Dell & Software Support

I've had an ongoing issue (going on months now) with an Inspiron 9300
which, since I got it, has not been able to play 3D games properly; all
manifest the same behaviour, which is the graphics pausing every few
seconds. At first I thought it was due to online lag, but it shows up
in any game, no matter how old or whether or not it uses networking.

Corresponding with support, I've tried everything, including completely
wiping and re-installing the machine (leaving off any bloatware),
installing the latest drivers, and installing _only_ a few test games
to try.

Nothing has worked, and Dell support are saying I must now pay for
"software support". As I've pointed out to them, how can the issue be
software if it happens for _all_ games, and if there is no interfering
software on my machine?

They appear to assume that, since the Dell diagnostics run on the
laptop passed, that the machine is fine. However, none of these
diagnostic test the 3D capabilities of the card; just whether or not it
can print text and display correct colours.

Does any out there who's gone through Dell software support tell me (a)
what they actually do and (b) what they charge? Also, can anyone tell
me what steps outside that I can take now? I'm pretty much on the verge
of going to the Irish small claims courts.

P.

.

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