Alienware M18x R2 motherboard problems

[Maks0098]

Hello everyone, I have a problem with my Alienware M18x R2, first my processor died, then I bought a known working i3. When I was disassembling the laptop, I accidentally shorted two contacts (attached a photo), now I installed the processor, but it refuses to start, it beeps 1 time, then 7 times, sometimes 4 times, and then 7 times(before I started disassembling the laptop, it only beeped 7 times). Do I need to buy a new motherboard or is there something else I can do?

[Maxware79]

A 7 beep CPU error is very rarely a failed CPU and it usually has something to do with failed components on the motherboard that run the CPU. If you were getting the 7 beep error to start with then this could have been your issue all along. Intel CPU's do die but it's far less often than the motherboard. 

My guess is you'll need a new board. 

[Maks0098]

@Maxware79, I had something similar before. it turned off while I was playing. it beeped 7 times, but after resetting the BIOS settings(the processor was overclocked), it started again. so I guess the processor was dying back then.

[Maks0098]

1 minute ago, Maks0098 said:

@Maxware79, I had something similar before. it turned off while I was playing. it beeped 7 times, but after resetting the BIOS settings(the processor was overclocked), it started again. so I guess the processor was dying back then.

so I think the reason it won't start now is because I shorted those contacts and there was a spark. and what do you think about whether some transistor could simply have burned out and it can be re-soldered and everything will work

[Maxware79]

Ooh a spark isn't good news. You can try looking all over the board to see if any components show signs of being burned out or smell bad but you may have to take to someone who is skilled at board level diagnostics to pinpoint what has failed. Even then it can be very hard to trace the problem. With labour costs it can be cheaper to just replace the board. It's hard to find reasonably priced boards though.

It will be very difficult or impossible to diagnose this in here. 

[Maks0098]

@Maxware79, Will a motherboard from M18x R3 fit it? Will it be necessary to cut something, will the factory matrix be suitable, and so on?

[Maxware79]

9 hours ago, Maks0098 said:

@Maxware79, Will a motherboard from M18x R3 fit it? Will it be necessary to cut something, will the factory matrix be suitable, and so on?

 

No, the M18x R3 doesn't technically exist. It's actually called the AW 18 but some people refer to it as the R3 for whatever reason. It's a completely different board layout.