Help me Overclockers - I don't have £600 (Dell XPS 13 motherboard)

Apocsol · 23 Nov 2017 at 12:58

Hi all,

This is a hail mary post. My partner knocked tea on my laptop, and the keyboard stopped working. A Dell engineer replaced the keyboard, but still, nothing.

They suggest replacing the motherboard for, wait for it, £600. However, the laptop itself still works, bluetooth keyboards still work when plugged in via USB - so could it just be the keyboard connector cable or similar? And if so, can I replace that part alone?

I will be forever in your debt if you can save me a month's rent here...

p.s. Apologies if this is in the wrong place - tell me if I should repost elsewhere.

stuie · 23 Nov 2017 at 13:37

would it be horribly inconvinient just to use an additional usb keyboard?

Apocsol · 23 Nov 2017 at 14:42

stuie said:
would it be horribly inconvinient just to use an additional usb keyboard?

Haha, yeah, that's what I'm on at present, but you see I have two jobs, and I commute from one to the other (3 hours), doing my work on the tube/subway. A bluetooth keyboard won't help me on the tube, so I lose 3 hours of productivity per day!

Oh, and my job is editing books, so the keyboard is kind of...key.

MiSJAH · 23 Nov 2017 at 21:58

Have you tried a local pc shop/repair service? At least get some quotes to help bargain with Dell.

LEK-89 · 24 Nov 2017 at 17:22

Unfortunately I imagine that the best part of that £600.00 does go towards the cost of a new motherboard itself - as on these XPS 13 boards both the CPU & RAM are soldered onto it, which in turn are also not cheap components to source during production. From hearing about other Dell warranty claims from other people, Dell replace the entire lot during the process.

Liam.

matthab · 28 Nov 2017 at 18:24

House insurance?

Have you checked ebay for a used/refurbished board and get a local place to replace it. I did the same when my wife spilled water over her dell inspiron, but changed it my self.

d_brennen · 18 Dec 2017 at 09:08

Personally I'd write it off as dead and house insurance it.

Actually, I'd douse the board around the keyboard zif connector in isopropyl, mop up excess with cotton pads, leave to dry, repeat 3/4 times, then maybe again. Then call it a day if it does not work. Dell have been at it already, so that shouldn't go against a claim.