On XPS machines with an x800xt, (and some others too) pretty much no modern 3D games will run for more than a hour or so at most without the machine locking up and requiring a hard reset.

AIUI Dell are aware of the issue but are having difficulty replicating it.

thanks for the reply. are other companies having the same problem? if hardware is the same in comparable systems...i would think it is a software issue. since this problem does not seem to have a fix yet, should i hold off on purchasing the dell gen 3? thanks again.

munseyboi,

I think it is a driver problem. Ati writes our drivers. We are waiting for them. The Ati Catalyst 4.9's fixed many Doom 3 issues.

You "think" it's a driver problem? So much for the testing phase of the Dell manufacturing process. You have an awful lot a Dell customers around who are experiencing problems because Dell released a product to market that wasn't sufficiently tested.

Sorry if I sound a little bitter but like countless others who are posting on these forums, I have spent hours and hours on the phone with tech support. Unfortunately I've been trying to fix an issue that should have been caught if someone from Dell actually spent a couple of minutes trying out a prototype.

So my advice to anyone thinking of purchasing an XPS or 8400...HOLD OFF !Unless you want to spend $2k - $3k to be a beta tester.

Great feedback Whitey, I am one of those consumers debating a 8400 purchase or XPS purchase.  However, at this point I will wait until others post feedback stating their systems are working correctly and back online fragging.

I thought most computer makers, "burn in" their systems to see if they are capable of running intense programs such as Doom3, Joint Operations and Far Cry.  The whole reason gamers are scrammbling to buy new computers is so they will be ready for these new games. 

Dell take my advice, test your computers on Doom3, Far Cry, Half Life2 and Joint Operations.  If the 8400 or XPS cannot handle these graphics intensive systems without crashing, your go-to-market strategy should not be to gamers. 

It is a legally dangerous to make claims on a innovative product that does not deliver on its promise - especially when dealing with the online gaming community.

I hope Dell will take the right course of action and fix the issues before releasing anymore non-functional machines.