UPDATE: Got laptop w/ an eng. sample CPU: replacement sent, will review in new thread

Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
[thread=2166511]Lookie herre[/thread]

I got a laptop from Dell Outlet that has an engineering sample cpu in it;

. . .

UPDATE:
- Called Dell Tech Support, opened a case w/ a manager
- Was offered a replacement:
- I was sent a Studio 14 (1458) w/ Core i5-ES (1st Gen) w/ AMD 540v GPU, 4 gigs RAM, 14" 1600x900 display etc.
- They offered an XPS 15 L502 w/ Core i5-2410M w/ Nvidia GTX 525M, 4 gigs RAM, 15.6" 1366x768 display.

They will send the replacement unit and attach a return tag in the box - they said I can use both for a few days and see which one I like. I like the XPS' spec much, much better (obviously) but the one sticking point is the lousy screen - I compared the Studio 14's screen to my wife's UL80VT and it doesn't even compare, the brightness, viewing angles, etc.

I really like my studio 14, it works well, has a beautiful screen, but it'd be nice to have something (relatively) game-worthy as well: now, once I get the XPS, would it be possible to get the RGBLED display panel separately and upgrade the display myself?
 
Last edited:

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
Most engineering samples that are outside of Intel are basically just early release of the retail CPU, same stepping and such. And as such they wont behave any differently then the retail product, it is most likely a dell prototype they used for testing and decided they were done with it so refurbished it and sent it out the door, you just happened to pick it up. ;)

It shouldn't really affect your use of the laptop at all, and looking at your other thread you got a good deal and a free CPU bump so hey shouldn't complain there. :p

And lastly, the value, now it isn't any more valuable then a regular CPU, however because it is sort of a novelty to own an ES you MIGHT be able to find a buyer willing to pay a little extra, and from what i understand an ES in a laptop is rare to come by! (seeing as they are only given to manufacturers) I wouldn't really expect a good resale value out of it however. In fact ES's are technically owned by Intel and can be recalled at any time! If I were in your shoes I would contact Dell Technical support (a nightmare i KNOW) tell them what happened (make sure you speak to a supervisor) and see if they will replace it or assure you (get a RECORD!) that you are allowed to own it and nothing can happen to you.

Just my $0.02
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
Right, so I'm definitely not complaining about a cpu upgrade - in fact, I've traded down from my other laptop (Hp DV7 w/ i7-640m) but the Dell's build quality/design is miles ahead, so I'm really happy with this laptop.

If I call Dell support, would they insist that I send the items in for a replacement? The reason I got this in the first place is the 1600x900 display in a 14" and I highly doubt that they can match that from a refurb unit (I just don't see the availability currently) - and I did get a great deal so I wouldn't want to get a refund from them either.

Of course, there's nothing much they can do, I suppose, if I simply say "no", but I feel like I should be giving them a call and work with them, but at the same time I don't want to have downtime w/o a computer only to get (pretty much) the same thing in return.
 

Puppies04

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2011
5,909
17
76
It is pretty blatant that ES CPUs are not allowed to be sold by the companies they are sent to for testing purposes. Get it replaced with an identical product or threaten to call intel and report Dell... sorted
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Yeah, I imagine that a stray ES just got into the pipeline somehow. I'd probably call them up and explain what's going on (will almost certainly have to go to Tier 2) and see what they say. Worst case, you keep what you've got; best case, they send you a new one with the correct specs.
 

MustangSVT

Lifer
Oct 7, 2000
11,554
12
81
Well, they will then just replace it with a slower i3 since that is what you've ordered.

I would be just happy with i5 and keep it. wonder if you can tweak it or o/c it.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Well, they will then just replace it with a slower i3 since that is what you've ordered.

I would be just happy with i5 and keep it. wonder if you can tweak it or o/c it.

The problem is that if it ever broke, the ES could come back to haunt him.

OP, go to support.dell.com and put in your service tag. From there you should be able to go to the system configuration tab and see what Dell thinks should be in your system. If the ES doesn't show there, they will give you a ton of grief if anything were to go wrong with it.
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
Yeah; so I called them today (the service was down yesterday): spoke to a manager who was insisting that it's highly unlikely that it's an ES unit, maybe the BIOS is misreading it, maybe Dell swapped the cpu, etc.

So I booted the laptop and let him take remote access of the system; suddenly his insisting dies down . . .. Asshat-ery aside (he's just doing his job and I doubt that he runs into this often) he's escalating this to the engineering dept and leaving the ticket open, we'll see what happens!
 

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
81
Perhaps whoever owned the laptop before you swapped the stock CPU out with the ES. I couldn't imagine Dell putting it in there.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
well it is super rare cuz es more likely to be "taken home" by an employee rather than being sold for the companies benefit:p
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
Perhaps whoever owned the laptop before you swapped the stock CPU out with the ES. I couldn't imagine Dell putting it in there.

Soo, a regular consumer got a hold of this laptop, somehow got his/her hands on an engineering sample CPU, and swapped the parts from this unit?

I don't know man, that sounds highly unlikely to me.
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
So it's been a few days, I don't receive any email or any other contacts from the Dell service center:

I may be getting an itchy trigger finger, but I've been reading thread about horrible, horrible service from Dell tech support for home owners right after giving them a call; I want to get this resolved, to see if I need to send this back or if I can just hold onto it - I don't want to swap HDDs/RAM just to get a request from Dell to send it back to them, after all.

Is there any way I can expedite the process? Should I contact someone at Intel as well?
 

zi0n.

Member
Apr 18, 2010
146
0
76
I don't know you but I would be really pissed if this happened to me because you don't know if you can install your programs and move your stuff into it because you don't even know if you're gonna have to send it back. I would call them again and ask to speak to a manager and explain the situation. The least I would expect from them to do is send you a new one.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
So it's been a few days, I don't receive any email or any other contacts from the Dell service center:

I may be getting an itchy trigger finger, but I've been reading thread about horrible, horrible service from Dell tech support for home owners right after giving them a call; I want to get this resolved, to see if I need to send this back or if I can just hold onto it - I don't want to swap HDDs/RAM just to get a request from Dell to send it back to them, after all.

Is there any way I can expedite the process? Should I contact someone at Intel as well?

I would give them a week, then call back (referencing your case number).
 

Puppies04

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2011
5,909
17
76
I would give them a week, then call back (referencing your case number). mfenn is online now Report Post

I would give them a week then call Intel referencing your case number, then call dell and tell them what you have done, can't hurt as far as i see it.
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
UPDATE #2
- Got call from Dell support center
- Not sure why I have engineering sample, but they're willing to take the laptop back and ship me a replacement.
- Well, make that "ship me the replacement first, and then ask me to return the ES unit"
- The tech support manager will look up a comparable unit as it is dell outlet and he has to check what they have in-stock
- . . .1 hr later, I get a call: they're offering me a XPS 15 L502 w/ a Sandy Bridge cpu (from a core i5 1st gen ES unit) w/ a Nvidia GTX 525 (from AMD 540v)
- They will ship me the unit and decide which one I will keep.

The only downside is that the XPS 15 has a 15.6" screen that has the 720P resolution while the Studio 14 has a really nice 1600x900 14" screen. Believe it or not, I may just keep the Studio 14: I do realize that the XPS has an upgrade option: is it possible to get the RGBLED panel myself and install it? Would that even be possible?
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Looks like they are making a good effort there. You could in theory swap the panels on the 15 (with one from an appropriately optioned 15). However, if the screen is a requirement for you, I'd let them know that up front and see if they can find one.
 

MustangSVT

Lifer
Oct 7, 2000
11,554
12
81
interesting.. well im using a dell inpiron 15" with i5 at work @ that resolution.

If you are going to game/watch mostly I think the XPS would be better. However if you are thinking about working with it, I really dont like this screen. it just feels so cramped.

Another option is to take the XPS and just use external monitor (the very first option even before you got the DELL ;)).

- oh and btw, it seems to have backlit keyboard and jbl speakers. XPS being a higher model would have better things in general. just not the monitor.

perhaps you can ask the monitor to be upgraded and maybe you pay like $100? from dell's site it costs $150 to upgrade to 1080p screen.
 
Last edited:
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
Looks like they are making a good effort there. You could in theory swap the panels on the 15 (with one from an appropriately optioned 15). However, if the screen is a requirement for you, I'd let them know that up front and see if they can find one.

Before he started looking, I asked him that I was looking for the following:

- Higher resolution display
- Discrete Graphics
- Core i5 or better

Having said that, they offered me the XPS because a suitable replacement is not currently available w/ a higher-resolution display and to be frank it is more than a fair trade; but for me a higher-resolution screen is an important factor, hence my hesitation.

. . .
perhaps you can ask the monitor to be upgraded and maybe you pay like $100? from dell's site it costs $150 to upgrade to 1080p screen.

No can do - it's a refurb unit, which means I take what they got.
 
Last edited:

aceO07

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2000
4,491
0
76
IMHO, I wouldn't considering switching if I was in your position. It's much harder to get a new laptop with a good high resolution now. Unless I really could notice or needed the speed, it's a no brainer for me. If I were in your position..

I love high resolutions on my monitors. 1400x1050 12" IPS laptop. 1920x1200 24" IPS monitor. :)
 
Last edited:
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
IMHO, I wouldn't considering switching if I was in your position. It's much harder to get a new laptop with a good high resolution now. Unless I really could notice or needed the speed, it's a no brainer for me. If I were in your position..

I love high resolutions on my monitors. 1400x1050 12" IPS laptop. 1920x1200 24" IPS monitor. :)

Well that gets to the heart of the matter, innit?

- the XPS 15 line does offer an upgrade to a glorious 1080 RGBLED display: and the Anandtech review was gracious enough to give out the exact model of the display itself.

The Question is, would a layperson like myself (clearly I'm sitting but poor jokes aside) be able to:
- Obtain the display unit (yes)
- Take off the bezel (?)
- Replace the display (?)
- And upgrade the drivers so it'd function normally like a factory installed display?
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
You will need to find the display part number of the 1080p screen and buy it online (ebay) shouldn't be too much $. The tricky part is taking out the old one (IMHO).
 

Puppies04

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2011
5,909
17
76
I remember reading a thread a while back regarding dell laptops. This guy got upgraded from a 2 year old non-gaming laptop to an alienware MX15 purely because the machine they needed to replace had a hi res panel and he argued that with a laptop the screen is just about the most important part. Go back to dell and tell them you aren't willing to accept anything with a lower res than what you already have.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Before he started looking, I asked him that I was looking for the following:

- Higher resolution display
- Discrete Graphics
- Core i5 or better

Having said that, they offered me the XPS because a suitable replacement is not currently available w/ a higher-resolution display and to be frank it is more than a fair trade; but for me a higher-resolution screen is an important factor, hence my hesitation.

No can do - it's a refurb unit, which means I take what they got.

Yeah, I guess you are at the whim of what's in stock. So what you reeaaally need to do is find a friend with the model that you want and have him send it in for repair. ;)