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Released in 2013, the Alienware X51 R2 is an updated version of the original Alienware X51 desktop gaming computer. It has a compact case, but can be upgraded with many off-the-shelf PC components.

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Weird PSU light shuts down and PC doesn't boot

So a few days ago I woke up to my computer being in a hibernating state to which I tried to wake it up with the mouse but it didn't work. The lights of peripherals were on and the Power light of the PC so I tried to turn it back on with the power button to which it shut off.

It started turning on and 2 seconds later turns off and the PSU cord which has a blue ring light shuts down while the PC is off when it turns back on is when the computer turns on too.

I removed GPU it isn't it, I removed the HDD and it handled a few seconds more on but it kept on shutting down, then I removed both RAM sticks and reseat them but they were not properly seated so the computer Mobo started beeping twice for (No RAM Detected) but it stopped shutting down, then I tried separately in different slots and no Luck. Tried replacing with the original RAM sticks and it did the same thing as the newer ones.

I even tried different configurations like for example:

no RAM no GPU and no CD Drive with HDD only and with the HDD it beeps twice for no RAM detected but it shuts down quickly right after the beeps the first time and then it shuts down right on the second beep. So the HDD and/or the RAM being seated are doing the same things.

My mobo is model: 0PGRP5

Video recordings:

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Hi @dsantos97331

Did you try just 1 ram module at a time? Can't tell if you did or not.

Initially the HDD shouldn't play any part as the PC has to pass POST (power on self test) first, before booting into the OS from the HDD. Unless of course the HDD is dragging down the power for some reason.

Try basic setup. PSU, motherboard with GPU card and 1 ram module, mouse and monitor only - nothing else e.g. no HDD/SSD, no ODD, no other peripherals attached etc and check if it passes POST and that you can get into BIOS

Also perform the paperclip test on the PSU to make sure that all the supply voltages are OK

Update (09/25/25)

@dsantos97331

Sorry got it wrong re the PSU. I forgot that Dell has proprietary PSUs and not standard ATX models.

Try a power refresh and check if that works.

  • Disconnect the power to the PC and then unplug the coin cell battery which is connected to the motherboard - see image below for location

When the coin cell battery is out, measure its voltage. If it is <2.5V DC or if the battery is >4-5 years old, replace it. Usually the part number is on the battery. Search online for the part number to find suppliers that suit you best.

  • Press and hold the PC power button for 30 seconds and then release it.
  • Reconnect the coin cell battery, make sure that the ram, HDD, GPU card etc are all installed i.e. PC is all setup again, reconnect the power adapter to the PC and check if it turns on OK.

If it does, there may be a message stating that the date and time are incorrect. This is normal as the BIOS has been reset back to its factory default state by the above procedure. Once the date and time have been corrected, the message won't appear the next time the PC is started. Also any user definable BIOS settings that were changed by you to suit whatever operating requirements you wanted, will have to be changed back again as well.

Block Image

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Yes I did, in total I tried 4 Ram modules, individually and together and when I did them one at a time I also tried on both slots.

The HDD does that but when I connect my SSD that only has Steam Games it doesnt do the turn off thing (as long as no RAM modules are seated)

As for the PSU test i aint sure how to do it because the cable that comes right after the power cord is a 6 pin cable that connects to the PDU and there is a 12pin cable connecting the PDU to the Motherboard.

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I can also provide with recordings of each setup and its differences maybe a visual makes it better

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I did try the disconnect CMOS battery part but I don't have a voltmeter to measure those things. I never changed it since I got the computer 12 years ago

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But I tried running it without the CMOS battery but it kept doing the same thing

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@dsantos97331

Did you also press and hold the power button operated for 30 seconds, when the power is disconnected from the PSU and the cmos battery is out, you never said?

If you did and it still didn't work, it's either a PSU problem or a motherboard problem so you'll need a DMM (digital multimeter) to test them

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