My little laptop story.

[darth_nevus]

The Story of my Fabled Gateway P-6831FX.

I'd like to take the Time to share with you a story. A story of my search for the holy grail of laptops at this time. Its my Holy grail because it offers the ABSOLUTE best of price per performance ratio i have ever seen. especially in the laptop world. it is a story of woe, humor, intrigue, suspense, and horror. well, and my furtherence into the depths of the geekdom domain.

It all began about 2 months ago. thats how long i've been tracking this story. and boy, what a wacked out story it is. Either way. Back in january, i decided i wanted to buy a laptop, or a pair of them, for myself and my wife. unhappy with the current offerings of best buy, i opted to go to dreaded place called dell. after all, they had a great coupon code i found for 30% off a laptop 999$ & higher, + free shipping. you can't really beat that, now can you? it was for an inspiron 1720, which isn't all that powerful, not too much of a gaming machine, but something that would play my wife's casual games just fine, and keep her content on our long road trip we are planning for the summer. so when i found this deal, i was excstatic at what i could get for the price.

But, a few things bugged me. For starters, its advertised as having 3GB of ram, but that the ram's running in Dual Channel mode. this one REALLY threw me for a loop, considering it goes again all Dual channel doctrine set forth since it was first used in PC's. Armed with that i went to the dell chat system, with a variety of questions, to find the truth, and a shipping date. needless to say, the system refused to print a shipping date anywhere. i know Dell has done some PRETTY odd things over the years, but making proprietary SoDimms to run in 1.5gb matched pairs kinda stiked me as odd.

This is an portion of that conversation.... and WHY dell's tech support scares me.

1:45:27 PM System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
1:45:28 PM System Connected with BE_Rep_Luis_R
1:45:37 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Welcome to Dell's Sales Chat! I hope you are doing well and thank you for waiting. My name is Luis and I'll be your personal sales agent. How may I help you with your purchase today?
1:45:42 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Hi darth
1:45:46 PM darth nevus a few things
1:46:03 PM darth nevus i am looking at a inspirion 1720, but it doesn't give me an estimated ship date.
1:46:07 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Go ahead
1:46:22 PM darth nevus so thats the first thing, how do i find out the estimated ship datE?
1:47:33 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Estimated ship date can be seen once you are at the checkout page. Would you like me to help you build the perfect Inspiron 1720 for your needs?
1:47:57 PM darth nevus um, we can look at that, i think i found the one i like already, but at the checkout page, thre is no date either
1:49:03 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R I see, were you able to log in at dell.com using your email and password?
1:49:11 PM darth nevus yep.
1:49:49 PM darth nevus i added it to my cart, etc, clicked checkout, but it still doesn't tell me the date.
1:50:14 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Were you able to save that system under your cart?
1:50:19 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Oh I see
1:50:20 PM darth nevus i can, yes
1:50:24 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Will it be okay if I take a look on your cart? For me to assist you better.
1:50:40 PM darth nevus sure
1:51:04 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R I will need your email address please
1:51:14 PM darth nevus <removed>
1:52:43 PM darth nevus FYI - i do NOT want to buy the unit just yet, just get some additional info,
1:53:09 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Oh no problem about that Drew. No pressure : )
1:53:55 PM darth nevus as you can see, the estimated shipping date appears no where.
1:54:24 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Just checking on it
1:55:39 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Okay got it
1:56:19 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Estimated ship date is on or before the 19th of March 2008 if your will placed an order today
1:57:21 PM darth nevus wow, ok. next questions. how is it that the system has 3gb of dual channel memory? doesn't it need to have 2 of the same dimms? i have never seen 1.5GB dimms before, so this struck me as odd.
1:57:32 PM darth nevus or is the system configured not running in dual channel mode?
1:58:29 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Oh well it is a Dell and yes you had seen it right 1.5 gb on each module.
1:58:52 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R We can customize it according to what our customers want : )
1:59:01 PM darth nevus how come i cannot find replacement 1.5gb dims?
1:59:34 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R It will soon be available
1:59:39 PM darth nevus ok....
2:00:00 PM darth nevus that violates the bios programming though doesn't it? how are they paired?
2:00:29 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Yes paired 1.5 gb on each module
2:01:09 PM darth nevus ok.... next question.
2:04:35 PM darth nevus does the mainboard of this unit have a Dsub output or DVI-I?
2:05:08 PM darth nevus or HDMI?
2:06:09 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Let me check
2:08:04 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R Okay the 1720 does not have a DVI or a VGA port
2:08:18 PM darth nevus what type of video output does it have?
2:08:55 PM BE_Rep_Luis_R VGA video output & S-Video

People like this should never be allowed to sell a PC, let alone be in the sales or service dept. i did find out later that the ram is run in a 1gb/2gb ratio, not he 1.5gb pair mentioned above. dell's site, in some very fine wording says that the stickes need to be matched to run in dual channel mode, but its small and hard to find. the model on their site and over tyhe phone was "garunteed" to be running in dual channel when if i bought it @ 3gb.

Sadly, as all things must, i dedcided to look into the laptop a bit more, and found out the the 8600m GT was more of a piece of junk than the 8600gt for the pc was in terms of performance over the previous gen cards. so i started my quest anew, looking for something with a bit more.. .umph. i looked at sagar, clevo, dell, alienware, and the ilk, but was rather dismayed at what th esystem offered in terms of screen size, price, various capacities, processor upgrade availability, GPUs etc for the price. rather dismayed, i happened across a post regarding the Gateway P-6831fx. i remembered seeing this in a best buy ad, and decided at the time it was too costly. i wasn't exactly looking to pay $1300 for a laptop at the time, i was looking for something ultimately cheap. this unit however, the more i read into it, started to blow my mind. The specs:

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista? Home Premium (32-bit)
Processor: Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor T5450 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)1
Memory: 3072MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (1-1024MB & 1-2048 MB module)
Hard Drive: 250GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive w/ 8MB cache2
Display: 17.0" WXGA+ Ultrabright TFT Active Matrix (1440 x 900 max. resolution)
Color: FX Design with Copper Core Accent
Chassis: Intel? PM965 Chipset
Optical Drive: 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM featuring Labelflash? Technology3
Web Camera: Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
Adapter: 120 Watt AC Adapter
Application Software: Microsoft? Works 8.5, Microsoft? Money Essentials & Microsoft? Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial period)
Audio: High-Definition Audio- 2 Channel, Built-In speakers, embedded microphone, headphone/speaker jack, and microphone jacks
Backup Media: Cyberlink Power2Go (for Windows Vista? Home Premium and Ultimate)
Battery: Primary 9 Cell Lithium Ion battery (2600mAH) w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warranty
Bluetooth: Bluetooth? 2.0+EDR
Digital Media Manager: 5-in-1 Digital Media Manager (Memory Stick? (MS), Memory Stick? Pro, Multi Media Card? (MMC), Secure Digital? (SD), xD-Picture Card)
Dimensions: (Box) 19" (H) x 6.5" (W) x 15.5" (D) or 483mm (H) x 165mm (W) x 394mm (D)
Dimensions: (System) 1.3"-1.70" (H) x 15.75" (W) x 11.75" (D) or 33-43mm (H) x 400mm (W) x 298mm (D)4
Expansion Slots: One ExpressCard? Type 54 Expansion Slot
External Ports: (3) USB 2.0, VGA Connector, V1.2 HDMI Connector, IEEE 1394 Firewire Port, e-SATA and Kensington Lock Slot
Finished Goods: Cyberlink Label Printer for Windows Vista
Finished Goods: Brushed-metal precision-touch multimedia control panel, featuring smooth-cut keys and touch-sensitive volume adjustment.
Integrated Modem: 56k ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port)
Integrated Network: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Keyboard: Integrated Keyboard
Keyboard and Mouse: Full-Size Keyboard, Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll and Dedicated Multimedia Panel
Operating System Backup Media: Windows Vista? Home Premium Backup Media (32-bit)
Security Software Norton Internet Security? (60-day live updates)
Video: NVIDIA? GeForce? Go 8800GTS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory
Weights: 8.34 lbs. (3.78 kg) system unit only / 12.41 lbs. (5.63 kg.) box
Wireless Network: Integrated Intel? 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wireless Networking

What the duce? what kind of idiot pairs a 1.66Ghz processor with an 8800GTS? and for 1300$ nonethe less! i'm sold! especially since finsing out the processor is of the new socket P platform, and the chipset already supports the new T9x00 series processors out of the box! SWEET! howver, apparently, only best buy sells the unit, which i found odd. even odder, is that NO one else is selling an 8800GTS PEROID. but, nvidia verified with me that it is indeed a video card that is made, and is based off the G84 Die.

[darth_nevus]

So i go on my merry way to find one. i stop into one of the many local best buys in the area, find the display unit, and go on my way to find a sales clerk.i tell the guy, THIS IS WHAT I WANT. he he grabs the shelf tag, and runs on his little way. 20 minutes later he comes back. empty handed. apparently, they have been sold out for 3 weeks now of the unit, but won't sell the display unit or take it down. add to that, apparently, its not available at any of the other 5 local stores, AND its not available at the warehouse.

Just my luck. i FINALLY find a laptop I like, at a price that isn't going to get me killed with th ewife, and its no where near to be found. so i ask the guy when i can find out if they will get more, and they tell me to contact gateway.

For those of you who don't know, Gateway is now owned by ACER, and owns Emachines themselves. so i contact gateway, and after many bad phonecalls, sales men trying to give me a laptop i didn't want at a price i couldn't pay, i decided to email them ,as it was absorbing ALL my time. yet again, here is an excript of of said conversation.

i have contacted my local best buy retailer. all 6 of them. all six told me i needed to contact your retails sales dept. please give me the phone number, email address, anything to get ahold of them to find out when more are being sent to the best buy warehouse. there curent info is that they are waiting on more from your retail division. all i want to know is when.

>>************************************************ ************************
>>Hello Andrew,

>>Thank you for your reply. I appreciate this opportunity to assist you
>>again. Andrew, we do not have the contact information of the
>>procurement department or supply personnel for our retail partners. The
>>local Best Buy in your area should have knowledge or information as to
>>when is the next schedule of supply for the said computer model. I am
>>sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. Please note that you
>>can avail of some discounts when you order the comparable computer model
>>we currently offer.

>>For more information or to place your order, please contact a Gateway
>>Consultant at the address below.

>>https://support.gateway.com/Support/...rade.asp?id=31
>>720288

>>Simply click the link above to contact a Gateway Consultant. If you are
>>unable to click the link follow these steps to copy and paste the link.

>>1. Highlight the entire link starting with http:
>>2. Right click on the highlighted text
>>3. Select copy from the menu
>>4. Right click on the location field in your browser
>>5. Select Paste from the menu
>>6. Press Enter

>>Consultants are available everyday between 5:00 a.m. CST and 2:00 a.m.
>>CST.

>>Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this
>>issue. If your reply is received while I am out of the office, to
>>ensure a speedy resolution, your issue will be handled by one of my
>>colleagues.

>>Thank you.

>>Carson
>>Badge GWPC092
>>Online Customer Support Team
>>Gateway

Unles you are selling the P-6831FX model to one of your other "retail" partners, ONLY best buy has this model. they are the ones i contacted, GATEWAY is who they told me to contact. how do i get ahold of this dept. i can understand YOU don't have the info, but there has to be someway of finding someone down there who does.


>>************************************************ ************************
>>Hello Andrew,

>>Thank you for your reply. I appreciate this opportunity to be of
>>assistance again. Andrew, I am really sorry but I do not have access to
>>such information. If you want, you inquire further with our other
>>retail partners that may also be available in your area which also
>>carries the computer you want. Listed below are our retail partners
>>that sell Gateway branded products:

>>-AAFES(Air Force, Marines)(Gateway branded products)
>>-Amazon (Gateway branded products)
>>-Best Buy (Gateway branded products)
>>-Circut City (Gateway branded products)
>>-CompUSA (Gateway branded products)
>>-Costco (Gateway branded products)
>>-Fry?s (eMachines branded products)
>>-Good Guys (Gateway branded products)
>>-Home Shopping Network (Gateway branded products)
>>-Micro Center (Gateway branded products)
>>-Office Depot (Gateway branded products)
>>-Sam?s (Gateway branded products)
>>-Staples(Gateway branded products)

>>You may also send an e-mail to our sales staff at sales@gateway.com.
>>Again, please accept my apologies for the inconvenience this has caused
>>you.

>>Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this
>>issue. If your reply is received while I am out of the office, to
>>ensure a speedy resolution, your issue will be handled by one of my
>>colleagues.

>>Thank you.

>>Carson
>>Badge GWPC092
>>Online Customer Support Team
>>Gateway

************************************************** **********************
Hello Andrew,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate this opportunity to assist you
again. I have forwarded this matter to my immediate superior to check
and see if he also has access to the contact information of our retail
department that handles the supply flow of the said computer model you
mentioned. Please allow 24-48 business hours for any feedback. Your
patience is highly appreciated at this time.

Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this
issue. If your reply is received while I am out of the office, to
ensure a speedy resolution, your issue will be handled by one of my
colleagues.

Thank you.

Carson
Badge GWPC092
Online Customer Support Team
Gateway

This is to follow up on this case. I will need to direct you to contact
our retail support team for proper assistance to your inquiry.

http://www.emachines.com/support/options.html

Thank you.

Rex
Badge GWPC018
Online Customer Support Team
Gateway

FSDGFGJKDFLJFGH! This is where stupid meeds insanely stupid. when in doubt, refer your customer to emachines. Make that 2 companies who have no business selling PC's.

Anyway, fast forward some time, as i was busy fighting with best buy & gateway over the acceptable defination & use of the term "discontinued". i finally had it. i wanted my laptop. so i stormed my way into best buy. and after another long arguement involving 3 members of the geek squad, 2 members of the PC dept, the store manager, and 6 or 8 customers all chiming in to my side, my children and i were kindly escorted from the building. not surprising considering using a play on words i carefully manuevered their geek squad folks into telling customers there was no reason to buy any other laptops they had for sale because they were all junk compared to this one, causing a general scene, and still walked away without the laptop i wanted. so i called their customer support center. Low and behold after an hour of smart mouthed remarks, damands for managers, etc, they found me one. of course it was only 2 hours away!

To make a long enough story short, i managed to con the wife in driving down there, and purchased one of the last ones in michigan, and am now happily enjoying playing COD4 at all high settings, Oblivion at high settings, from a laptop i would never expect to be doing so on. this laptop is a best, albeit for a weakling processor, and not quote the screen resolution i'd hope for. but its pretty slick as it stands...


Enjoy!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1195599780039

-Darth

[Jeffro]

STORY OF THE YEAR! FTW! dude that so entertained me on a boring day in the office

[LIMEY]

FYI I have played COD 4 single player on this at lunch here in our office and Nevus is indeed correct when he says this is the dogs bollocks of 1300 laptops!

[Thrashdragon]

Great story. Glad you finally managed to get one. I've stopped shopping at Best Buy after spending several days attempting to purchase an LCD HDTV there. Of five different models they had on display, they didn't actually have any of them in stock.

[darth_nevus]

Great story. Glad you finally managed to get one. I've stopped shopping at Best Buy after spending several days attempting to purchase an LCD HDTV there. Of five different models they had on display, they didn't actually have any of them in stock.

lol i ran into the same thing. and her eis a convo i got when i tried to order it from tigerdirect.

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...
You have been connected to Abraheim A.
Abraheim A: thank you for contacting tigerdirect, how may i help you ?
darth nevus: i placed an item in my cart earlier, an LC-52D64U for $2299, and i come back,

and your system tells me it doesn't exist. where did it go?
Abraheim A: one second please
darth nevus: the link for some ultra expensive combo, @ 3699 makes reference to it, but the

unit itself, the Sharp Aquos simply does not appear, and it was removed from my cart.
Abraheim A: you did not get any confirmation e-mails in ur e-mail ?
darth nevus: i had not purchased the unit. iwas going to do that this afternoon.
Abraheim A: let me get ur phone number please
darth nevus: xxx-xxx-xxxx
darth nevus: er, sorry, xxx-xxx-xxxx
Abraheim A: im gonna look and try to bring up your account information to see if the order

went through for some odd reason, if not ill have you try and call us or check online in 30

minutes thats how long it takes to post to our systems
Abraheim A: hold for one moment please
darth nevus: i didn't order it. i placed it in my cart so i could order it LATER.
darth nevus: now the item simply does not exist on yourwebsite anymore,
darth nevus: basically, the TV in this link --

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...7974&CatId=281

5
Abraheim A: i undersand ,
darth nevus: was what i was TRYING to order, and then it says the tv is no longer available.
Abraheim A: im checking because we dont want duplicate orders
Abraheim A: hold one moment
Abraheim A: ok im not finding any results under that phone number and since the order seems

to have dissapeared and not gone through, and you did not get a e-mail confirmation i think

were ok on seeing if were gonna get double charges,
Abraheim A: i honestly could not tell you why its not in ur cart anymore, the only thing you

could do at this point is add it back
darth nevus: ok. your not listening. i did not complete the order. i am trying to buy the

TV. i CANNOT add it back since the link is no longer available.
Abraheim A: and call us at the tigerdirect number or after ur order check with-in 30 minutes

to double check ur order on the system
darth nevus:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...7974&CatId=281

5
darth nevus: i am trying toget the TV in that package without the rest of the crap.
Abraheim A: moment
darth nevus: i am trying to get the link from you so i can order the TV, without the rest of

the bundle, as it was the JUST the TV i added to my cart earlier for 2299. i don't want any

of the other stuff. JUST the TV.
Abraheim A: ok i see the sharp bundle here infront of me
darth nevus: right.
Abraheim A: ok one second
darth nevus: the TV was its own seperate item yesterday.
darth nevus: it was its own seperate item this morning.
Abraheim A: do you remember the product /item number listed for it on our site, when u added

it yesterday on its own ? its gonna be hard to find by sifting through
darth nevus: now, i can't find it, and the website removed it from my cart saying the link

no longer exists for that item.
darth nevus: all i did was went to search, and typed in "52D64U"
Abraheim A: im looking for that tv alone like you say and not having any luck , im still

looking though
Abraheim A: but the case may be , yes you added it to ur cart , but for some reson that

specific item is out of stock or not available for what ever reason , therefor it being

removed automatically from your cart
darth nevus: would you like your SKU number?
Abraheim A: yes please
darth nevus: 3322808
darth nevus: its also listed as S226-5204
Abraheim A: that must be the part number , not our listed part number i cant find it
Abraheim A: ok that one looks about right let me try it
Abraheim A: yes sir i see it is out of stock so im assuming what i said earlier is true, it

was automatically removed from your cart because it became out of stock
Abraheim A: its showing me here ...
Abraheim A: that the next order of those will be around this date
Abraheim A: 03/06/08
darth nevus: how can it be out of stock if its available in the bundle?
Abraheim A: cause the bundle is boxed with all the extras in a box from the factory, and

those are just in a single box alone , we cant take out a tv from the bundles sealed box ,

and only sell it
Abraheim A: the bundle comes already packages , and the single tv alone comes already

packaged
darth nevus: .... how is it the factory, SHARP, is adding competitors products to their own

box?
Abraheim A: *packaged
Abraheim A: basically , that bundle you see its own different package from the single tv you

originally ordered
darth nevus: i have NEVER seen this done.
darth nevus: right, but you said it came from the factory that way. i know for a fact it

didn'
darth nevus: t.
darth nevus: Sharp would never package THEIR TV with a competitiors surround sound system,

or a competitors remote control/
darth nevus: that would all be done on YOUR end, not Sharps, not tyhe "factory"'s
Abraheim A: i understand what ur saying sir , how can it come from the factory with yamaha

products in it , no it doesnt , but its part of the package deal , you cannot purchase it

alone unless under that specific sku or part number which is out of stock right now
Abraheim A: those tv's are specific for those package deals
darth nevus: forget it. you've managed to lose my business again due to piss poor business

tactics and crappy customer service.
Abraheim A: ok thank you
Abraheim A: have a nice day
Abraheim A: goodbye
darth nevus: but see, thats the wwhole point. the SKU for that TV was moved to the package,

so the TV still exists.
Abraheim A: sorry for the inconvience

i love saving all the dumb conversation i have with "tech smart" people.

[Zantheus]

yes I would say that was a pretty dumb person LOL...the same as THQ Support they didnt have any answers last week and the guy couldnt even tell me the ports used for the game I was havin issues with LOL

[WalkinTarget]

IN THIS CORNER, WEARING PINK TIGHTS AND FUZZY BUNNY SLIPPERS AND WEIGHING IN AT 2-..err.... 185 pounds ...... DARTHHHH, the Michigan Marauder, NEVUSSSSSS ...... NEVUSSSSSSS ....

*Crowd roars*

AND IN THIS CORNER ..... 3 members of the geek squad, 2 members of the PC dept, and the store manager of a local Michigan BEST BUY .... BUYYYYY !!!!

*Crowd boos*

Leeetttttttts get READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!




I've looked at this deal after Darth bought it, and Best Buy has raised the price of the lappy $325, as apparently somebody screwed up and sold it at a price that seems absurdly low. I'd be ticked if I was looking at it one day and the next it was $325 more !

[-IRC-MIKE]

LOL@ Dell's superbly inferior support agents. I posted a similar conversation I had with someone from dell. They won't even give you a usb driver for a mouse if you upgrade the OS and it doesn't match the service tag. IDIOTS! I will NEVER buy a Dell.

Don't even bother trying to plug a usb DELL mouse into any different machine and expect to get a driver directly from dell, either.

[Zantheus]

I've looked at this deal after Darth bought it, and Best Buy has raised the price of the lappy $325, as apparently somebody screwed up and sold it at a price that seems absurdly low. I'd be ticked if I was looking at it one day and the next it was $325 more !

Well why dont you have Darth email you the receipt and take it into your local BB and they will have to match it...that happened with a Sharp Aquos 42" LCD a friend of mine bought...they messed up on the webpage and he got it for $900 and he jus gave us the receipts and like 4 of us got the same deal

[ryanbatc]

Persistence FTW!

[Duke{CLR}]

That was a good read Darth I'm glad you found a laptop that fits your needs. It's always amusing when someone with knowledge actually talks to one of these moron sales people. The thing that irritated me the most was that the Dell guy used smiley's.

Another fun thing to do is to print up a page of an item from newegg and bring it to BB but only show it to him after he tell you he will match any price.