power issues

the power plug is not connecting well. looks like the power socket on the laptop is somehow damaged. when plugging in the power plug I have to twist it till it connects and then often it just says it's connected but not charging. also if I start up on an empty battery before it loads windows it tells me it's not the standard charger, it it is!
when turning the plug around it sometimes feels that there is some grain/sand in it but that is impossible. Does anyone know if using WD 40 is a good idea? I called alienware and I would need to by a new 1 year warranty for around $350 which I am not so excited on since I already paid over 2 G's for this thing.

 

Change the DC power jack port socket

Costs just $22.50! M15x motherboard | eBay

Prepare yourself for a full disassembly though which will take time. Be patient though and all will be fine and dandy Watch these videos 1-3 to help you in your endeavours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7KUTPbDX1Q

KoI

 

Cheaper here

NEW ALIENWARE M15X DELL AC DC POWER JACK REPLACEMENT IN PORT INPUT CONNECTOR | eBay

 

lol I think he wil be happy with our findings when he drops in

 

Wow, I will check out the video, but is this pretty simple? if this works out what are the possibilities of upgrading CPU and GPU?

Thanks again.

 

check here http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m15x/681697-compiled-list-compatible-m15x-upgrades.html

 

not bad... is there a place to buy this cheap otherwise I might as well get a new laptop

 

A lot of these parts can be found on ebay for a lot cheaper than what dell will sell to you.

The lower tier parts will be considerably cheaper than the higher scale parts.
for example, the processors jump from
i5:100
i7-720:60
i7-740:100
i7820:150
i7-840:175
i7-940:350

 

thanks. just reviewed the video's on taking the M15 appart. wow, I hope the thing is going to work once I done with it. Does anyone know if the power plug just screws on or do I need to solder it on an off the motherboard, as that would be a bit to risky for me.

Also saw that the IO board screws on, can this be bought separately so that I could buy a new one with USB 3.0 on it?

Thanks.

 

If you need USB 3.0 just get an expresscard 54 slot 2xUSB 3.0. It slots in nicely and flush with the chassis of the machine. Install drivers and boom you have 2x USB 3.0 ports. Many of us have done this upgrade.

As for the CPU. Go straight to a 920xm. The 940xm is the same but usually a lot more costly as both are fully unlockable using a small free program called Throttlestop. The ES or QS 920XM can be had for under $250. Once you sell your older chip that price comes down even further

If the DC jack port is broken then a new one ought to fix it. Good luck.

 

thanks on the the above, but does anyone know if I have to do a soldering job? and if yes I am likely to screw up the motherboard?

 

I have never replaced the DC jack. Your best bet is simply to buy the new jack (it is so cheap anyways) dissasemble and see. It might simply clip into place. Perhaps a google search on M15x power dc jack replacement might cough something up to check out.

 

To replace the power jack you'll have to desolder the old one and solder the new one.
It's a 5 min. job for someone with basic soldering skills.

If you don't feel comfortable doing it, take it to somebody that has some experience with this, maybe a local computer shop if they don't charge too much.

 

thanks. Could some one give me a link to the USB 3.0 express card?

On the power plug If I screw this up can I buy another MO or do I only have one shot. I assume I have to solder the old one off and the new one on?

On getting a new CPU, is it just plug and play or is there a software issues that I will have to deal with, I can handle drivers but if I have do mess around with the BIOS then it' a bit above me.

Thanks for all your help so far.

 

USB 3.0 : 3 Port Hidden Inside USB 3.0 HUB to Express Card ExpressCard 54 54mm Adapter | eBay

Upgrading the CPU is simple. Simply remove battery and backpanel. Then remove the CPU heatsink (the one on the right) carefully of course. Take the old cpu out and pop the new one in. You will then need to apply thermal paste on the top of the new chip. I recommend ICD 24 thermal compound. Put back heatsink, backpanel and battery. Boot up and enjoy. Will be plug and play. Monitor temps with real temp running in your system tray. I recommend you install it and have it running before you install the new chip so on your first boot up with the new chip you can instantly see the temps. If the temps once you get into windows are somewhere between 40 and 50C then all seems well. Have fun.

 

Yes, you can buy another motherboard but there's not much you can go wrong with. As i said above your post, that's exactly what you need to do.
But you might want to exercise your soldering skills on another PCB you don't have a use for.

Here, i found a little video of what you need to do, hope it helps:

How to repair broken DC power jack in a laptop computer

 

Thanks for all your help. This looks doable, I have a friend coming next week how can do some soldering so I will have him do that part. Got the express card, couldn't believe it's so cheap! Once the power plug is fix and I'm all good I will go over the CPU upgrade and then will see about the GPU up-grade.

 

Good to hear that, keep us updated, Spike.

 

OK, I did it!!! took a little longer than on the video! for future reference if anyone needs to do this. Watch the plugs i broke the one for the keyboard lighting. will need to do a patch work on it. Anyway the power plug is a royal pain as it floats between the motherboard, it has legs sticking out on the side which go onto the motherboard and the the plug is hight sensitive. ended up not putting the bracket back on that covers the DVI and power plug on the inside, plus had to use 2 washers on the motherboard screw next to the power plug so that it aligns with the casing and you can actually plug the cord in!
didn't do the actual soldering job my self and do not recommend it for someone who has not done it. But all in all after some work and sweat it was worth saving the $350 that I would otherwise had to pay for a 1 year warranty so dell would fix this problem.

 

Glad you were able to get it fixed, Spike!

Sorry to hear about the latch, they are fragile. Take a look here, you may be able to fix it:
Laptop Repair Help » How to fix broken keyboard connector on laptop motherboard

 

thanks!! just tried it and no problems. luckily I kept the brown piece, no tape needed it still clicks in. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU MY LAPTOP WORKS PERFECT AGAIN WITH THE POWER ISSUE FULLY HANDLED AND NO ADVERSE AFFECTS AND I SAVE ABOUT $350!!!!!!!!!

 

That's great, good thing you kept the piece