m18x r1 4 beeps on startup forever repeating.

As title states, bought a M18x r1 from this fella: http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebooks-desktops-sale/703492-sold-alienware-m18x-r1.html

It was a barebones model so had to install all of the parts myself. Upon completing this and powering on, it beeps loudly 4 times in repetition. Tried different gpu and new ram to no success. Any ideas guys?

CORRECTION: It beeps 4 times, not 3.

Edit 2: Alright I noticed a burning smell coming when I turned it on, I did transfer over the CPU from my old shot mobo m17x r3, could the CPU be the cause?

 

From where the burning smell come? Also does it shows anything? or just a black screen?

 

What you bought:

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Specifications: Alienware M18x R1 in Gun metal grey
You will need the following to complete this.
CPU
Video cards with xplates
Ram
Hard Drive
wifi Card

Also this laptop is built from parts and does not come with an O/S or a warranty of any kind out side of a few days grace for DOA.
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Looking at the sub-posts of the for sale posting, seems to me that he would remove the video cards. But no where in the sale ad does he come right out and say it worked for him to begin with, and then he removed those parts to sell it off. He mentions he sold it as a bare-bones system.

So... if you were to assume (stretch) that the assembly you bought from him is good... are you sure that the parts you bought are the same. Especially for the CPU and video card?

Did you try and run it without the GPU cards installed?

No matter what, there's a lot of variables.

 

Check the beep code table...

Source: Alienware Laptops: Beep Code Table | Dell Support

Laptops Beep Codes
Beep Code	Description
1	System Board, covers BIOS corruption or ROM error
2	No Memory / RAM detected
3	System Board Chipset Failure
4	Memory failure
5	CMOS battery failure (Click here to fix it)
6	Video card / chip failure
7	CPU failure
8	LCD failure

Try one stick of RAM at a time. If it beeps, taken it out and install the next one... so on, so forth. If it stops beeping and boots, you've discovered the source of the problem.

Also, if you haven't already done so, clear the CMOS.

If the above do not work, remove any video cards you have installed and see if you can boot using only integrated graphics.

 

That 'memory' error can be a bit deceiving. When mine did that, i swapped video cards, memory sticks and it still beeped. I eventually replaced the motherboard and it fired right up after that. Follow the above post but if that doesn't work, i'd opt for a new motherboard.

 

That's true, it can be deceiving, but until you go through the process of elimination you don't really know what the problem is.

 

I'd have been slightly put off by the pics he listed. Lid design in the pics not consistent with an 18xr1. Bad advertising, surprised no one picked up on that....arent a few of the pics a 17x...

 

I'd hate to say it but it sounds to me like you have tried everything and this baby is not gonna boot up. The only thing you could try is maybe another cpu if you tried taking all the memory seperately. I was going to purchase stuff from table as well but then he got all defensive and then just stopped messaging me and that was months back. I'm not saying he is a bad guy or anything because he told he had like 4-5 alienwares worth of parts laying around to put together and i think this is what he put together. 2 m18x and 2 m17x. stuff does happen luckily m18x r1 boards aren't that expensive now.

 

I think the same, but at least you can try as Mr. Fox suggests 1st and then start thinking about the mobo and the rest of the parts.