[GUIDE] Dell XPS L502X Tear Down, Optical HDD Caddy Installation, and CPU/GPU Repasting [56k warning]

A detailed guide to the complete tear down of the Dell XPS L501X and L502X. Additional details such as HDD caddy installation and DVD/BD ROM 'Hot Swap' will be included at a later date as will additional pictures/hints I find will be helpful. In this guide you will find helpful hints that will allow you to be able to completely tear down the system in under 20 minutes. Do not worry if that goal is not reached, it's not a race, a slow but good job is better than a quick and messy one.

One more thing, names, logos, trademarks, etc etc (XPS, L502X, L501X, Dell) all belong to Dell, so please don't sue me...

Note: Tear down takes patience, organization, and skills with small hand held tools. Please have a nice set of quality Philips screw drivers (of various sizes) etc when working with your laptop, the last thing you'll want is to not have the proper tool to complete the job.

Hint: Please take your time and make use of a large dining table or a clean work space that will have minimal foot traffic.

Hint: I find that using small jars, egg crates, or dishes for organizing removed screws lead to the best work, SO keep ORGANIZED. Also have another laptop/PC handy in case you need to use this guide or Dell's Service Manual.

Let's get started

Tools/Tech/Paste:
-Small Phillips screwdrivers, buy a set, they're cheap (will update with sizes).
-Optical Drive HDD Caddy. There are multiple options available, will update with options/links soon.
-Any HDD up to 12.5mm height and does not exceed 5v power draw.
-Thermal Paste, I personally prefer MX-4.
-Rubbing alcohol 91%+ recommended.
-Cotton ball or Q-tips.

1. Place laptop, service panel up, on a soft surface and remove the battery. You will see 3 screws securing the service panel, completely loosen the outer two screws first and the center screw last. Gently lift the service panel off the chassis.

Hint: These screws only loosen and cannot be 'removed' since they are secured permanently on the service panel. The service panel is secured by the 3 screws but is also held using small retaining tabs, use a little force and the panel will pop right off.



2. Once the service panel is off, remove the screw securing the optical drive. RAM, WiFi, TV Tuner can remain on the motherboard but please so remove the antenna cables from the cards.



Remove optical drive by gently sliding it out the of the chassis.



3. Remove the screw securing the palm-rest assembly from the battery bay.



Open your laptop's screen as far as it will go and press and release the two palm-rest assembly tabs, you should hear several tabs pop off the chassis while doing so. Don't be alarmed, it's just releasing the palm-rest.



4. Using a plastic scribe or in my case, my fingers, start popping out the tabs counterclockwise from the power button. I find it easier that way.

Hint: This is about the hardest part of the entire tear down for newbies. It was by far the most stressful because it does require a bit of force to dislodge some of those tabs. Be forceful but use some discretion when prying, use wiggles etc to loosen the tabs if they just won't budge.





When you round to the side with the optical drive, you can release the two tabs that were hidden by the optical drive. Good thing you removed it first!



5. When the palm-rest is off, gently disconnect the two ribbon cables from the motherboard.



6. Remove the four screws holding the HDD, slide HDD to the left to disconnect and lift out.



7. Using a plastic scribe or your fingers, release the two tabs holding the keyboard.





Disconnect the keyboard ribbon cables from the motherboard.



Hint: This is a good time to move the antenna wires out from under the service panel and to the top of the chassis.



8. Locate the LCD connector cable and disconnect using the pull tab.



Locate grounding cable and remove it from the chassis.



Remove the two display holding screws from the bottom of the chassis.

Hint: They're right next to the rubber feet.



Remove the four screws (two at each hinge) to remove the display assembly.

Hint: Double check that you've moved the Wifi wires out from under the laptop to the surface and removed all cables/grounding etc.





9. Flip the computer over so the bottom faces up. Remove the two silver screws, four screws in the battery bay, and three screws at the optical drive bay.







Hint: you can remove the speaker and fan wires now.





10. Flip the computer over again to the top and remove the 15 screws as marked in red.



Hint: I find it easier to remove the top cover while the bottom chassis is on top. The motherboard is attached to the black top cover so having it on the bottom helps the silver bottom cover lift off. The halves should separate from each other rather easily and any resistance is often at the exhaust grille. You will see a small tab at the grille, pop it out with a scribe.



The two halves.



11. Remove the two screws securing the fan. It'll lift right out.



12. Remove the four screws securing the subwoofer.



13. Remove the TV Tuner (if applicable) by removing the two securing screws.



14. Remove the single screw securing the AC adapter connector



15. Remove the three screws securing the USB board. Remove the ribbon cable from the USB board. A little wiggle and the board should lift right out of the slots.







16. Using a scribe, NOT a screwdriver (like the picture), gently pry out the USB/AC/Tuner slots.





17. The Motherboard



18. The heatsink has 7 screws in all and are numbered accordingly. Please start from #7 when removing and #1 when installing. Tighten or loosen a little at a time until all screws are loose and the heatsink freely lifts off.





19. You will now see the CPU and GPU dies exposed and covered with stock thermal material. Use a cotton ball or Q-tip (recommended) dipped in a highly concentrated rubbing alcohol, 91%+, and gently clean off the dies and heatsinks.





You will be greeted with a nice mirrored finish.

20. You can remove the CPU (though not needed) by unlocking it from the motherboard. The socket will provide the direction in which to turn for unlocking/locking.



Lift straight up, don't wiggle or lift at an angle, the pins might bend or snap.



21. Use a high quality paste such as MX-4. Avoid AS5 since it is conductive and should not be used on exposed dies. Use a small rice grain sized dab of paste on the GPU and two rive grains on the CPU (if it's a Quad, pictured). Do a little experimentation and you'll eventually find the sweet spot between fully covered but not slathered and too little.





Replace heatsink and you're done.

After you finish, reassemble!

WORK IN PROGRESS, more to be added later. Spelling errors etc will be corrected, it's very late here, or should I say early?? LOL.

 

This is awesome! Thanks!!

 

Dell does a bad job on putting thermal paste on laptops.

 

Nice guide. will be useful to many of us.

Also a warning: make sure you use the correct screwdriver for the screw holding the dvd drive. its a really stiff screw.
if your not careful the head will become stripped like this

 

I agree. I've had this issue here as well as while removing the palm rest screw in the battery bay. The solution is to use a large philips screwdriver (the utility type, not the small ones you normally use for electronics), and push it down really hard while turning it very slowly... Removing these screws can easily turn into a nightmare if completely stripped.

 

thanks much needed

 

Amazingly detailed guide!
You weren't kidding when you said there would be lots of pictures!
Very good, step-by-step instructions!
Rep this guide up people!

 

Nice guide but I highly recommend at least 99% anhydrous alcohol to clean off thermal paste. 91% rubbing alcohol contains water and will not remove the micro traces of TIM.

 

I've thought about this as well. Where does one get that type of alcohol? And does the micro trace leave an impact? I'm all for awesome stuff no matter the result so even if it lowers temps by .000001C I'm down for that lol.

 

Neat guide but I think the most important part is missing.. Before-and-after temp comparison!

 

I would also appreciate if you could tell me weter its possible to replace cpu with one we buy?

 

Yes, any 2nd Gen i5/i7 except the xm CPUs (not confirmed) will work.

 

Did you happen to see whether or not the GPU is removable?

 

It's not, the GPU is soldered on to the motherboard.

 

Gah. Thanks.

 

Wait, if we want to swap the disc drive into a HDD/SSD, all that is needed is removing the backplate and removing one screw and buying a caddy off ebay?

 

As easy as it sounds yes. Have the right caddy? You're basically 80% done. Unscrew, slide the DVD drive out, put faceplate on, done!

 

I'll do it soon. I have disassembled the front face/bezel 8 times (stupid backlit keyboard....), it is actually quite easy.

 

I have managed to damage on of the screws (in the service panel) retaining the optical drive.

how do i get it out

cheers

css_jay99

 

Is it completely stripped? You can try to tighten it a little and then use pressure to back it out. Most likely it's stuck pretty good so tightening it will loosen it a tiny bit. If not, you'll have to drill it out most likely. Good luck.

 

No its not complete stripped, I was just trying to remove just the couple of screws to swap the Bluray Reader to a writer.

I dont think I have any chance of been able to unscrew it.

Whats the best way to drill it out?

Any guides around?

cheers

css_jay99

 

Hi,
Did you record a video for this process?

 

Waiting for the above with bated breath!

 

Soon! In a few days I'll have a bit more time to take some pictures.

 

How's it comin along? Gettin my replacement l502x soon..

And thanks for the info already provided!

 

Arctic Silver Incorporated - Céramique 2

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)


Absolute Stability:
Arctic Silver 5 will not separate, run, migrate, or bleed.

 

very slightly capacitive /= not electrically conductive

There are better pastes out there than AS5 these days.

 

Villosa, I want to install a WWAN card, but it does not come with the antenna. Could you tell me how I would go about fitting it?

 

Installing an antenna in the lid is actually very easy. Simply follow the service manual and you will be fine. The display dis-assembly instructions are very straight forward and not confusing at all. Good luck, let me know if you need more instruction. Go ahead and PM me if it's more convenient.

I'm sure you can source an antenna off of Amazon?

 

Hi guys,
I've just fitted the hard disk caddy and have my dvdrw in a external case but I have a slight problem. Everything works ok apart from every now and then the hard disk disappears and when I double click into my computerbit just wont load anything up. The hard disk just completely disappears. Has anyone had any issues with the extra internal hard disk caddy?
Cheers,
Kev

 

My experience today:
stripped the dvd drive screw, had to work around (hardest part was separating and replacing the two "halves" because of the drive's connector.

MASSIVE DROP IN TEMPS! Used mx4 and immediately saw a drop of at least 10 degrees in furmark. instead of jumping to 75 and climbing, the temp jumped to 65 and CRAWLED upwards.

Only downside: the touch sensitive buttons don't respond or light up, though the power button works. Will attempt to redo those ribbon cables, since that is the most likely culprit.

Edit: removed palm rest (much easier 3rd time around) and redid both ribbon connectors. worked like a charm

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GUIDE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm thinking about if it's worth me dismantling my laptop and putting it back together, but not sure if it's worth it. Just did furmark after cleaning all the fan and vents and I got 81 degrees after 15mins at 1920x1080. Would you say it's worth me dismantling and putting on some new thermal grease?

 

After 15 minutes?! what furmark settings do you use? I use 1080p with burn in, xtreme burn in, max aa, dynamic background, and post fx, and I now get 75 after 15 minutes. before the paste, i'd get high 80's.
I'll let you decide whether it's worth it, but keep in mind that this is also a great time to clean enverything. you'd be surprised at the dust in the heatsink, or everywhere really.
If you want a real test with those surprisingly good pre-paste temps, try a combo of prime95 (max settings, use turbo boost if you want max heat generation) and furmark together (note you'll want to watch this test carefully). I'm going to do this test myself, will report back.

EDIT: Results after 5 minutes, when I decided to kill the test - max temp on the cpu was 93 on one of the cores, 85 on the gpu. This is with the laptop sitting on a table. If I were to do this in a real world situation, I'd take the bottom cover off and put the laptop on my thermaltake massive cooler (big fan right in the middle.

 

nice guide,loving it!
it arrived a little late for me since I already upgreaded the ram to 8 GB, added a optical hdd caddy from newmodeus,removed some dust filters to improve the airflow and replaced the thermal paste with no guide, but this is really helpfull anyway

now I'm planning to do a usb mod (add two internal usb ports, if I am correct, i can get the d+ and d- directly from the minipci express slots pinouts)

 

What do you mean by this? Do you mean addd USB ports to be used by some new internally-connected component? Or, add two new USB ports accessible from the outside (e.g. external drives, mice, etc. can be plugged into them)? I'd sure like an additional USB port or two.

 

it depends about the cassing space, I'm planning to add at least one of the extra usb ports modded outside, so I can plug usb devices like the ones you mentionated, the another one could be internal, for example, be conected to a small bluetooth usb board by soldering wires on it.

about the idea, I'm planning to get the d+ and d- directly from the minipcie slots.

obusly I will solder on the reverse way, so I can keep pluging minipcie cards as usual.

the annoying part is to get 5v to power the usb devices, I'm planning to find some point with power avalible from ac and battery, then install custom regulators to get 5v regulated to wire to the extra usb ports or internal usb devices.

 

Ok so I did as you said and ran both prime95 and furmark at max settings together. After 15 mins I got 88 degrees on the GPU and 95 degress on both CPU cores. I had turbo mode enabled but it wasn't turbo boosting as the temperature was too high. The test was done whilst sitting on a table like yours. Wondering If I should re-paste or not one again as I have similar temps to yours even before re-pasting! But then again, if I re-paste I may get even cooler temps!

 

True, your temps are excellent for stock paste, so it's up to you.

 

I've never repasted anythig in a pc or notebook. Just how much past do I have to use? Does the whole CPU/GPU need to be covered? It wasn't quite clear in the pictures...

thx,
SiriusVI

 

Look up other guides on google, or see if you have any friends who have experience. Methods also vary. The guy I had do mine actually used a different, more beginner-friendly method. He:
put a tiny amount of paste on the chip, without spreading
lined up the heatsink directly over the chips
lowered it straight down

this made the paste spread itelf out with minimal airspace.
By the way we also cleaned off the heatsink (not touching the thermal pads, just the places where paste had caked on)

 

Does anyone know where we can get the hard drive caddy for cheap? It seems like ever since the Thailand floods, the prices have gone up 2-3x. I bought one last year for $15 from Ebay, now they're running $35-45, which makes so sense.

And the SEARCH THREAD feature on here doesn't work

I searched for "caddy" and it returned 0 results, which isn't right.

 

Ok, I bit the bullet and repasted as I wanted to get as cool temps as possible. After running the same test (furmark and prime95) for 15 mins I get a max temp of 76 degrees on the GPU and 81 degrees on both CPU cores. Well worth the repasting I'd say!! Very happy with the results to say the least.
I'd like to thank Kasar for creating such a brilliant guide!

 

kasar? omg, lol thanks,but I didnt made this guide ^_^,Villosa did I think

 

Hello, just wanna say thx for making this thread. Very helpful though i've torn down my i9300 years ago several times. Quite similar both laptops inside.

For my l502x i took thermalright Chillfactor 3. After looping 3d6 3times, temps decreases for 4-5 C°.
So i played bf3 and temps raised high up to 92°C (2670QM) and 87°C GT 540m (740/925).

Ok, this game is very demanding to the hardware, but that high? Is it normal for bf3 or too high. I played for 1,5 h. Maybe i'll change max. processor level to 99%. Should be enough for this "monster".

Btw, doesn't the forumsearch work?

 

Thanks for the guide! To the above post, after a repaste, 92C cpu and 87C gpu temps seem rather high regardless of how demanding bf3 is. 99% processor will decrease your cpu temps, but your gpu temp at 87C is still pretty high. See what others think. Also, the forumsearch doesnt seem the work for me. However, do a google search and limit your results to notbookreview.com. Seems to work perfect for me.

 

I already did a repaste, remove dustfilter and change energy plans to 99 %. Temps went down for ca. 15 C° at heavy gaming.

 

thanks for the guide.. it's awesome !

although, i have a question.. where is the bluetooth card slot?
I've bought my xps l502x without one and i wish to install it now..

it's on the screen like the Studio 1458 ?

i looked at the pictures but i didn't see it, may be i missed it..

i want to know before i tear down unnecesary parts.. hehe..


thanks in advance..

 

@wachufly

There isn't one. You have to buy the Intel Wireless Card 6230 to replace your current intel wireless card which has wireless + bluetooth integrated. I will be doing that in the future for xps 15.

 

Awesome guide !!

I have a dell xps L501X. My esata/usb 2.0 port has been broken. Due to a usb dongle of logitech during transporting the laptop. The usb port is located on the motherboard. Does this mean I have to replace the whole motherboard?

If this is the case should I consider to install a new motherboard from a dell xps L502X? Does this fit and is my current processor (Intel i5-460M) compatible with the board?

Does anyone has any experience with this situation?

 

thanks for the helpful guide

does anyone know if it it is possible to replace the Ethernet LAN (RJ45) port in Dell XPS 17 (L702X)

maybe i've broken it connecting the lan cable upside down