Maximum PC

Dear Dog and or MaximumPC forums members;

I have been having a big problem with my Inspiron. Just as many others have experienced, the ATI mobility Radeon 9600 Pro turbo GPU puts off a enormous amount of heat. That in itself is not the problem. The problem is that Dell installed the heatsink to the GPU with a waxy, plastic compound that doesn't transfer heat at all.

Using third party program, I8kfangui, I see that when I play 3D games my GPU temperature soars to over 100 degrees celsius (2D games hardly effect temps). It doesn't matter what resolution or detail level you set the game at, it will overheat within 30 minutes. Even with both fans working doubletime. 3D games such as Homeworld 2, C&C Generals etc. WILL play at max resolution (1920x1200) perfectly, but as soon as the GPU heats up, poof, whiteness surrounds and the screen and eventually envelopes the whole thing, and it's a complete graphics meltdown until I go back to the desktop or power off and back on.

Now what was the outsourced opinion based on the flipbook they read? I quote: "The game is not supported". So what they are saying is that because Dell messed up and didn't connect the heatsink with copper and thermal compound, that's the way the laptop is supposed to operate? I shouldn't have to sit the thing on my AC vents for it to run without overheating. The performance is great, even faster than my desktop, until it overheats and crashes the video subsystem. The audio still plays and when I minimize the game, you can see the direct correlation between the temperature of the GPU and the stability of what's on screen.

If my car overheated and stalled whenever I went above 30MPH, do you think that the dealership would say "those speeds are not supported"?

The system is designed to play 3D games, why else would Dell offer the 9600 card with 128MB?

Others who have this problem are told on the phone they must be using the system in high ambient heat conditions, we have been told directly by technical support that we are crazy because support has never heard of this problem.

I call BS, I know for a fact that many others are having this problem. There's a website detailing how to modify (and lose your warranty) your video card using a copper plate and thermal compound. If there wasn't a need for such a procedure, this site would not exist. And no, these aren't overclockers, these are just normal people who want their system to perform as advertised.

I think Dell may be in denial because I don't think many people who buy the 8600 opt for the high end video card. And for those that do, I doubt they use it for 3D gaming.

All I want is Dell to admit their mistake and make the changes to make their customers happy.

Does anybody know how to get a class action suit started? If this helps only 100 customer who got shafted, then it will be a success.

*edit* PS: If you have an Inspiron or XPS gaming laptop with the ATI Mobility 9700/9600 Pro Turbo and you experience the same problems, please reply here, I'd appreciate all the stories I can get.

As a former support employee (not with Dell), I can say that any problem with a computer system that becomes widely known will be denied until you put irrefutable proof right in front of their face. And even then, they'll probably still deny it.

The techs are doing their job and towing the company line. Unfortunately, even if you talk to their manager and their manager's manager, you probably will still get the same "This isn't an issue" line.

Based on my experience, you have a few options.

1 - If you ordered over the phone, call your salesman back and tell him that you are unsatisfied with Dell's product and you want them to do something about it. He might try to shove you off on Tech Support. Don't accept this as an answer....
2 - Give up working with Tech Support, and go through Customer Service instead. If CS tries sending you to TS, tell them it's no longer a technical issue and a customer satisfaction issue. Work your way up the chain. DEMAND supervisors and tell them you are unhappy with the product and want satisfaction.
3 - Talk to a lawyer in your area (ask your friends) and see if they'll help you.
4 - Crack the case and put some REAL thermal paste on the GPU and heatsink.

You should probably mention that this will likely void his warranty.

Don't worry, I already mentioned that fact in my first post...

Oops, I missed that part.

If you try it, let us know how it works out. I REALLY want to get a nice laptop, but I'm not sure what I want to get.

I'm not too impressed with my current Dell laptop (from work).

Depends on the company and your qualifications. For example, if in a pinch, I could probably find a certified Compaq technician to say that he cracked the case of my Compaq notebook so I could fix something (of course, I'd need to own a Compaq notebook in the first place, but you see my point )

So, are there any Dell techs on this board?

Contacting Customer Support did the trick. At least for now.

I called CS, they listened to my valid complaint and forwarded it on to tech support who agreed that it was hardware. After showing him the website of how to fix the heatsink, the Bangalore tech support forwarded me on to the Nashville support for Inspirons. The back and forth connection was so terrible the American had to call me back.

After explaining the situation again, the Nashville guy told me he had friends who experienced the same problem and had a work around for me.

Removing the panels on the bottom of the system and raising it up to allow better air flow might work he said. I'll try that and see if it works. But he did give me his email and phone extension to contact him directly if I had any further problems with the video card heat.

So there might be hope yet. He also said that the number of systems sold and the number of complaints are so few it's a non-issue with Dell. Well, I'll see about that.