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125485
M17x-R3, random black screen crash problem, warranty renewel question.
Hi Everyone,
I went all out last year and purchased a M17x r3 from dell with maxed out specs (at the time) which cost me an absolute fortune. It didn't matter the price as long as the product was worth it. For the first while the computer was a beast, I enjoyed having company over so I could show off the specs, the 3d screen, the nice lighting effects. About 6 months later I started having some issues with a BSOD, unfortunately I was told I would have to reformat which I did and it seemed to have fixed the issues. After the reformat, things were fine for quite some time until the charge stopped charging. The computer wouldn't read the charger at all, it would dock but it wouldn't charge. I wouldn't be able to play games at full speed whatsoever, after unplugging and replugging over and over the charger seemed to work fine. This lasted approximately 6 months and then my warranty went. After the warranty conveniently ran out, this is where my problems started. The charger wouldnt read whatsoever, I contacted dell who said it was either the battery, the charger, or the mobo. I took a chance and spent $120 on a charger I had to wait a few weeks for. Well I guess I took the right chance, charger came in and all was well. About a week later my computer would randomly black screep and sound loop. Not very often, a couple times a month, forcing me to hard reset. After this it happened more frequently, and now it happens every day. I was told I should clean the vents (which I had been doing weekly) and repaste the cpu and gpu which I had done by professionals. No change at all, I paid another tech to attempt to figure it out, voltage is fine, temps are fine, he thinks it might be the video card. After looking frantically online for some sort of answer, the only one I have found is that many people have this exact same problem and apparently its the video card. With the price of the computer and all the parts and work I've had to have done on it its running over $4000, that's $4000 for something i've had 1 year and a half. That's an absolute joke. I'm very disappointed with this product now, as well as the service. I contacted dell.ca for upgrade options about a month ago, figuring if I needed another video card I may as well get a better one. No reply whatsoever. I'm sure no one has an answer as to what I should do, but I did notice on dells site it says I can pay to renew the warranty. How does this work exactly? if I pay to renew the warranty will they cover this issue? will I be able to send it in for replacement parts? If someone could help me out with some info I'd be so thankful. It makes me sick thinking i've spend all this money on a doorstop. Thank you in advance.
Brad
DoubleGeeBar
30 Posts
3
February 4th, 2014 18:00
m17xr3 with black screening issue : did anyone ever find the culprit ? read many posts of many different m17 users that had the same problem ... certainly by now there should be a more common culprit found ; please inform me as to what was the problem for most people ! thanks !
HeyCtan
2 Posts
0
February 15th, 2014 18:00
I too have this same issue. I have the same model Alienware.
In regards to this particular model, around 2012 or so, customers with the GTX 580m graphics card received a letter that there was a "known problem" with the heat sync and the graphics card. There was a factory recall where I had a technician come to my house and replace it for free. This resolved my overheating issue and low frame rates when over heating for a couple of months until my computer eventually stopped working completely.
Of course my computer had just ended its warranty by this time so I paid the $450 to get it repaired though the Out of Warranty department. I got the computer back but received little to no help in regards to re-installing all the necessary drivers. It was literally all of them, had to re-install my OS and everything. I would have hoped that paying $450 for this service that they would help me out or at least do it for me. After much aggravation and helplessness, I eventually got through to someone at Alienware that would help me instead of telling me "I was still out of warranty so they can't help me" despite them being the ones who caused this problem in the first place.
Now it wasn't until recently that I started getting the black outs with my computer followed by the random frame drops and overheating issues. Now I grant you, I am not inconsiderate when it comes to the maintenance of my laptop. I dropped a little over $3000 for this computer so I'm going to take care of it. I don't leave it on overnight, I don't expose it to unnecessary dust, etc.
When the technician came to repair the part he said that if there was anything further that was wrong with this laptop that I should fight for some sort of relief when it comes to fixing it. The fact that it was a "known problem" basically establishes that Alienware sent us a defective product in the first place. We all spent money on a defective product. Despite their attempt to make this right, the damage has already been done and it clearly hasn't resolved the issue for myself and many other unsatisfied customers.
To Long; Didn't Read:
Customers who bought the Alienware M17x R3 were sold a defective product. We should be compensated for this issue and shouldn't matter if we are or aren't in warranty when this was not our faults in the first place. This is defective hardware and many others with this issue have stated their claims to tech support with little to no relief. We should not be held accountable for something that was out of our hands in the first place. Again, we were sold a defective product. If it were a couple people with this issue, I would understand. But almost everyone is having this issue that received this model.
bliket
4 Posts
0
February 16th, 2014 07:00
This is exactly why people buy warranties. If you bought something for $3,000 why not send the extra money on a warranty.
Alienware laptops have top of the line components and sometimes that amazing graphics card which just came out a year ago may not last very long vs a slow graphics card that is tried and tested.
Dell is under no obligation to fix anything out of warranty even if it is an issue everyone is experiencing. This isn't the automobile industry.
Oh and my Alienware m17x r3 is still doing great (no issues and still under warranty), my brother uses it now since I upgraded to the Alienware 18
HeyCtan
2 Posts
0
February 17th, 2014 00:00
The primary fact that it was declared a "known problem", they sent out letters explaining so, and they sent out technicians to fix this problem.
Why should we, as customers, continue to dish out money on something that was broken in the first place? If there wasn't a recall on it, I could justify spending money to insure the longevity of my laptop.
It is absolutely they're obligation to fix their product when they're product is faulty in the first place. Dell, like any other company, wants to advertise that what they're selling is what they claim it to be. I cannot stress the fact enough that they knew this product was defective. They wouldn't have sent technicians to the homes of everyone with this issue otherwise.
How fortunate that your laptop is still functioning, but for the rest of us struggling with this issue we just want our moneys worth.