Laptop: repair or buy new?

Unlucky Alf

Prominent Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
1,500
Reaction score
1,116
Points
481
After an incident where I spilt a glass of wine over my laptop, I can't decide which of the two options above to go with. I have a Dell XPS M1710 which was cutting edge back in 2006 and was still decent until its run in with the wine. It now doesn't start up at all (the power light comes on when the mains/battery are plugged in, as does the num lock LED, and I can hear the hard drive clicking, buts that's all) so the motherboard and possibly the video card are shot.

So Im umming and ahhing over whether to look for a second hand/spare parts M1710 to fix it up with, or buy a new laptop as the 1710 is now getting a bit long in the tooth. I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money as I haven't used it much since getting an ipad, but the ability to do the very occasional bit of light autocad work on it would be useful.

So can anyone help me make my mind up? ;)
 
I also got a M1710 back in the day when the £1k price tag was considered a bargain.
Last year came to switch it on and the power and hard drive light came on for 2-3 seconds then went off and it won't do anything else. The diagnostic lights don't seem to work. I put it in its box and moved on.

The first thing I would advise are trying the built in diagnostics - press the FN (function key) then power it on or hold the power button and see what happens.
It should blink a code on the caps lock/num lock/scroll lock LEDs and also give beeps. Jot down what it does then have a look at this PAGE to see what it means - note that post doesn't list all the codes, you'll need to google to find a more detailled page.

Then I would say your options are:
1. If mobo - see if any used working ones are being offered on an auction site for a good price. Swapping it out can be fiddly but with patience/care not beyond anyone.
2. Take it to a laptop repair specialist which offers free diagnosis/quote.
3. Buy a new one with adequate spec for your requirements - there are deals to be had on outlet/clearance stores and private sellers who upgrade each 1/2 years.
 
Yeah, most repairs on these devices are not that expensive so if you like the laptop go for this option
 
If you really love the way your Laptop performs then just go for a repair it will not cost you more.But if you want to go for a technology change then buying a new one is good choice.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom