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Monitor fails to connect to Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop: motherboard failure

Tags: Hardware

Hi,

I have a Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop running Windows 10 Home.. It no longer connects to a monitor with the monitor displaying “No connection”.

I am pretty sure the problem is the monitor port rather than my monitors or monitor cables. I have tested the 3650 with 2 monitors and 2 monitor cables that a) previously worked with the 3650 and still work with a Dell T7910 workstation.

Also to begin with I only occasionally lost monitor connection. I could reconnect by jiggling the cable/monitor in the port connection. Eventually, this stopped working.

I have opened the PC and everything seems attached and clean with no signs of damaged components. It still powers up. I do not know if it boots into Windows as I have not monitor connection.

I remember earlier Dells had 4 lights that indicated errors (all green OK, combinations of green and orange, various kinds of errors). Do the latest desktops lack this feature.

I have also changed the battery to no effect.

I have a video card but my understanding is that even if this card is malfunctioning, the monitor should still connect to the PC. Am I right?

My conclusion is that the monitor port is malfunctioning. In consequence, my only solution is to buy a new motherboard.(I do not want to be soldering a monitor port to a motherboard.) Am I right?

I say ‘new motherboard’ because I worry how much life might be left in a used/refurbished one. I plan buying a new motherboard on eBay

My thanks in advance for your thoughts, suggestions and kind help

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Reply To: Monitor fails to connect to Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop: motherboard failure

In reply to Monitor fails to connect to Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop: motherboard failure

If there is an issue with the video card it could be the problem, or it could be a problem with the monitor. How old is the computer/monitor? Can you test your monitor on a different computer? Need more information to troubleshoot.

Details missing.

In reply to Monitor fails to connect to Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop: motherboard failure

I can’t see enough detail to call this one or suggest anything other than picking up another 3650 such as https://www.ebay.com/itm/225284602487 then moving your drives over.

That’s $136 and a repair counter here starts at 150 including parts.

There are no NEW motherboards for this model. They will all be old.

As to the comment about the monitor port being dead and such, nope, a broken monitor port can easily be fixed/bypassed by using a video card but my experience is that it’s not the port itself but a dead PC.

The dead part could be as cheap as a new CMOS battery to motherboard and power supply failures. The cost to repair is too high on such things so my advice is to get a working model off ebay and move your drives and video card over.

Monitor not connecting to Inspiron 3650

In reply to Monitor fails to connect to Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop: motherboard failure

To answer your comments

1) no it’s not the monitor or cables – as I said in my post, I connected two (2) monitors and two (2) cables to my 3650. Neither worked. Then I connected these 2 monitors and2 cables to my Dell T7910 and all of them connected to this workstation.
2) I’ve already installed a new CMOS battery to no effect.
3) The machine powers up, so does this mean the power unit is good?
4) Isn’t the video card irrelevant? I thought that a monitor should be picked up by a Dell PC even if it doesn’t have a video card. Doesn’t the video card just give better graphics?
5) Yes, they have stopped making new 3650 motherboards. If you look on eBay, though, you will still find sellers listing 3650 motherboards which are described as ‘new’ (and not just refurbished). There are also ‘open box’ motherboards’. I would post a link, but TechRepublic doesn’t seem to have that facility.
6) I’m leery of a used machine, as I wonder how much use they might have had, especially if they have come out of a business.
6) Given that I could reconnect the monitor for a time by jiggling the cable at the port monitor, doesn’t this pertty much suggest a port monitor problem? If so, then is a new motherboard not the (expensive) answer? Again, I’m wary of used motherboards.

Final questions: 1) can you really trust used eBay PCs? 2) any advice on buying them?

P.S. I’m reluctant to dump the 3650 as I just bought two 2.5 SSDs and the cages for them.

Up to you.

In reply to Monitor not connecting to Inspiron 3650

I’m sharing how we deal with older failed PCs. eBay units have been fine but maybe you didn’t get that there is little or no choice as the machines get that old.

The clients like you don’t want to part with their PC so it gives us a way to bring it back with another unit and then use the best of both PCs to bring it back to life.

Your choice at the end.

About the JIGGLE. If the jiggle is at where you say “PORT MONITOR” on the MONITOR then all bets are off. But you can find techs that will replace a video port but you will pay for the work without a high probability of success. At the shop/office we would inspect the port and board area to get a better idea but here I’m going with get a working 3650 and move what you want into it. You start with a working 3650 and then (again) move what you want into it.

Or get a board. Me I’d go with a working system because a “new” board doesn’t mean it’s a working board.

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