Replacing a broken USB 3.0 connector on a MSI GT60?

The long and the short of it is my laptop table broke and took my laptop down with it...

My laptop is a MSI GT60 474. I purchased it back in September 2014 from GentechPC, pretty sure this isn't going to be covered by the warranty but thought I would just include this info anyways.

The noticeable damage consist of a crack on the lid(screen seems to work fine so only superficial) and a totally bent up usb connector. What are my options if I would like to fix the usb connector? I was thinking about trying to buy the correct usb 3.0 connector and finding a local computer repair shop to unsolder the broken usb connector and solder on the new connector.

I'm having a little bit of difficulty tracking down the correct usb 3.0 connector though. Do you guys think this is something MSI could fix or would they just suggest a motherboard swap? Any helpful advice or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

http://imgur.com/kMvIORP

 

Got to MSI website and put in a request for a OOW repair and see how much they quote you.

 

Sorry to hear that.

Cracked screen is not covered under warranty even though your system is still under limited standard warranty. Please call MSI directly to obtain an estimate to find out the cost, but they typically run about $250 at least.

 

You should have 3 USB3 ports, if one is broken, I would make sure it doesn't have a short inside, buy a plug to cover it and use remaining 2 ports, or buy usb hub, if needed more.
Second option would be to find local computer shop to do repair, I have one 5 min drive from my house, I asked them few months ago how much would they charge for replacing usb port in a tablet
and it was $100 (usb port itself probably should be less than $10), so that's about how much you should pay.
Or get estimate from MSI, but that may not be cheap and at some point, may not be worth it (you could probably buy barebone laptop for lets say $600 and transfer parts).
Cracked lid I would probably cover with custom vinyl wrapper, it may actually look better.
BTW Amazon lists your laptop for $1600 new, but they also have 2 used ones for $760.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll check around and see how much the repair is.

 

If it's going to cost too much then you can either replace it, or buy the part yourself on eBay then DIY. Laptop screen typically cost about $100-200 depending on the size/type.

 

Amazon also has a decent selection and decent pricing on screens. www.panelook.com is a good source too (mostly for specs and comparable models).

 

Amazon's prices are generally higher than eBay though.

 

for the record, msi will not simply fix this usb 3.0 connector issue, it is on the motherboard side where it's not just a simple unscrew and swap like the other side of the laptop. 2) you can simply find pictures of the motherboard itself and try to find the appropriate usb 3.0 connector, unless the local shop may have some already or they are pretty good at those repairs then they can take care of that for you (at a premium).

check the right side of this pic:


then far left of this pic:

each usb has about 9 + 3 points to desolder. you will pretty much need some heating plates + heating soldering station to pull these suckers out.

best if you can try to take a needle and good pair of tweeters or nice set of sharp headed pliers and bend everything back to where it would be able to work as intended.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/20pc...240591068.html?spm=2114.40010208.4.166.0WDB1K

these look comparable to it, but you'll have to scour ebay, for very similar mount and pin out

this is about the closest thing i could find for you on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Singl...243355?hash=item4859ccdc9b:g:8fkAAOSw--1WrK9v



the lcd bezel looks fine but the top cover is cracked, if you want to carefully bend back the the top cover trim, then superglue , then it's possible, but you will be facing about 6 screws to remove and 45mins of time to disassemble and reassemble the bezel and top lcd cover lid. you can use the time to check if your brass threads on the bezel are getting ripped out because of seized hinges also.

eBay if you choose(April 4, 2016):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSI-GT60-MS...738909?hash=item25b57e3bdd:g:aAEAAOSw-zxWpnpJ




doing most of this is basically patience, but you need the patience to check with msi if the laptop is still under warranty or not specifically before doing things yourself.

 

This repair depends on the level of damage because sometimes when connector breaks which also damages the PCB then the connector will not stick nicely and securely.
However, if it's loose pins then it's definitely repairable, but as you said MSI will not repair it except replacing it because they centralized the repair in the factory which makes sense.