SPU cutting power off

hello everyone

so I got a new m17xr3 like a few days ago, and am spending the weekend working on it.

first thing I noticed is that the SPU seems to cut the power off sometimes. because I like running my laptops without the battery, it´s kind of hard not to notice this.
I think it´s the SPU because when the power goes in the computer, you can see that the blue LED ring at the end of the cable turns itself off, stays off for a second and then turns itself on again. this blue LED is always on as long as the SPU is plugged into the mains (it doesn´t go off when the machine is off)
So the machine doesn´t BSOD or anything, it´s just like you pulled the power chord from the wall. if you press the button to restart windows tells you that it didn´t shut down properly etc.

the machine itself is very stable, I´ve only stalled on it visual studio and chrome and that´s it, works well, but we use this machine for presentations and so on, can´t afford to have it turning itself off randomly.
I haven´t installed any new drivers or flashed the rom or anything like that.

This problem where the SPU cuts the power off tends to happen when the screen goes to sleep mode. About a minute after that, the whole machine will just lose power like you pulled the power cable from the wall.
Note that I´ve disabled the hybernate option from windows.
The same thing has also happened once while I was working at the machine. So it doesn´t just happen when the screen goes to sleep mode, it can happen at any time apparently.


So, the questions are:
1. Is this a common occurance?
2. If not, do you think there might be something wrong with the machine, or the SPU?
3. What would you do?


My spec:
intel 2.5 ghz
3d screen
8 gb 1600 hz ram
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
Battery : Primary 9-cell 93W/HR LI-ION
Power Supply : Alienware 240W AC Adapter
Power Cord : Euro 250
Two SSD drives

thanks in advance.
angel.

 

Have you tested the battery? You may update your alien FX driver. It did get an update since the machines originally shipped and can also be used to set various power configurations related to sleep mode and turning off the monitor, perhaps there's a conflict. Beyond that it could be your power brick, does your machine hold a solid charge? It may also be a dirty power source. Do you use a quality surge protector that cleans electrical noise? I'm not sure where you are in Europe but I've found when I travel power grids can vary substantially and a high performance machine needs stability. I travel with two monster cable mdp 700 (you can get them for 40 USD but they retail for 90). One saved our PC, MAC, and various other toys while in St Lucia(2nd day there), EVERYTHING not plugged into that was FRIED(TV, clocks, phone, microwave, etc). Glad I brought a spare because the first one valiantly jumped on that grenade. *salute*

 

thanks for the advice ahuizotl.
I´ve been looking around but can´t find updates drivers for the m17x3r.
on the dell site it says
"No downloads are available for the [ Alienware M17X R3 ]."

my concern is with the power brick.
do you usually operate your machine with the battery in or out?
if you leave it out, does it cause any problems?

thanks in advance.

 

Your power brick should never be cutting out, no matter what the circumstance. Since you say it does this under normal load conditions, and not just when you're gaming under a load, I would have to point to one of two possible issues.

#1. Is the power coming out of your wall outlet suitable? Is there a chance it is cutting out? If you don't have anything to test it, your local hardware store might have an inexpensive device to do so.

#2. If #1 is good, then you may have a faulty PSU, and need to call Dell.

It is normal for some folks to operate their laptop with no battery. It keeps temperatures down, and decreases the weight of the laptop. Which is nice if you're going to be gaming for extended amounts of time with it on your lap.

That is a very nice setup, by the way. I am impressed with the 580M. I hope you get this solved soon. Keep us updated.

 

As TurbodTalon mentioned, you may have a faulty PSU and you should call Dell to troubleshoot that. They should replace within no time if that is the case.

In the beginning I was using the laptop without the battery and only on the PSU, I even kept it for days on for downloads etc., with no issues whatsoever.

As of today (tho the battery is inserted in the system), I mostly keep it in standby when not using and it has been on and off (standby & on) for about 10 days already with no issues. the diference is that I have the switchable GPU and I only turn it on when needed...

Hope you solve your problem. Best of luck

 

Agree with TurbodTalon and juliant. If the blue ring light is turning off, it is almost certainly a defective PSU or power cable. I expect Dell will replace it forthwith. I use my R3 with the battery removed from time to time, and it has no effect at all, except for the little indicator on the power icon in the Task Tray. The dirty power situation is a possibility I would not have considered, but I suppose it could occur in some areas.

 

Um. When I use my laptop, I leave the battery in while it's plugged in to the wall. Is that bad?

 

No. My battery is installed nearly all the time. I only remove it in situations where I'm checking a new component or want to check a re-paste or heatsink mod that may require more trips inside. My battery is a PITA to remove, so I avoid the hassle by leaving it out during those times.

 

hi all

the power brick suddenly died yesterday afternoon.
the fuse flipped so the whole house went dark, and when I turned everything back on, the LED on the power brick wouldn´t light up, completely dead.

the computer itself seems to be ok while running on a battery, at least I managed to make a copy of the data on the machine so I can keep working and haven´t lost anything.

called dell this morning, should be getting a replacement on thursday.

thanks everyone!

 

got the replacement PSU today.

big screwup, but nicely fixed.