Dell 9800 pros?

[shaked]

Alright, my father recently built a machine from Dell(totally against my will). We got it and within 2 hours, the screen went haywire. After a few hours on the phone with tech support it was confirmed to be the video card, a 9800pro. Apparently, a few of his buddies in work have had the same problems with both Dell and Gateway 9800pros. He wanted the 9800XT, but I convinced him that it wasn't worth the money because all he does is play Hoyle card games anyway. So, of course, I'm getting totally blamed for all of his inconveniences. Has anyone else had these problems? I don't understand, I've heard nothing but good things about the 9800pro. Is this a coincidence, or is there something wrong with the 9800pros that these companies are getting? I had planned on buying one myself, but now I'm a bit skeptical. I don't want to deal with all of that myself. Of course Dell is replacing the card, but that's not the issue. I'm just wondering whether or not this is a common occurance or not.

 

[TourGuide]

So let me get this straight - your dad put a 9800pro in his machine for playing hoyle card games? humm.

As to the defect, they happen. More often with Dell machines probably because they're buying those OEM bulk cards of questionable quality.

 

[shaked]

Yeah, trust me, I know it's incredibly stupid. I told him that he doesn't need anything great, but he insisted on spending ~$3000 on the computer. You think these defects carry over to their mainstream retail cards as well? He is still trying to upgrade to the XT. It actually annoys me that he spent so much money to do nothing with. I need some of that performance for my machine. Now I have to go buy a 9800pro just so I don't feel left out. I don't see how the XT would be any different. It's still BBA, the cards are similar aren't they? More RAM and higher clockspeeds separate the two correct? Is it the same board or is it a different card all together? The only reason I told him to get the 9800pro is because the GF5200 isn't that great of a card and Dell offers no other options, so there was little choice.

 

[MDE]

Even the 5200 is overkill for 2D crap like card games and Windows. I'd get a cheap 9200/9600 and throw it in there while he isn't looking and "borrow" the 9800 Pro. I'll put $10 on it that he'll never notice unless he tries to run something that's actually graphically intensive or looks inside the box.

 

[RollWave]

I agree with monkey, he probably never uses the device manager or display props

 

[shaked]

Yeah, I've been thinking about it. He just got a refurbed one put in on a computer that's not even a week old. I have to go back to school on Sunday, but hopefully I'll get to see all of the trouble that my mother causes because of that. I am going to wait and see what he does with the computer before I go replacing anything. He swears he's going to be "gaming" on this machine, but I'll give him a few months to see what he really does. I still don't understand how Dell could put a refurbed card in a brand new computer. Doesn't make sense to me.:disgust: