Common faulty Parts of your m17xR3?

After exchanging my m15x for a m17xR3 about 3 months ago, i cant help but think that the m17xR3 is of much poorer Quality.
After it shipped, it worked for about 3 hours and died while updating to the ( original) A08 BIOS and would only give 8 Beeps. After some hassle at the Supporthotline, they send someone to replace the Motherboard and the LCD.

Now, after 2 Months of having a blast with this thing, it started to randomly BSOD. It got worse from day to day and after a Week, it started to randomly give 4 Beeps on start. Support didnt want to help me at first, because 4 Beeps means RAM-Error and i have bought my own RAM ( Kingston HyperX).
After knowing it is a "RAM-Problem" i burned a Memtest86+ image and tested my 2 Modules until the next day, just to see 0 Errors after 12 Passes. I planned to double my RAM anyway so i bought a brandnew 2x4GB HyperX Kit, just to be extra sure, but the problem persisted. The symptoms didnt follow any pattern, using only 1 RAM-Dimm ( no matter wich one) got me a 50% chance to get past POST-Screen, but that didnt mean i could use my laptop just yet. At this point there is another 50% chance that it just freezes after 1-2 Minutes, but if i got past this point, it works perfectly normal. Playing BF3 while hosting a Minecraftserver for some friends? No Problem for several hours. ( 2 Times i made the mistake to shut it down at night, just to spend 1 Hour the next day to start it again, but thats just me being stupid i guess.) At this point i called AW again, and after trying to explain what Memtest86+ is or that i bought new RAM just some Hours ago so it REALLY cant be faulty RAM, they agreed to send me another Motherboard.

While waiting for the new Motherboard ( on singlechannel RAM right now without shuting down for 2 days) i noticed that my Webcam isnt recognized anymore. Skype etc. cant find it, nor is it listed in the device manager. I really hope it works again with new mainboard.

Your experiences? Maybe i am just that one out of thousands happy Customers.

 

My first system had a bad HDD, Motherboard, CPU.

Dell ended up replacing it after 200 dollars worth of phone bills. In the end I got a new system which has been working perfect from day one.

 

SD card reader not functioning... I was laptopless (and therefore PCless) for 2 months before, new semester is started so I just won't bother sending it back now... I got a 3 year advance warranty anyways, I'll send it in when something else breaks xD which hasn't happened yet.

 

Have only had mine since Aug. 3rd this year. Very happy with results so far, no probs.

 

GPU suddenly went MIA after 3 months,BIOS screen claimed that no ATI gfx detected,have to reseat it often & idle temp hovers around 59-60+ degrees constantly,max 76 degrees.A08 BIOS update seem to clash with my 1866mhz Hyper X ram,causing hangups.LCD screen went goofy after 4 months(white screen whenever lid is moved.)Tech came to replaced it with a wrong screen(original is 1920x1080,replaced with a 1600x900).Now after finally getting the correct screen & new GPU,everything is peachy.No more hangups with 1866 RAM,GPU idle temps at 50-55 degrees,max 71 degrees.

 

A some of you have had a "whole unit replacement" im wondering what alienwares policy with aftermarket upgrades is.
I have my own set of RAM (Kingston HyperX with Lifetime warranty, but not from dell ofc) and my own MomentusXT, BUT i made the mistake not to keep the original parts.
With the course of my machine until now, it seems a "whole unit replacement" seems likely.
Can they still do it? I'm happy if they just send me the original config without RAM and HDD, or if it hast to be, i pay a little extra for a standard HDD and RAM.

 

you should switch to at&t. they have unlimited calling.lol

 

We need a larger samplegroup

 

My first alienware had a chip on the bottom left grill. Demanded for a replacement and got one. The next one had an unbelievable amount of flex under the space bar and WASD area.

In my current one, the speakers had to be replaced because they were rattling.

 

My latest r3 had GPU MIA but reseating took care of it.

 

I get a deep discount with Verizon through work. Had ATT in past and dropped calls where annoying.

 

M17x R3 had a faulty AC Adaptor, it would charge but it would also emit a loud, annoying electrical whining noise. Dell replaced the adaptor and the problem was solved.

 

So far I did not have any issues with my R3 and I have it from about 6 months. I had problems with my R2, motherboard having some transistors damaged and making the fans running at full speed. But Dell replaced it within few days and everything was perfect since then...

 

My refurb had a faulty power adapter "parst", Dell overnighted me a new one after trying to troubleshoot the problem 2 times over the phone. Hoping nothing breaks!

 

Lost of missing screws and poorly assembled chasis. Returned for a refund.

 

About 10 days ago, i called AW to solve issues with my m17xR3 (second time it broke). This first call they told me they cant help me, because its a RAM related problem (4 Beeps)and i have aftermarket RAM.
Next Day i called again and i got someone i could tell my whole story (tested my two HyperX-DIMMS with 12 pases Memtest86+ and even got brandnew DIMMS, something different had to be wrong). He agreed to send me a tech with a new mainboard.
Another Day goes by and i get a call from a tech (cant remember who it was, some local Dell tech-center, i was half asleep ). He told me they couldn't come today, because they don't have the part atm, but they will call me again as soon as it arrives to discuss a new appointment. I was kinda angry, but i thought yelling at him wouldn't make the part ship any faster, so i accepted it. At this point i thought it could be delayed by 3 days or something, cant take too long to ship a new Mainboard.
7 Days later, still nothing.

Right now im in a mood between disappointment and anger.
I mean, i like this Laptop, its a beast. I had so much fun with it, BF3 on maximum detail and all kind of other stuff, but the last two weeks i have to consider myself lucky if i get it to actually boot after 1 hour of ON-Force OFF-PowerDrain-ON-Force OFF-Power Drain-etc (after a few days i learned to not shut it down once it works. Right now its running 3 Days straight, but only on SingelChannel).

What can i demand from them? What are my rights? I paid for NextBusinessDay-Support.

 

At the moment unless your country has different rules, not a lot you can do since you haven't given AW a chance to fix the problem. Fact is happens and since you're likely getting a refurb motherboard the depot might not have any at this moment of time. Also shipping doesn't take too long, getting it from wherever it is to Germany can take a while though.

 

It just seems unfair that a new Laptop from Dell arrives within 48 Hours, but a spare part takes a week and possibly even longer, and they dont even bother to send me an email or something to tell me whats going on.
I couldn't reach them today, gonna call again tommorow, wish me luck.

 

Yeah it's all really BS but unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Best of luck hopefully this gets resolved quickly

 

I know what I would do if I were in your position, twitter your experience on their twitter page. Someone in one of the threads said after he twittered on Dell/alienware page they contacted him immediately and elevated the resolution of his problem.

here u go:
http://twitter.com/#!/Alienware
http://twitter.com/#!/delloutlet
http://twitter.com/#!/UsedAlienware

pick appropriate one ofc

 

My GPU died last week. Swapped it for another 6990 and it was fine since then. New issue, just this week 1 defective 2GB RAM (Stock 1600 2GB x 4).

Got a replacement RAM stick the next day all good for now. Don't jinx it. Knock on IKEA wood.

 

Got a call today, guy told me that the part "should" be ready tommorow. Hes going to call me again when he's on the way to me.

 

I've had some fun issues with my Alienwares:

1st m17x R3: DVD Drive was DOA, causing a massive system slowdown. Got it replaced and it resolved the performance issues. Days later, AlienFX lights on my monitor died. Called Dell to return the machine and they sent me a new one along with a small refund for my troubles.

2nd (Current) m17x R3: 2 BSODs. Haven't bothered analyzing them yet, because each one told me it was the graphic card. Low and behold, a couple days ago my computer crashed and the screen went black with lines and the monitor was shimmering (a.k.a the ATI card, again). Another fun issue is whenever I game, either the PSU trips or there's something wrong with the AC adapter slot because it will randomly go on battery then after a couple seconds, switch back to power.

I need to get around to calling Dell to fix these issues because they are rather unpleasant to deal with. Is anyone else experiencing these issues?

 

Yay at new parts! he brought a new mainboard today (labeld "refurbished") and DualChannel works again.
BUT here is the sad part: My Webcam is still missing in devicemanager and the mic next to it doesnt respond Any suggestions? FN+F9 doesnt seem to do a thing.

 

Mines missing too. I recently had my motherboard and LCD screen replaced. I figure (hoping) it's just a loose connector. But I've been to lazy to open it up. Don't want those techs touching my computer anymore. They use power tools on such tiny screw and end up stripped the screws out then blame it on locktight.... if they used the right tools there wouldn't be any stripped screws.

If I ever need to have my laptop serviced again I am going to request the parts be shipped to me, and I'll do it myself.

 

when he put in the new MOBO did you reload the software back to factory spec's using the hidden system restore sector.

 

Dont worry, i found the Problem:

I DONT HAVE A CAMERA

Now that i know what to look for, i can see my red chassis plastic through the hole on the front with help of a flashlight.
I think i remember there should be a silver-ish ring visible in that hole, if the camera is still there.

Im getting tired of this. The very first repair involved replacing the LCD, so depending on wich is the proper way of of handling the replacement, the new LCD either got shipped with a missing Camera or the tech forgot to remove it form my old LCD.

Also, i found out that the tech damaged my left Speaker, its buzzing on loud sounds -_-

Can i tell them to ship me these to parts for replacing them myself AND not voiding my warranty?

 

I recently had the pleasure of my sound card going bad. It willn't switch from the laptop speakers when I unplug my headphones. So I had to sendoff mu laptop should be back between mon-thur.

 

Ugh, that's what happened to my system right from the start. It's somewhat common apparently. The glue on a piece of paper behind the speaker grill wears off causing the paper to vibrate against the speaker. I returned my first R3 and am waiting on a replacement which better not have the same issue.

P.S. Why is it always the LEFT speaker??

 

My 6870 died within the first hour LOL...that's been it.

 

Removing the palmrest-assembly showed me there is a this tube-thing where a screw from the bottom goes in to the palmrest(hard to describe in a foreign language^^) wich is covered with a thick aluminium foil/sheet with sharp edges. Its only on the left side right next to the speaker, so if you try to fit it back for example and lower it a bit more to the right than the actual position, it can damage the membrane, at least it seems like this damaged mine. I didnt take pictures and i dont want to take it apart again just for a pic

 

I put none in the poll, as I've had the machine for a month now with no problems.

I will however now knock on wood, as you never know what kind of karmic imbalance filling out a survey might cause.

 

I'm not sure. The tech that came to my house was telling me of a guy who Dell let him do it, that he always requested that he do it himself. Maybe he worked for them, or was certified in some way. But the guys they send don't take any care in doing things right, or trying not to damage stuff. So I'm sure that is why that guy wanted to do it himself.