Dell Tries to Help Customers with Misleading GPU Info
Company says it never meant to mislead anyone.
If you're not one to keep up with the latest trends and technology developments, buying a computer can be pretty stressful. While you might be able to offer a friend in need some helpful advice on what kind of computer they need, not everyone has a friend they can turn to in times of tech turmoil, such as choosing a graphics solution. For these folk, Dell is doing its best to make the process easier, however, the company is apparently misleading customers instead of helping them.
Over the weekend, PC Pro pointed to a Reddit post that highlighted a pretty startling error on Dell's UK website. The page uses the following image in an attempt to demonstrate the difference between a 'standard graphics card' and a 'high-end graphics card.'
The monitor on the left, supposedly connected to a computer with a standard graphics cards, shows a desktop that is blurry and washed out. The monitor on the right, which is apparently displaying an image rendered by a high-end graphics card, shows the same image, but with sharper lines and brighter colours. PC Pro points out that Dell's apparent use of identical monitors in this illustration would suggest that the company is implying that your choice of graphics card will affect how even something as basic as your desktop is displayed.
Of course, though the difference between a 'standard' graphics card and a 'high-end' card is noticeable in many applications, an idle desktop is certainly not one of them. Dell presents this image alongside a choice of either the AMD Radeon HD 6350 or dual Radeon HD 6450 for customers purchasing the Dell Optiplex 790, but notes that the picture is for demonstrative purposes only. However, whether unintentional or not, the graphic is clearly misleading. If my sister, for example, were to look at this page, she would assume that everything, from desktop to web-browsing, would look awful if she were to choose the cheaper option. In reality, my sister, a person who uses her computer for mostly casual activities, would have no need for the pricier graphics solution.
Dell responded to PC Pro's article apologising for the confusion and insisting that it was never its intention to mislead customers. The company went on to say that the image had been removed from its global sites, however, the Verge reported that it was still available Monday morning and had been all weekend. At time of writing, we were unable to access the image, but Dell hasn't yet explained why it took three days for the image to be removed, even after it issued a statement to say it was already gone.
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Sad thing is, alot of companies mislead the general consumer that USUALLY is not correctly informed on what they are buying.
Line this dude, along with the new idiot in charge of Netflix, up so I can repeatedly kick them in the balls.
Just throw the guy in jail for 3 months - I'm seriously sick and tired of these lying bastards.
I love how the widgets on the right side were blurry too hahaha XD
This is what happens when your marketing department doesn't understand the hardware they are selling.
Someone probably asked "what's the difference between standard and high-end graphics", and someone else must have answered: the image is better.
And so this image was created.
Same thing happened with Apple when it showed on its commercials the iPhone in fast forward, supposedly in normal usage, misleading the customers. When people complained about it and threatened to take them to court they apologised and removed the ad. Sure at the bottom it said "video for illustrative purposes", but in font size 2 you could only read it with a telescope from 3 meters away...
Dell is averagely $800 cheaper than macbook pros. No wonder it comes with GPU that gives blurry screens.
Sad thing is, alot of companies mislead the general consumer that USUALLY is not correctly informed on what they are buying.
For instance: the new HP Envy. It's brings elegant & honest design. Unlike those uncreative liars at Apple who copy HP Envy's design.
we live in a world of lies. period.
For instance: the new HP Envy. It's brings elegant & honest design. Unlike those uncreative liars at Apple who copy HP Envy's design.
Dell is averagely $800 cheaper than macbook pros. No wonder it comes with GPU that gives blurry screens.
...I read both and couldn't believe it was from the same person :-P
Dell is averagely $800 cheaper than macbook pros. No wonder it comes with GPU that gives blurry screens.
I have an old 512KB Cirrus Logic ISA card at home. It wouldn't be able to even draw a Windows desktop today, but it still gives me as sharp image as with the most expensive videocard today... unless you got an analog screen and a bad videocable you won't see any blurry image with a modern videocard and DVI/HDMI/DP since it's a digital signal, the only thing that happens with a bad cable is signal loss.
A cheaper videocard won't give you a more washed out image, only a slower rendering rate at games and most intensive desktop applications.
These ads are in my experience written by idiots that couldn't tell the difference between a computer and a fridge, and they are put in a position to make an ad that guides the unknowning consumer to get the best product for their needs...
It's sad really.
that is the advertising department for you. They have no clue what they are actually advertising
Way to clear that right up, Dell!
Line this dude, along with the new idiot in charge of Netflix, up so I can repeatedly kick them in the balls. Just throw the guy in jail for 3 months - I'm seriously sick and tired of these lying bastards.
except it isn't a lying bastard. It is a advertising person who knows nothing about computers. Not many companies get the engineers involved in anything other than engineering work. Lay off the nerd rage for a minute and think about it.
ppl must buy the pc with the sharper display cuz it is better. my heart goes out to dell the awesome company who is helping the customer using photos to demonstrate how a blurry display is the proof of weaker system. if anyone thinks that the left one is not as weak as dell wants you to believe, you're thinking about it wrong!
the irony is in thy name, dell 'Opti'plex.
they couldnt show a game like crysis, on lowest, and than on highest setting?
so you know, crysis is the only game i know of that has such a huge difference between lowest setting and the highest, others add a bit of detail, but crysis is basically a different game.
except it isn't a lying bastard. It is a advertising person who knows nothing about computers. Not many companies get the engineers involved in anything other than engineering work. Lay off the nerd rage for a minute and think about it.
What kind of business doesn't review their own advertisements? I get that they usually hire some 3rd party, but for you to not actually review what bullshit they tried pulling, is beyond unacceptable.
Dell should've assigned competent people to actually validate these claims - because any idiot could've caught Waldo on this one.
Seriously, this is how it should go: 1.) Hey, make some advisement's for us Mr. 3rd party. 2.) Awesome - now let Dave who is the run of the mill tech around here see how this sizes up to reality. 3.) What's that?! Dave said that you have no clue what you're talking about, and are purposely trying to deceive those without a brain.
It would've taken Dave, the run of the mill tech guy 5 seconds to spot this BS out. You're telling me they don't have the time, or money to pay someone who knows what they're talking about, to validate this sort of stuff?
hmm so... reccomended gtx 560 or better for a clear background... you're going to need 580's in SLI for web browsing though
thanks dell didn't know that
Dell do nothing to solve confusion. don't they even get "special" models of GPU's made for them on occasion? I'm thinking like the way the 9600 had many different variations of "gs" with different memory and shader combinations that where in that family. Heck their page bases their GPU options on memory size! WTF? 1GB HD4650 with DDR2 is not faster than a 512mb HD4650 with DDR3 for example. Its easy to load a card up with slower memory and pretend that size matters. That doesnt help, alol you need is a general "first digit is generation, second digit is performance" then a link to notebookcheck.net
they couldnt show a game like crysis, on lowest, and than on highest setting? so you know, crysis is the only game i know of that has such a huge difference between lowest setting and the highest, others add a bit of detail, but crysis is basically a different game.
there are lots of games which vary greatly between the high and low settings
Dell...Monster Cable of PC
except it isn't a lying bastard. It is a advertising person who knows nothing about computers. Not many companies get the engineers involved in anything other than engineering work. Lay off the nerd rage for a minute and think about it.
Its not nerd rage, this industry goes out of its way to keep average computer buyers mislead about their products (or at least do nothing to discourage misconceptions) and has for years, though Dell is far from the worst offender. If its an honest mistake, then its incompetence. The idea that an advertiser won't step back for a moment, look at their work, and wonder "Is it even true?" is inexcusable.
Is Dell trying to call the HD 6450 "high end"?
So the options on that model Dell are a HD6350? What the heck is that, like a $10 video card, They dont even sell those on line? Or you can go big time and get dual HD6450s? Whats the point of that? What is the logic behind taking 2 of the slowest gpus AMD currently makes and putting them in Crossfire, even if you foud CF 4 of them you still could not play a modern game. Why not go with a single 6570 or something?
What am I missing? Is the optiplex a mini case or a low profile or something?
What kind of business doesn't review their own advertisements? I get that they usually hire some 3rd party, but for you to not actually review what bullshit they tried pulling, is beyond unacceptable.
Dell should've assigned competent people to actually validate these claims - because any idiot could've caught Waldo on this one.
Seriously, this is how it should go: 1.) Hey, make some advisement's for us Mr. 3rd party. 2.) Awesome - now let Dave who is the run of the mill tech around here see how this sizes up to reality. 3.) What's that?! Dave said that you have no clue what you're talking about, and are purposely trying to deceive those without a brain.
It would've taken Dave, the run of the mill tech guy 5 seconds to spot this BS out. You're telling me they don't have the time, or money to pay someone who knows what they're talking about, to validate this sort of stuff?
Yes, Dell should have assigned a competent person to take the advertisement back to the tech department, but they didn't. I can almost guarantee it. No company wants to get caught in a blatant lie, and Dell got called out on this one FAST. The conversation probably went.
Advertiser: "Hey tech department, why should an average user buy a better graphics card?"
Tech Guy:
Advertiser goes off and creates add without going back to tech guy since he thinks he understands everything now
Yes, it would take 5 seconds for the tech guy to spot it, but they probably never gave him a chance because they think they know what they are doing. I have the same problem at my work where they tell me that it'll take me 1 week to replace the USB with UDP communications, and then I end up with 2 people working 5 months to re-write the entire program because they had no clue what they were asking for. Even if you tell them it'll take much longer they don't want to hear it so they ignore you.
I'm not saying that this is how it is supposed to be, just how it typically is.
So how will Tom's demonstrate to the general public the differences between a cheap graphic card and a good one besides using games as a comparison.
Woah woah woah, wait. You have a sister? I don't believe you have ever shared this Jane.
A shame she did not inherit your interests... still I must ask is she single?
This is unbelievable. It looks like they took the same image and blurred it + lowered the contrast using photo gallery. Good job Dell for misunderstanding your own tech. I guess ignorance is bliss?
It reminds of the before and after photos in advertisements.
they couldnt show a game like crysis, on lowest, and than on highest setting?
The video cards they are offering would NOT be able to play crysis in any resolution....they are offering a bottom of the barrel obsolete card as the base and then offering to put 2 outdated (obsolete in the next few months) cards in CF mode....I don't even think 4 of those cards in CF would play crysis at more then 3-4 fps at lowest settings....
that's just an unfortunate byproduct of trying to sell hi-tech parts to people with no knowledge of that specific tech, and then trying to explain it to them as clearly and simply as possible, on a sales-oriented website rather than a technical one. the blurry desktop *was* rather dumb but then, who hasn't had a mental fart?