Alienware 17 Power connector/mb problems

Ok so today my Alienware 17 turned off while gaming suddenly. I tried to turn it back on but I noticed the blue led light on the power cord was not on. I disconnected it and unplugged it from the outlet and back in and the light came back on however whenever I try to plug it into the comp it goes back off. Apparently I used up the battery because the computer will not even try to power on. So I got my old Alienware 17xR2 and plugged the cord in and it works fine. I even swapped the 2 cords and same results. In the 17 the light goes off but in the xR2 the light stays on. That said I am thinking I have a problem either with the connector on the computer or a MB issue.

So my question is is this connector something that can be swapped out or is it soldered onto the MB? At this point with the screen problem I am having I am trying to decide between sending it in to dell or just replacing the dang thing.

Also I know it is a long shot but is there any way I can put the 780m from the 17 into my 17xR2? Thanks for any help.

 

You have a short in your Alienware 17. That's what's causing the charger to shut down. Either send it in or replace it.

I had something similar. A17 shut off during gaming. Light on the charger would go off. Powered down, unplugged charger, plugged back in and it seemed to work. One week later, it shuts down again, this time with acrid smoke coming from the back. They had to replace the main board and some other stuff to get it in working order again.

 

Thanks for the reply. I called tech support and they basically told me the same thing. To bad I wasn't smart enough to buy the extended warranty.

Can anyone advise on a good place to buy a new mb?

 

If it is only the AC adapter socket on the motherboard, that can be replaced, or simply resoldered if the original solder isn't holding.

Putting the AC adapter port on the left rear corner wasn't a smart move. The location is awkward, cosmetically unaesthetic, and I think its location enhances the likelihood of sustaining damage.

 

Pretty sure it is the mb at this point. I tore the computer down disconnected all the memory and hard drives. Tried plugging it in and the same thing happened. Also the power socket is not actually on the mb it is connected with a wire and a plug. I unplugged it from the mb and plugged the cord in and the light stayed on. But as soon as I plug it in the light goes off.

Dell wants 430+ tax to fix it but there is only a 30 day warranty. However with the lid problem I am having as well (see this thread ) http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/alienware-17-8-beeps-at-post.777266/ I am debating fixing or scraping and starting over. If I send it in and they fix the power issue but not the screen then I am am out another 430 bucks for that issue and at 860+tax for a computer out of warranty I am tempted to get a new comp for about 600 more with a warranty.

 

You could always get another motherboard on eBay. Here is a refurbished sealed from Dell (supposedly) for only $240. From the sounds of your other thread it seems like you might be having more than just power issues from the motherboard, like your GPU not showing up.

 

Thanks for the link that is something to consider as well.

As for the other thread I forgot to update it but I think I got the GPU issue worked out. Before the power went out the Video Card had been working for about 2 weeks with many tests and hours of gaming with no problems other then the screen closed thing and the 8 beeps.