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Oh no... something came off my motherboard! Am I sunk?
My 'free' Alienware might not end up being quite so free after all.
When putting the second video card back into my system (with the longer Crossfire bridge this time), I dropped a screw onto the motherboard. I have one of those telescoping magnetic things that helps you retrieve metal things, but when I used it to collect my errant screw, something else came with it!
One of the little capacitors came right up off the motherboard with the screw! I can see where it went and it came up very cleanly but it's definitely not connected to the board anymore.
Is this something that can be repaired? Can this little connector be re-soldered? Or do I just have to get a new motherboard? Can someone tell me what motherboard is in the Alienware Area 51 machine? The technical documents I can download from Dell don't give me enough detail to tell me exactly which motherboard this is to replace it, nor do they give me a schematic to tell me what this little capacitor does. We are, of course, out of warranty. Please, any help you can give me would be appreciated.
Edit: Still looking around and I might have found the kind of motherboard I have, (Dell Alienware Area 51 J560M i7) but still wanting on the schematic that might tell me exactly what this little capacitor thingy does. Interestingly enough, while looking around the internet for pictures of this board, I found one for sale that says it works perfectly which is also missing this capacitor.
I chanced turning the computer on and I'm not getting any beep codes. Any idea if I would do something permanent to this mobo if I try running it as is?
Cass-Ole
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December 22nd, 2014 18:00
j560m is the v1 board, xdj4c is v2. Either are your best hope for qwik & painless. An eBay vendor says they have some new j560m's: I would write for a detailed explanation & form of guarantee over how the claim is verifiable if new's what you require.
There's a tv-electronics repairman down the street from me & a pc shop up the street. Either can handle that repair yours need in 5 minutes I'd think. Your local shops too I'm sure. Calls on the phone can reveal their level of expertise, email your photo etc.
Newer hardware, different hardware, depends on your budget. Here I've tried to get it all said & you've my sympathy for it. The salesgirls over on AlienwareArena are afraid of it, so, tread lightly:
I myself would like a new Sabertooth z97 w/4970k since I plan to skip Haswell-E & wait for Broadwell. I prefer an Asus board when I swap, but I'm into dragons so an MSI board would suit me fine. Understand if you swap, I do not prefer to stay bogged down in others ventures, it is a tricky affair if it wants to be, or goes smoothe w/out issue. I do not have windows 8 information since I've shunned it. A new board will need 6-8 sata ports. The rest you find out from reading. New x99 Haswell-E may be a possibility to look into also: I'm still on Z87 so, can vouch for it.
Call for a repair, then look into the eBay offering, then approach a swap-out based on budget & any Nestea-plunge courage you gather from reading.
aksjdlf
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December 2nd, 2014 17:00
I'm adding a picture of the spot where this little capacitor / resistor was. There is another one just like it immediately below this one. They are just beside the #5 PCI slot. Hope this helps.
Tesla1856
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December 2nd, 2014 18:00
likely a SMT electrolytic capacitor. Notice the board markings for + (and other side is -).
Personally, I would just solder it back on (in proper orientation) ... but you have to know how to solder (really well [:)] , since it's SMT).
If it's for the adjacent PCIe slot, then that slot might not work (with it missing). However, it looks like it might be in circuit with that adjacent black chip.
aksjdlf
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December 2nd, 2014 21:00
I can solder, but not sure if I'm quite that good - or if I've got a small enough iron. The orientation won't be too hard because there's a little plate under it that has a sort of rounded top that matches the outline. Even the tabs on the capacitor are intact. I'll call around to see if there's any shops around that would be willing to do that.
And keep my fingers crossed. Yikes!
aksjdlf
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December 21st, 2014 15:00
I think we've decided to replace the motherboard on this machine just to be on the safe side. I've been looking online for potential replacements and they don't seem to have anything new available. If you were replacing a motherboard on this Alienware Area 51 from late 2009, what would you put into it? Is there a comparable newer board out there that you'd recommend for this machine?
aksjdlf
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December 22nd, 2014 21:00
Awesome! This is exactly what I needed!
Most of the J560m boards I found were refurbs and I was a little leery of them because of it. I figured that, since I was having to get a new board anyway, might as well trade up, right? I'll take you up on that TV repairman suggestion - we've still got the capacitor and while I'm a little nervous about trying the repair myself (my soldering skills are a little green), those guys should be able to handle it easily. Even if we trade up, I'll have a workable backup, right? ;)
This link and the suggestions are spot on - I'll dive in and read - thank you so much for your wisdom!