:tantrum

[sleuth]

I have to send back my new refurb Dell Precision m50!!! And now I'm left without computer access in the evenings for at least a week and a half.

First, the advertisement said this computer had an nVidia Quaddro4Go graphics card. In reality it only has a GeForce graphics card. I bought this laptop to do CAD modeling, and the Quaddro4Go driver is one of the primary reasons I was buying.

Second, on the lower right hand corner of the screen, there is a black backward "L" shape, about an inch tall by a half inch wide. Appears to be dead pixels - not lighting at all. They mentioned a pressure mark from the mouse button and a few light scratches, but not this. It doesn't really affect the usability because it's actually to the right and below the clock, but it still wasn't how it was described.

Third, as I was using the machine last night doing normal things (installing zone alarm, firefox, etc.), my screen went ballistic on me. First, a bunch of vertical lines began appearing, then horizontal lines began flickering across. Immediately, I shut down and rebooted, only to find that even the DELL STARTUP SCREEN was having the same issues. Also, the device driver began starting intermittently, and had a code 10 error. When it failed to start, my screen resolution capability diminished. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers - no help. It seems to me that since it's happening even BEFORE drivers are loaded, there seems to be a problem with the hardware.

This morning I hooked it up to a monitor and the same issues with the lines were occurring. So it doesn't appear to be a problem with the display screen, but other hardware.

Meanwhile... I'm pissed and bummed at the same time cuz I was stoked over my new laptop. And now my laptop search begins again because they don't have any other m50's in stock, which means if I don't find another m50 for the price I want, I'm going to have to resell all the accessories I bought on Ebay (docking station, extra adapter, extra battery, etc.)

 

[vraiblonde]

Sleuth, some day you will realize that the cheapest way isn't always the best way and it will cost you more money in the long run.

 

[Nickel]

Sleuth, some day you will realize that the cheapest way isn't always the best way and it will cost you more money in the long run.

You get what you pay for.

 

[Pete]

Sleuth, some day you will realize that the cheapest way isn't always the best way and it will cost you more money in the long run.

Looks like saving a couple bucks was not worth it. I have a Dell laptop and have not had a cintilla of problem. My Dell desktop worked great for 6 years and then the hard drive crashed after I gave it to my parents. I think they killed it though. They are digitally challened

 

[bresamil]

Wow. I thought he was upset about losing the Drama Queen title. My bad.

 

[sleuth]

Sleuth, some day you will realize that the cheapest way isn't always the best way and it will cost you more money in the long run.

Vrai... I wasn't going for the cheapest way.
I could have made due with a much lower-cost laptop and just not do the CAD on the machine.

This was an unexpected expense for me. My work was supposed to buy me a laptop as outlined in my offer letter. Then when the guy who wrote the offer letter got fired, they balked.

I can't really force them to do it without putting my own job in jeopardy. Plus I want to keep it in my back pocket in case I find another offer before the mandatory 1 year.

And spending $4000 on a laptop capable of doing my CAD work isn't really feasible right now.

I'm well aware of the risks involved in buying refurbished. That's why I'm not buying them without a warranty.

 

[FromTexas]

Vrai... I wasn't going for the cheapest way.
I could have made due with a much lower-cost laptop and just not do the CAD on the machine.

This was an unexpected expense for me. My work was supposed to buy me a laptop as outlined in my offer letter. Then when the guy who got the offer letter got fired, they balked.

I can't really force them to do it without putting my own job in jeopardy. Plus I want to keep it in my back pocket in case I find another offer before the mandatory 1 year.

And spending $4000 on a laptop capable of doing my CAD work isn't really feasible right now.

I'm well aware of the risks involved in buying refurbished. That's why I'm not buying them without a warranty.

They want you to do the work, they supply you the hardware to do it. If you have an offer letter its a legally binding contract if you accepted it. If they fire you for requesting what you were offered you have a much bigger lawsuit. :shrug:

Or you could just work from the office where they probably have other hardware for you to use until such time you can afford it.

 

[sleuth]

They want you to do the work, they supply you the hardware to do it. If you have an offer letter its a legally binding contract if you accepted it. If they fire you for requesting what you were offered you have a much bigger lawsuit. :shrug:

Or you could just work from the office where they probably have other hardware for you to use until such time you can afford it.

Admittedly I'm spending a lot of money elsewhere in life (read... wedding, honeymoon).

Just trying to pay for it all as I go.
I suppose I could buy new and finance it.
Just got out of debt and prefer not to go back into it right away.

Just doing the best I can here, everyone. I'm not the type of person who always has to have the absolute best. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. And there's nothing wrong with being frugal. I'm watching my spending as I plan on buying another house soon. If used works just as good, then it's just as good. The trick is finding the right used one.

I'm sure you all have bought used cars before... some of them pretty good ones, too.

I was real happy to see that zero balance on my credit cards at the beginning of the month.

 

[sleuth]

Or you could just work from the office where they probably have other hardware for you to use until such time you can afford it.

They want me to learn this CATIA software. But they're not willing to pay me to learn it. They won't supply me with a laptop to do it with (since they've had me on travel, a desktop isn't good enough), so I'm supplying my own.

They're in breach of contract. I signed a deal that I would stay a year or pay back relocation expenses. I'm not liking my job so far, so if a better option comes along, I'm saving that 'breach of contract' to use as leverage if they come after me.

It's difficult. It's a lot easier to look in from the outside and call it like it is. It's a lot more difficult to be the one who's livelihood is at stake.

 

[FastCarsSpeed]

I have really started to think Dell is just not what they used to be. I have been running on Thinkpad laptops for a while now and more then happy. Good luck finding a laptop truely capable for doing cad modeling.