The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    m15x cleaning

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by Agatius, Sep 17, 2009.

  1. Agatius

    Agatius Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hey! It's been awhile since I've last posted here and I know you guys are the place to come to for answers.

    I noticed some dust buildup around the vents of my m15x, the vents on the front of the computer seem to be relatively dust free, but the vents on the bottom look like they could use a cleaning. When I looked at videos/guides on how to clean your laptop, some suggested vacuuming the vents, which seems dangerous. Others suggest getting canned air and blowing the dust back up into the vents, which sounds counterproductive, and the last suggestion was to just open up the computer and have at it with the compressed air.

    However, I am really hesitant about opening up this laptop and cleaning it, because well.. It's worth so much money I don't want to screw something up. I have a 3 year warranty, so I am not sure if opening up the computer voids it. All the info on the Alienware website under the FAQ section shows you how to replace the video card fan and the gpu fan, but not how to properly clean them.

    Other info: It seems like my GPU fan doesn't even turn on until it reaches about 80 C, which it does occasionally while idle, then the fan turns on a little bit and it goes to 70 C, it does this back and forth.
    The CPU works the same way, it goes to about 55 C then the fan kicks in and it drops back down to 45 C.
    Max Temps while gaming: GPU: 86 CPU: 63
    I have ran a virus scan, and I have no unnecessary programs running in the background.

    TLDR; I am about to clean my m15x for the first time, will it void my warranty if I open it up to clean it, and what are the best ways and safest ways to clean it? Also any tips on avoiding electrostatic discharge when working with a laptop is helpful.

    SETUP

    Alienware m15x
    1920x1200 screen
    8800m GTX
    4 Gigs of RAM
    500 Gig Harddrive
    2.5 GHz C2D
    Windows Vista Ultimate
     
    Agatius, Sep 17, 2009
    #1
  2. The_Moo™

    The_Moo™ Here we go again.....

    Reputations:
    3,973
    Messages:
    13,930
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    455
    their are guides on the Alienware site that tell you how to do it


    look in the m15x sticky
     
    The_Moo™, Sep 17, 2009
    #2
  3. Agatius

    Agatius Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Those guides tell you how to replace a fan, I'm just looking for info on how to properly clean it and not break it and void my 3 year warranty.

    For example, I heard spraying the fans with compressed air will break them, as they spin too fast or something. Is this true?
     
    Agatius, Sep 17, 2009
    #3
  4. lordqarlyn

    lordqarlyn Global Biz Consultant

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    1,056
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I've never broken any fans with compressed air.

    Can't speak for the M15x, but....with the M17x, when using compressed air, the dust simply blows out other vents. By spraying all vents, I keep my unit dust free. Over here, I have to do it like every three days or so....go through Dust Off like candy....
     
    lordqarlyn, Sep 17, 2009
    #4
  5. The_Moo™

    The_Moo™ Here we go again.....

    Reputations:
    3,973
    Messages:
    13,930
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    455
    WELLL DUH ITS INFORMATION HOW TO OPEN IT TO CLEAN IT


    sorry but ......
     
    The_Moo™, Sep 17, 2009
    #5
  6. Agatius

    Agatius Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    No prob, it's just lacking the information on how to properly clean it. I mean it's like ok heres the fan, now what? Do I swab it with a qtip? blast with compressed air or what?




    And as to you lordqarlyn, are you just spraying all the vents outside the laptop, or are you opening the case and spraying everything out?
     
    Agatius, Sep 17, 2009
    #6
  7. lordqarlyn

    lordqarlyn Global Biz Consultant

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    1,056
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I merely spray the vents. I am located too deep in BFE to risk opening my laptop and have something go wrong. I do conduct a visual inspection and see the difference before and after.

    If I were living in the US, I would probably open it up and give a good spraying. Then again, compared to this uberdusty environment, I would not have to clean nearly as often...
     
    lordqarlyn, Sep 17, 2009
    #7
  8. The_Moo™

    The_Moo™ Here we go again.....

    Reputations:
    3,973
    Messages:
    13,930
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    455
    The_Moo™, Sep 17, 2009
    #8
  9. Agatius

    Agatius Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Well, I got the balls to open up the service case and spray away. CPU fan was not very dirty, but the GPU fan was really dirty. I guess one year of not cleaning does that. I also sprayed the 2 exterior vents, CPU/GPU and I can feel the air coming out of the two vents much better. I'll have to see how the temps change though. Thanks for your help moo/qarlyn!

    EDIT:
    Just did a stress test with AION, don't know how visually demanding the game is but it definitely looks pretty.
    Settings: 1920x1200
    All details MAX
    Bloom Type 2
    no AA

    After 10 minutes of testing, and using HWMonitor, the CPU's reached a max temp of 58 C
    GPU reached a max of 91 C, which is odd because the fan was blowing out cool air.

    Overall I guess this helped, I can definitely feel the fan more on the GPU side compared to before I cleaned it.
     
    Agatius, Sep 19, 2009
    #9
  10. lordqarlyn

    lordqarlyn Global Biz Consultant

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    1,056
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hey that's great! Yep, regular cleaning helps extend the life of the system! Enjoy! :D
     
    lordqarlyn, Sep 19, 2009
    #10