are some quirks that are preventing it from being 100% :

When I run the discrete only card, the windows 7 log in has lag such that unless i move the cursor the screen does not update : you can type things in and no ****** symbols display in the password box. If you move the mouse constantly when you type the ***** does display in real time ? its a really odd sort of lag i have never experienced before in my life.

This does not happen with the integrated card. HOWEVER, the computer will not dynamically switch between the Intel and the AMD gpu (amd Enduro/ power express) as advirtized. When running in switchable graphics mode the global settings dropdowns are 100% blank in the CCC panel.

If you set it manually per application basis : it either does one of two things :

1) most games seem to launch fine, though monitoring it with RTSS indicates its running on the intel HD GPU, and the performance decreases substantially in reflection of this...

or 2) launching professional software like Chief Architect x6, or SolidWorks2014 causes the display to hang, fans to cut off and the computer wont do anything till a hard reboot via the power button.

*I have disabled the integrated GPU in bios and only run the AMD card as a work around. Is there a fix for this other than to ignore the Intel card ? Googling around brings me to a dell resource that states disabling switchable graphics in the BIOS is the only work around. All the programs work fine this way, but sometimes say in travel or during a lecture class i dont see a reason to keep the amd GPU powered up.

Source for the work around www.dell.com/.../EN

Will this be fixed in a future bios or driver update ?

and Lastly : the computer is dead silent most of the time, even the fans are rather quiet. However when the GPU fan kicks on after being off for a long time there is sometimes a noise i can only describe as "electronic chirping/scraping" before the fan whirrs to life this affects it not at boot, but randomly as you use it on battery and on AC power. setting it to "max performance" thermal management to keep the fan on all the time to some degree eliminates the sound. Is this normal ? or is this an issue ?