m18x up in smoke(with pictures).

So like most of you in this subforum, I own an m18x. r1 to be specific. Heck, this is my third Alienware(Still have my Area-51 from 2006, and actively and currently am using my m11x.). My first computer of my own back in 1999(I was just 12 years old!) was a Dell(and I loved that comp). Anyway, I've owned this baby since June of 2011. It'll soon hit the third year mark and it's still going strong....

...Well, it would be if it DIDN'T GO UP IN FLAMES. Literally a few hours ago, playing a simple game(Tropico 5, medium graphics setting, not taxing the system at all, already been playing it a few days with no issues). Shortly after starting to play, screen flickers and goes out, and I see smoke billowing out of the computer. I immediately pulled the power from it(power brick already shut off after detecting a problem, thank god that worked. Brick still works, too.), pulled all the usb wires and waiting a few seconds to see if it would die down with no power. Luckily, it did. The smell, however, was awful.

Now please keep in mind, I don't overclock. I doubt I ever will since I'm more of a software guy, not a hardware guy(Try to learn though!).

I've opened up my m18x before to clean dust out of it. As I was opening it up, I noticed some burn marks by a fan. More specifically, on the underside of the motherboard. I dreaded the opposite side.

And oh man was I in for a treat. Here's the photos I have of it(All of the burnt side except one, which is the other side of the incident).

Here, have a slideshow of pictures.

Computer Fire Slideshow by Darxio | Photobucket

My brother(Mechanical engineer, but he knows hardware decently) took a look at the photos and said it looked like an issue with the Voltage Regulator. He said it was awkward that burnt out if my computer didn't surge or I didn't tax the power supply. Then again it's just his observation, and he's technically not a hardware IT kind of guy.

Now my warranty is out of date, but this is the first time I've EVER had a computer actually catch fire, spew smoke, and die on me(I wasn't about to hesitate and use the fire extinguisher out in the hall on this.). Which brings me here.

What do I do now that my warranty is out of date and this happened? It hasn't even been 3 years, and this happened. I want to contact dell about this since(in my eyes) this seems like a SERIOUS safety hazard. But what do I do? Can I even seek compensation? My ~$3000 computer is dead due to a fire... I don't even know if the CPU or two GPUs, or even the RAM itself still works(Don't have the hardware to test it).

This seriously makes me never want to buy a dell product(Or alienware) again if they're just going to go up in flames in a few years(warranty or not). A fire is no f'n joke. Who do I contact about this? What can even be done to make sure they're notified of this incident, and even though I no longer have a warranty, could this serious defect actually be compensated for?

I've never had a hardware issue before, so something this major is really freaking me out. I just don't know where to start or what to do. Any advice? Please help me.

 

wow, that's something you need to bring up to Dell with pictures. I'm sure they will be more than happy to investigate this further, unless it was tampered with ( upgrades that void warranty ). If that thing caught fire and burned you they would have been screwed. Im not letting my son touch my alienware 18 anymore lol

 

Sadly it's not the first time something like this has happened, see this thread

 

Those 3 pins ICs are voltage regulator. Seems like the VRM for the CPU.

Although the AW 18 doesn't perform as well as the older m18x R2 (or even R1), there's one good thing that comes with Haswell. The VRM is integrated into the die. So yeah, less fire hazards with the Haswell machines.

 

But the integrated VRM just adds to the already stupidly hot Haswell.

 

There have been several in the past couple of years. This is like the third or fourth one.

The system in the link above is an Alienware 18.

 

Man, I cannot even imagine the stench that must have created. I'm sorry for your loss.

You're out of warranty, Dell may just try to sell you more and then hook you up.

You don't have PM privileges yet, but there are Dell reps that are active in these forums that are extremely helpful. Alienware-Wasserman or Alienware-L_Porras will hopefully see this and post with some advice.

I view any warranty as more of a safety net for user-related problems, like dumping coffee on your keyboard or dropping your laptop. Components randomly burning up seems outside of that realm to me. I'm sure you'll get the help you need.

At any rate, I believe that Dell has great customer service and the problem you've experienced is an anomaly. I wouldn't jump ship because of this isolated incident. There are some monster laptops from other manufacturers that hang with Alienware's stuff, but the customer service/care is not there. I've been eye-balling a Sager for a couple of years, but Dell has never let me down.

 

You can technically extend your warranty up to five years. But if it has already expired, I don't think you can extend it anymore. And they'll probably give you the "run-around" if you try to do so.

Their warranty covers incidents like this. They would have likely given you a new Alienware 18, if you still had warranty. I wouldn't give up on Alienware yet. They're expensive, but they offer a warranty for a reason. 9/10 times, the warranty is useless. But in your case, it would be worth every penny.

Sorry this happened to you. I've never seen nor experienced that before. It would be horrible.

 

I was referring to OP's R1 (not the 18 that Mr. Pathfindercod has), in which the VRMs that failed are the VRM feeding the CPU. He has a single pipe heatsink, so I am assuming that it probably won't be a XM CPU. It should be some mid class Sandybridge quad core? Those shouldn't pull too much current, so whatever components that failed, have not been working fine for a while, until it failed catastrophically.

The AW 18 that Mr. Pathfindercod has, well since he didn't post any images, and since he mentioned that smoke came out from the left side of the computer, and since the GPU is replaced, I am taking a guess is that the main GPU failed, particularly its VRM.

The VRMs on the 18 don't have pads on them to transfer the heat to the heatsink, even though the heatsink has the shape on them, meaning that the thermal pads are supposed to be there.

In both cases, it's the VRM. There's really nothing that transfer as much current and gets as hot, apart from the battery. The CPU and GPU core get active cooling, and if those overheat the system shuts off. Sometimes I see temperature sensor for the VRM, especially for desktop stuff, and there're probably some mobile GPU with sensors for the VRM, but not in our case.

Of all the bads that came out of Haswell, there's one good thing. VRM is not on the mainboard, so less risk of system failure/fire hazard for the CPU, and just the CPU. With the cost cutting that have gone into it though, whatever improvement there is moot.

Since OP is out of warranty, and hopefully the CPU isn't damaged, then it's the mainboard that will be replaced. Dell might require you to pay for it, but you can always negotiate.

 

I think the CPU might be damaged... maybe not by the voltage regulator going haywire, but possibly because the fire happened right next to it(Part of its heatsink is charred quite bad).

I was also able to test one of the graphics cards today at my bro's shop and... it came up dead(The primary. Didn't bring secondary. Might be alive, I don't use the SLI typically even though it's available).

I only have an Intel Core i7-2670QM @ 2.20GHz in my m18x. The card's are dual 580m's(Best available at the time when I purchased), but I typically only run one(SLI caused more problems than benefits to make up for my experiences). My brother still doesn't understand how the voltage regulator just upped and burnt out like that with the components I have(even I don't!). All stock still.


Anyways, I called Dell right as I posted this the other day to see what help could be gotten(knowing its a crap shoot from reading other's experiences). First one could care less and transferred me to a line that went dead. Called back, got a nice fellow but he told me the out of warranty techs to speak to aren't in on weekends and to call back Monday(gave me a phone number). Don't know if they'll be in on Monday since it's memorial day, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. If they're not in, calling back Tuesday immediately.

I've never had an electrical fire before, let alone within my computer. I hope Dell understands where I'm coming from and can help me get the computer back on my feet/find out why it burnt up to begin with(I'm just as much worried about why it happened in addition to losing my computer in general).

Hopefully Monday(or Tuesday depending) returns results from Dell. I still can't believe it caught fire on me. I didn't even eat yesterday after it happened. Still feel sick to my stomach. Don't know if its from the horror or the fumes.

PS: The room(My Bedroom) still smells faintly of burnt electronics.

 

Wow scary story. Perhaps I shouldn't be overvolting my 920xm in my alienware if this might happen

I also hope one of the reps sees this. If they don't by tomorrow I might just PM one on your behalf. Sorry for you loss man.

 

That sort of mosfe is not usually involved in directly delivering power to a high performance part any more. That's probably doing something else.

 

Damn! That's some scary stuff. Can too much overclock cause this? I'm a little concerned now since I've been experimenting with a 2920xm.

 

If you were in the UK, I'd have suggested taking up the Sale of Goods and Services Act - basically, that states that goods sold should be fit for purpose for a period of up to six years - regardless of what the manufacturer warranty states or if it is within that warranty period or not.

It would have been up to you to prove that they weren't up to scratch, but I doubt that anyone would have argued with a computer that set itself on fire - even an independent electrical evaluation would prove that. Now, saying that, I don't know if you have anything similar to the UK Sale of Goods act in the US, but if you do, I'd be at their door ASAP. Maybe the BBB or something like that - perhaps other US guys could chime in on that.

Regardless, sorry to hear of your nightmare - I hope that Dell will look on things in your favour and address things for you, even though you are outside of warranty. Things should just not burst into flames - thank god that you were with it or it could have burnt your house down and caused fatalities - thank go it didn't pan out like that.

Keep us posted, and good luck with getting a result.

 

OP observes Memorial Day so most probably stateside..

 

Well, I'm not going to tell you what MY bedroom smells like . . . .lol

 

I don't think so. It is probably just a failed component. If you look at the photos, the system has a single-pipe heat sink, so it definitely was not caused by overclocking in this case. It looks like the OP probably has a 2720QM or 2760QM CPU, which is locked down as tight as a drum. I doubt overclocking was involved in any of the other examples before this one, as the owners of those machines have never shown us any benchmarks, etc. The OP also mentioned that he was not overclocking, doesn't know how (and could not with a locked Sandy Bridge QM processor even if he wanted to).

 

Alright cool! I guess I'll continue to push this chip as hard as it can safely. I just got into overclocking and benching with my machine and I have to say its pretty fun seeing bench points go up lol.

As for the OP, I hope Dell/Alienware helps you out with getting your laptop back up and running, I'm guessing you just need a new mobo judging from the pics.

 

Thanks for all the support and kind words guys. It may be text, but it means a lot to me right now when I have extremely few people in my life to turn to when it comes to electronics.

Going to make the call to Dell soon(As suggested by the first level customer support). If they're not in due to it being Memorial Day(national holiday) in the states, I'll try again tomorrow.

Also Mr. Fox, you're right about the CPU. I posted it earlier but you pretty much guessed it if you only saw the pic, it's the 2760QM. Keen eye!

@mp5cartman, I really hope only the motherboard needs to be replaced(And that my brother who tested one of my cards was wrong about it being dead). If possible, I still want someone from Dell to take a look at this. Warranty or not, nothing should explode like that at nearly 3 years of usage. Failure of parts over time I totally understand... but it should NEVER fail like this.

Edit: Calling them at noon since I called too early.

 

Sorry for the double post, but I am f'n furious now.

I got to what I believe was second level support, and the person brushed me off due to the warranty.

He said, and I quote, "Pictures or not, this is not something we can look at. The component in question does not reach temperatures high enough to burn and we are not responsible for any damage caused from it. It cannot burn or explode." Did not care about the pictures, the safety issue, or anything. The guy sounded like he didn't even believe me and brushed me off.

Before I hung up, I asked him directly that this is Dell's stance and absolutely nothing can or will be done about it. He said 'That is correct."

I'm about to swear off Dell and Alienware if this is their stance on safety. Possibly take it up with the BBB.

If there's any suggestions on what I should do, please help me, because this day just got 100 times worse.

 

I think that response from tech support could have been expected. After all, their obligation to do anything about the laptop ended the day the warranty ended. Since there was no damage to anything besides the laptop they have zero liability. I don't recommend going down the I deserve something for nothing road because it will just make you more frustrated. BBB complaints will do nothing to make them responsible for an out-of-warranty machine and it doubt that it will make them want to help you. In fact, it's likely to do the exact opposite since the machine is out of warranty and you're likely to catch more flies with sugar than salt. If they ever do anything for you on this it will be purely an act of kindness and charity on their part. And, although chances are slim on the act of charity, a BBB complaint will make the chances zero because you'll be identifying yourself to them as a troublemaker that is unworthy of receiving any kind of special treatment. Nobody helps people like that. I know I would not.

Had your house burned down or you been personally injured you would possibly have a claim for that, but the burden of proof would be yours as the person making the claim and it would drag out for many years and cost a small fortune, making nobody but the attorneys and paid "experts" rich. You and Dell would both be losers in terms of financial loss.

 

Perhaps a Tweet to the people at @DellCares might help out. I know I have done so in the past, and I have had a sympathetic ear from some of the team who man the Dell Twitter account. As Mr. Fox said, it's out of warranty and acts of kindness are what you are relying on now - in the UK, I'd have had no qualms taking it up with the Sale of Goods & Services Act here - that does cover out of warranty items and puts the responsibility squarely at the feet of the manufacturer, wether they like it or not. 6 years.

That's of no consolation to you, I know.

 

I will try that route first. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

else try calling support back and just ask regarding the health and safety of their kit since you can clearly prove that something got too hot and there is teams dealing with this kind of issues at dell i know since had one of these types of instances my self a few years back

 

I'm not 100% sure how applicable this would be, but what about the 'Lemon Law': Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act which seems to be pretty close to the UK law I mentioned earlier.

Might be worth investigating.....

 

An update!

So I went through the social media route and, though it took 5 days, they're willing to see the laptop at their depot for repairs(Well, after an inspection by their engineers to see how the damage was done)! Thanks for the suggestion steviejones!

Granted, they say that if the damage is concluded to be intentional I'll be charged for the repairs, but since I didn't set it on fire I'm more than happy to send it in!

Granted, through the examination process to get pictures I found more interesting areas that were damaged that I overlooked.

My bro said from the scorch marks, it was about 550-600 Kelvin inside the comp. He didn't remember what that was in F but it's about 500-600 Fahrenheit when I looked up the conversion.

Here's a sample of what I sent to Dell. It includes close-ups of other damaged areas(And the wide-angle shot of the part).

Comp Fire Update Slideshow by Darxio | Photobucket

Now comes the wait, but I can totally deal with that in light of the situation. I'll give an update when stuff happens.

Again, thanks for the social media suggestion steviejones133!

 

That's great news, Darxio - I'm glad my suggestions seems to have given you some light at the end of what seemed to be a very dark tunnel. Keep us posted with updates!!

 

An update!

So I guess there definitely was something electrically faulty with my hardware since I just got a notice today that the repairs are done and the computer should arrive by Tuesday! I asked what the engineers found to cause it and they said "It's difficult to determine.". I guess either they were unable to pinpoint exactly what happened... or they don't want to tell me what caused it, like it was a defect or something. Either way, I don't mind since something was probably learned when they got it and the knowledge, if any, can be put towards preventing such a thing again. Or not if mine was just a fluke, who knows at this point(Maybe I'll learn more when I receive the system Tuesday).

Might have taken a while, but this wasn't exactly a standard service call. Hopefully I have the same(Or as close to same) hardware when it comes back. Even refurbished internals is fine by me since in a week the system would be turning 3 years old(I left some markings on some parts of the laptop to determine if it's new hardware or my original hardware).

Either way, that DellCares twitter account really went above and beyond with their assistance.

I'll give another update when the system arrives. Should be an interesting day!

 

That's great news! - be sure to keep us posted with the next steps. I'm glad Dell took - or are taking- care of you....:thumbsup:

 

Very happy for you.

Are you going to extend the warranty now that it is all fixed up. I would get at least one year, preferable more.

 

That is awesome that dell took care of this, my hats off to dell. Another lesson learned though, warranty, warranty, warranty. I understand that sometimes it seems like getting a warranty is money out of the window, but that one time something happens makes you wish you had the warranty, and you realize having the warranty would be cheaper in the long run.

 

I forgot to post back, but I want to finish this thread so that there is some closure. I've had the laptop a few months now and working just as expected(No better, no worse, exactly like it was working before the fire).

Dell took the laptop, fixed all the burnt-out parts(So much more was broke than I thought), and returned it in working fashion. Same case still but that doesn't matter to me, since all cosmetic damage was fixed, and all internals are working or new/refurbished(Just about everything important was marked 'Replaced').

I want to thank Dell for fixing the issue, and I'll definitely be getting a warranty in the future(Though personally, there is still no excuse for the voltage regulator to fail how it did). I personally hope that something was learned from its failure so that future laptops won't have to deal with that issue.

Thanks again for the suggestions and encouragement, everyone! Shoutout to @DellCares

To Mr. Fox: Since I'm planning on getting a new computer in less than a year(AW again, since I have faith in Dell once more), I opted to not get a new extended warranty for this one.

PS: Now I just gotta find a way to fix the hinge on my m11x and I'll be good to go with my AW laptops.