Here's the problem.  Recently purchase an E521 AMD X2 4200+, 2 GB Ram, and a 256mb GeForce LE PCI-E card,( OS Vista Premium).  I know this is a low end card, but 256mb for an extra $60, sounds like a decent deal.

 

When I finally got around to updating drivers, cleaning out all the 'free  extras' installed on the machine, I noticed Vista was reporting only 128mb of physical memory.  I called customer service, who put me through to tech support, who logged on through Dell Connect to my computer.

 

Here's the best part.  They confirmed that the wrong card had been added, (Quote "Obviously it should have been a 256mb Card because the order states a 256mb card") put me back to customer service, who assured me the new card had 256mb of physical memory, and mailed out my new video card.  Problem solved right?

 

Nope.  I get the exact same card.  Apparently, in the 'build your own computer' menu, under the link 'help me choose', under 'Compare video cards', there is a footnote that explains that the card has 128 mb physical + 128mb shared memory.  No where is this information on the main selection page. I made sure to read through all the footnotes and disclaimers as I went through the order.

 

Up to this point, all the customer representatives have been nothing but helpful and polite.  When I called to deal with this issue, the representative immediatly directed me to the footnote in a matter-of-fact-too-bad-for-you-buddy manner.  I believe dell is misrepresenting the card as 256mb physical memory, which the representative disagreed with.  I asked to talk to a manager, at which point I was informed that he was a 'senior representative' and would not put me through to one.  I asked about returning the entire system, and he was quick to point out that I would have to pay the shipping.

 

Overall, a frustrating experience.  I know the information is present on the website, and I should have been a little more suspicious, but I expected better from Dell.  My decision to purchase from Dell was based on rumors of superior customer service and reliabilty.  In addition, it appears that Vista does not even support the shared memory turbocache yet, so I'm running only on a 128 mb card.  I also believe that I should have been informed of this from the beginning as well.

 

At present, I'm awaiting a return slip to return the card, and get my $60 refunded.  Now I have to go out and buy another video card, likely spend another $100.

 

That's the story.  Here's my question:  Is there any other means for resolution in the matter?   I'm not pleased with the response from Dell, or the way they are representing the video card.  I can't find any other supplier out there who does not mention up front that the memory is shared.

 

Secondly, any recommendations for a new card.  ~$150, for a casual gamer, and some video editing.  Mostly converting MiniDV to DVD.

 

Thanks for your time, and allowing room to vent.