New to m15x, i need a little help :)

Hi, im a random spaniard and im going to purchase a used m15x. (i7 740qm and gt 260m, 8g ram) but the thing is that the seller says that the lights are not powering on and the charger only works sometimes.
Is there a way to repair the leds? Is not too important if i cant repair but is prettier with it.
And where can i buy a new charger for spain/europe plugs?
When i get some money y will upgrade it.
Thanks for all and have a good day

 

Where in Spain? My gf lives in Madrid so I go there a lot.

You can buy almost any Dell charger 150W, 180W, 210W, 240W although some older models won't be able to charge the battery.
The keyboard could be broken due to the command centre software from the original install CD being installed which breaks the FX chip.
You can upgrade this laptop a lot! You can upgrade CPU to 920XM or 940XM to overclock up to 3.5Ghz! You can add a GTX 970M and probably the best upgrade is an SSD.

 

Any website / shop in particular for a 210w charger?
Greetings for you and your gf

 

e-bay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Genuine...293719?hash=item33adce0b17:g:vvwAAOSw7NNUJSiX

If the lights are not coming on, then it's probably not the LEDs, but the controller for the LEDs like fatboyslimmer mentioned. If the charger only works sometimes, then it may not be the charger but a damaged power jack on the motherboard. How much is the seller asking? You may have to end up doing some work on that laptop is why I'm asking. If the power jack is damaged, you'll need to solder on a new jack or replace the motherboard (which will fix the lighting issues if the FX controller is bad).

 

350euro, he says is the charger, but if in case that is the mb as you say if i repair myself (im not computer engineer but i studied something related) it will maybe be cheap?

 

The power jack is cheap, only a couple of euros, but you need some soldering (and desoldering) tools to replace it. Hopefully it is just the charger, but just be prepared to accept that the jack has some damage. A new motherboard may cost around 100 Euros, maybe a bit cheaper from China. 350 Euros seems like a good deal depending on what other specs the laptop has (screen, hard drive), and the overall condition of the laptop. Does the seller say that none of the lighting effects work?

 

He said that any led works. The screen is 1600x900 and rhe hard drive is the 350gb default, btw i have a 240gb ssd in my room. The laptop is in very good condition. Thank for all.
Is very difficult to change de mb? Did o need something special?
I hope is only the charger, i dont have soldering/desoldering tools but for sure in a local shop they can change the jack cheap if i give him the new jack.
So the only way to repair de leds is with a new mb? I don't care so much, so i think its gonna keep dont working xD
Edit: the seller says that with her m17x charger it works, is the charger what is semi broken. I just need a new charger and im thinking of buying a 210w one for futures upgrades. my pc was stolen and now i dont have much money, with time i wanna upgrade with a better gpu and ssd, later a cpu and for last the ram. And maybe someday a fhd screen (i have a extra screen lg fhd so i dont care so much)
Is 70$ the regular price of a 210w charger?

 

Motherboard swap only requires a small Phillips head screwdriver. You will need thermal paste as well because both heatsinks have to be removed. The Alienware service manual for the M15x is very good.

Things to watch out for:
The ribbon cable clips are tiny. Take care with them. Some slide out straight away (in the direction of the cable) and some flip up to release the ribbon cable.
The palm rest screws need very little tightening. All 3 of my M15x machines have had at least one of the thread inserts on the underside of the palmrest busted out from overtightening. The screws are that to keep the palmrest from sliding open like a desk drawer. There are tabs that hold the palmrest in place, the screws just keep it from sliding out.

Take your time. The first time I did this it took over 2 hours. Now I can do the swap in about an hour.

 

Hmm, if the original charger works just sometimes and the M17x charger works all the time it sounds like the original charger has a shorted PSUID wire, that sometimes makes a connection and sometimes not...

The lights can be repaired, you would however need special tools to do so.

Not to hijack the thread, but i'm selling a fully working M15x, that i can spec out exactly as you would want
FullHD screen
CPU options: i3 330M / i5 460M / i5 480M / i5 520M / i7 640M / i7 740QM
RAM options: 2GB / 4GB / 6GB / 8GB
GPU options:
- Nvidia GTX 260M / 460M
- Nvidia Quadro K1000M
- AMD Radeon 5850 / 5870 / 7970M / R9 M290X
- AMD FirePro M5950 / M4000 / M6000
HDD/SSD: do i really have to list all the options ...
DVD-RW
150W charger can add a 240W aswell