17 R3, no power

Question

Hi all.

My 6yrs-old 17 R3 just suddenly turned off while gaming. Won't power back on, no LEDs, no beeps, neither burnt smell nor spark sounds. 2nd time this happened. 1st one was about a year ago, but was able to power back on after letting it rest for a few hours.

Tried powering it back on the next day, still no power, no life. While plugged, blue LED on charger was still there. Read some posts about trying a CMOS reseat, but was unable to unscrew the last screw due to being stripped. Sent the unit to a Dell-accredited service center, asked if they required my AC adapter/charger to go with it but they said it wasn't necessary. Took them a while to diagnose (without even opening up anything) and eventually quoted me with a $1000 shorted-mobo-replacement issue. Took my unit back home, tried to power it back on again, but when I was plugging my AC adapter, the blue LED would now disappear (unlike before I sent it to the service center). Could they have bricked my laptop for good?

Anyway, was able to eventually unscrew the mobo a few days later, checked anything that might be burnt or out of the ordinary like bloated capacitors, to which I noticed none. Checked for forum posts / knowledge base / reddit threads and did most if not all that were suggested, to no avail.

I was planning to upgrade to a gaming desktop anyway but for this to happen right now when my finances are dangerously tight really is a bummer for me. Was hoping there are ways that I can still salvage this that I might have missed. Hoping to use this for at least a few more months before I can afford the desktop rig.

P.S.

What can I do to the other remaining functional parts (SSD, 32gb RAMs, Wifi card, etc) since they won't be compatible to desktops anyway?

Thank you all for your time. Sorry for the long post.

mattyb3 · Answer

If the adapter light goes off then it's almost always a short on the motherboard. Whether or not they did it, it's impossible to say. It does seem like the problem was already there before they looked at it but it's weird that the light stayed on when you had it.

$1000 for a replacement board is not a good deal (if you're talking USD). Go to parts-people and check the part numbers for the different boards and then check eBay to see what's available. They don't seem to have any stock

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=151&subid=572&refine=motherboard

The old SSD should be compatible with a desktop but everything else isn't. If you don't want to repair the laptop then you could part it out to raise some cash. If you believe that the LCD is working then that should bring some decent money as well as things like the keyboard, memory, ribbon cables and other bits and pieces.

You could take the motherboard to a repairer that does board level repairs but it would be expensive and they may not be able to fix it after you spends $100's trying.

There is another option. You could contact someone like TronicsFix on Youtube and see what they can do. I know someone who has sent their old M18x to a Youtuber in the UK to try and fix. Can't hurt to ask the question.

crimsom · Answer

Hi @Mvincera welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum.

The Alienware 17 R3 laptop has given good service for nearly 6 years. It could be repaired by a service center, such as the $100 Dell Laptop Repair | Dell Repair | Laptop Repair | Notebook Service Center (parts-people.com). If the 17 R3 function is reinstated it can be sold for more money. Selling for parts on eBay requires the seller to certify that parts are fully functional. Putting the whole 'laptop not working, sold for parts only' may attract some eBay bidding interest.

Getting a nearly new overstock desktop with Dell warranty at good discount is an option, for example Refurbished & Overstock Laptops, PCs, Monitors: Dell Outlet | Dell USA.

crimsom · Answer

Have just looked at the Like New (Refurbished) Precision 17' 5000 (5770) with Dell Thunderbolt™ Dock – WD22TB4. Precision 5770 17 Inch Mobile Workstation | Dell Workstations | Dell USA

Dunkbhuddy · Answer

Mine just died while gaming. Never happened before. I'm hoping it's the internal battery pack and not something else.

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17 R3, no power

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