We're Sending Out My Laptop Today
By Yuki
@yukimori (10144)
United States
June 12, 2023 10:07am CST
Yes, the new new one I got in April as a replacement for the one that had the Wi-Fi card issues. 
It started off fine, but after the return window closed the screen started briefly flickering every so often. I thought a driver update fixed it, but that only worked for a couple of days. I was just going to live with it (it wasn't actually disrupting anything)...
...then the darn thing started randomly freezing. It froze at startup. It froze while I was trying to check my Windows updates. It froze when I woke it from sleep. So I checked it in for one of my coworkers to look at, and amazingly it wouldn't stop freezing while we were checking it in. A few days of diagnostics later, we have our likely culprit: the discrete graphics card. It's an RTX 4070 and they recorded a very large lag spike during the graphics diagnostics, which basically shouldn't ever happen.
So it's off to either our service center or the manufacturer. Honestly, I'm hoping that it's our service center and they just decide to junk it out and send me a gift card to replace it. We have one of the model I returned in stock and I liked it way more than this one... even if this one is technically the better laptop. 
In other news, as this is the third laptop in a row I've bought myself that has issues, my husband says he's going to choose my next one. 
It started off fine, but after the return window closed the screen started briefly flickering every so often. I thought a driver update fixed it, but that only worked for a couple of days. I was just going to live with it (it wasn't actually disrupting anything)...
...then the darn thing started randomly freezing. It froze at startup. It froze while I was trying to check my Windows updates. It froze when I woke it from sleep. So I checked it in for one of my coworkers to look at, and amazingly it wouldn't stop freezing while we were checking it in. A few days of diagnostics later, we have our likely culprit: the discrete graphics card. It's an RTX 4070 and they recorded a very large lag spike during the graphics diagnostics, which basically shouldn't ever happen.
So it's off to either our service center or the manufacturer. Honestly, I'm hoping that it's our service center and they just decide to junk it out and send me a gift card to replace it. We have one of the model I returned in stock and I liked it way more than this one... even if this one is technically the better laptop.
In other news, as this is the third laptop in a row I've bought myself that has issues, my husband says he's going to choose my next one. 5 people like this
5 responses
@RebeccasFarm (86777)
• United States
12 Jun
You know these days it seems quality in workmanship is severely lacking..sorry this happened again Yuki..that totally sucks.
2 people like this
@yukimori (10144)
• United States
14 Jun
Ugh, tell me about it. Should have just sent the other one off to service and saved the additional headache.
I got approval to return this new one even though it's way past the return period now, but my husband's going to take it. I'm going to rebuy the one I actually liked as long as nobody beats me to it. 
I got approval to return this new one even though it's way past the return period now, but my husband's going to take it. I'm going to rebuy the one I actually liked as long as nobody beats me to it. 1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86777)
• United States
15 Jun
@yukimori Oh good, did you get it Yuki?
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10144)
• United States
15 Jun
@RebeccasFarm I didn't, but only because I ended up covering a shift for a coworker. Maybe tomorrow.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170165)
• United States
12 Jun
Oh what a pain! I am still using the Chromebook since my laptop crashed. It is pretty functional, and less to worry about than with a windows based system. Although at some point will probably need to switch to a "real computer."
2 people like this
It sounds SO incredibly frustrating though, so I hope they are swift in making it right for you.@yukimori (10144)
• United States
14 Jun
I actually got approval to return it even though it's way past the return period, but I talked to my husband yesterday and he's totally fine with taking it as a replacement for his current laptop. The one that's in stock is actually the exact same laptop I returned, just back from the service center with no issues after having a firmware update applied... so either today or tomorrow I'm going to end up rebuying it and call it good.
On the bright side of things he's no longer vehemently opposed to open box laptops, since the one that just went out to service was brand new and still had issues.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
13 Jun
You didn't do anything wrong... Things just happen. 
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10144)
• United States
14 Jun
Oh, I know, but I'm kicking myself for taking my coworker's advice and returning the first one instead of sending it out to be serviced. 
The one that's in stock is actually the exact same one that I brought back. They sent it out to the service center and it looks like they just applied a firmware update that completely fixed the issue. At least it wasn't a publicly available one... I tried all those with no success.
Assuming nobody beats me to it I'm just going to go rebuy that one either today or tomorrow. I got approval to return the other one even though it's way out of policy, but I think my husband's going to keep it for himself instead.
The one that's in stock is actually the exact same one that I brought back. They sent it out to the service center and it looks like they just applied a firmware update that completely fixed the issue. At least it wasn't a publicly available one... I tried all those with no success.
Assuming nobody beats me to it I'm just going to go rebuy that one either today or tomorrow. I got approval to return the other one even though it's way out of policy, but I think my husband's going to keep it for himself instead. 1 person likes this
@yukimori (10144)
• United States
14 Jun
@DaddyEvil Oh, no, I 1000% recognize that I'm being absolutely ridiculous about this whole thing and it's entirely my own fault because if I'd just been a little more patient... 
I wish I had access to those updates, but it's not something available for any of the in-store folks. Maybe someday. I'm kind of up in the air about where I want to go from here, because on one hand I like doing the hands-on work with fixing tech issues but on the other it's kind of ridiculously satisfying to be able to just run a Windows update and boom, client's laptop display is suddenly working without bright green lines across everything.
I wish I had access to those updates, but it's not something available for any of the in-store folks. Maybe someday. I'm kind of up in the air about where I want to go from here, because on one hand I like doing the hands-on work with fixing tech issues but on the other it's kind of ridiculously satisfying to be able to just run a Windows update and boom, client's laptop display is suddenly working without bright green lines across everything. 1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
14 Jun
@yukimori Oh, wow! I'm sorry but that's just funny! 
I used to have access to updates before they were issued... I wish I still had access to all that type of thing. *sigh*
Good luck getting that one back.
I used to have access to updates before they were issued... I wish I still had access to all that type of thing. *sigh*
Good luck getting that one back.1 person likes this
My husband has generously offered to take the one I don't like off my hands when it comes back from being serviced... all so I can have the one I really liked. 