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18 R1, motherboard
Good evening everyone,
My Alienware 18 motherboard just died after 6 years. I was suggested to remove the service tag reference, even though I don't think it matters anymore, since the laptop is dead, so I'll just post down the relevant specs:
Unfortunately, there's little option but simply dispose, which is causing me to be really frustrated, as it is a beautiful piece of hardware. Would anybody have any suggestion on what to do with it rather than dispose, or would anybody want to buy it just for the spare parts?
Hard-Drive - I replaced it 1 year ago, so I removed my hard-drive. The original doesn't exist anymore.
Battery - Still the original and it's been dead for years. I could only use the laptop while plugged.
Motherboard - Died a few days ago.
Everything else looks like new. If you have any thoughts, please e-mail me on . I've never had any problem with my laptop until its sudden death and I can't think of anything but want to cry, because I loved it regardless being obsolete compared to what is in the market today.
Regards,
mattyb3
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May 7th, 2020 14:00
Where do you live? I love buying broken Alienware laptops and repairing them but the motherboards for these are still very expensive so it's probably only worth being used for parts. The problem is that if the machine is dead then it's hard to know what parts are still working unless you have another machine for testing.
What makes you think it's the motherboard? What is it doing or not doing?
flavio.abrao
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May 7th, 2020 19:00
I was using the laptop and it suddenly turned off and would not turn back on again.
I verified and noticed that the power jack smelled like burn, then I also noticed that the green light from the source, was off.
At first, I thought the problem was the source, but after disconnecting it from the power jack and disconnecting it from the socket, and plugging it back to the socket, the light went green again.
I concluded that the source was fine. Then when I plugged into the power jack, it immediately turned off again.
I sent it for repair and I told them in advance that I thought the problem was only the power jack. Upon verification, they told me the motherboard was also damaged and required to be replaced. The tried to look for reliable suppliers but could not find anything. I contacted DELL and they also told me there's nothing they can do about it, as the product has been discontinued.
Answering the main question. I live in St. John's - NL, Canada. The laptop was purchased in Singapore and it was a limited time sale. It costed an astronomic amount of 5.000 SGD back in 2014, as it was the best gaming laptop during that time, with its dual GTX 880M.
mattyb3
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May 7th, 2020 22:00
If the power adapter light turns off when it is plugged into the machine then there is a short somewhere. Obviously a burning smell is a pretty bad thing.
Computer repairers aren't always great at diagnosing issues with Alienware laptops as many of them don't have much experience with them. It does sound like the MOSFETS on the board have fried though. I had a 17 R1 that did the same thing. I'm sure they pulled it apart and it would be easy to see the exploded chips. It's hard to know what else was damaged because if there was a power spike through the board then it's possible that other components have been affected.
I'd definitely buy it from you but unfortunately I'm in Australia.
If I was you I would learn how to pull the motherboard out so you can see if there are any burned out chips. Firstly you can try removing both GPU's and see if you can get it to boot. It is possible that the primary GPU failed and is causing the short. I've had one that has done that before and caused the power adapter light to turn off when plugged in.
If that doesn't work then you have a few options;
1. Buy a new motherboard from ebay for around $300
2. Sell the machine as Not Working, for parts for probably $400
3. Remove the components and sell them separately (CPU, GPU's, RAM, even cables, fans, heatsinks, keyboard and LCD).
If you sell the parts separately you'd either have to sell them as Not Tested, Unknown Condition or find another compatible machine and test them. If you can confirm they work then they are worth decent money.
flavio.abrao
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May 8th, 2020 04:00
I'll unplug the GPUs and try to boot and will also check the transistors.
Send me an e-mail so we can trade phone numbers and communicate through whatsapp if you want to.
I'll send you pictures so you ca judge if it's even worth shipping it to you. As long as you pay for the freight, it's yours.
mattyb3
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May 8th, 2020 06:00
Looks like Dell removed your email address.
mattyb3
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May 8th, 2020 06:00
Sent you a PM
flavio.abrao
8 Posts
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May 8th, 2020 17:00
Hi Matt,
I'll stop flooding your e-mail.
First of all, I want to thank you immensely for your help and I am very sorry for bugging you like a maniac!
I did what you told me to do, removed the GPUs and after a few trials and errors, I got the laptop to turn on and fully working (mouse / keyboard, etc.)
Only problem I see is... Can I assume that the GPUs are dead and need to be replaced?
If affirmative, what would you recommend? I have an ignorant feeling that it is not as simple as buying new ones and connect them like a "plug and play". If you can list down a few / send some links, if this is what must be done, I trully appreciate. I'll try to find a video no youtube on how to properly replace the GPUs if this is what must be done.
Now I am very intrigued and feel like confronting the company I sent the laptop to be repaired, as there were absolutely no signs that the laptop was opened and obviously, after inspecting it, I could not identify any fried components.
Dell should actually hire you and make you head of support, so you can teach them how to treat and value their customers that spend 4-5k dollars on their laptops. Just because it's obsolete, it absolutely does NOT mean you're supposed to throw it away.
Again, thank you very much!
mattyb3
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May 9th, 2020 02:00
Hi Flavio. I’m very happy you got your machine working. Replacing a GPU isn’t a hard task if you get some good advice and watch a few videos.
Thanks for the kind words. Tinkering with these old laptops is a hobby of mine in my rare spare time but a job with Dell would be interesting
Happy to keep helping you so don’t worry about the emails. Definitely check out NotebookReview though. Still a good bunch of people there who are very helpful.
U2CAMEB4ME
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May 9th, 2020 05:00
Welcome to the Dell Community @flavio.abrao
Nice piece of diagnosing a system.
Most people don't have the time or patience to Shot Gun a system.
@mattyb3
You mention repairing systems???
This may help you in the future.
https://www.laboneinside.com/category/laptop-schematic-diagrams/
Best regards,
U2
RuskinF
272 Posts
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May 9th, 2020 07:00
You use the remaining hardware of the laptop as spare part. Nobody would buy a device whose motherboard cannot be replaced.
So use the spare parts for your garage projects.
No offence.
Regards.
mattyb3
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May 10th, 2020 14:00
@U2CAMEB4ME Thanks for the link. Unfortunately my repair skills don't go as far as requiring schematics. I wish I had these skills/training. I can't even use a multimeter very well. All I can do is try to diagnose issues based on what the machine is doing and then try a few fixes. It helps to have extra parts to test.
I just like helping people out so they don't have to throw away expensive or sentimental machines when 'computer repair shops' have told them it's dead.