Y500 Disassembled (Pictures)

So, I followed the youtube video and it was too easy. However, the video was probably created with a prototype y500 because some of the layout of the laptop did not match mine. Most noticeably is that there are *three* screws holding the keyboard down not *two*, I almost ripped the keyboard trying to pull it off with one screw still in there. Also, a few of the ribbons are located in different places which I think is an improvement over the y500 in the video.

Finally, if it ain't broke, why fix it? I did the mistake of removing the caked on thermal grease from the cpu and gpu thinking if I lay a thinner layer my temperatures will improve. Well, now I'm about 10c hotter because all I had was some old thermal grease from when I was in high school. So I'll have to order some and redo it at a later date. The good part is, this thing is pretty easy to disassemble compared to my old Acer 5739g.

No pics of the motherboard out of the laptop because I didn't think of taking pictures until after I've started the reassembly process.


Here's what the touchpad looks like on the other side.

 

More pictures... very impressed with the build quality and the construction/design of this laptop. Very easy to take apart and put back together. After dissembling the laptop about 5 times, I can probably get to the heat sink which requires removing the motherboard in about 5 minutes. One thing to note is that if your temps look good, don't try to improve it by swapping out the thermal paste. I have AS5 installed now and my gpu temps are still not as good as with the stock, caked on thermal paste. Think I'll redo it one more time and cake the AS5 on the gpu and see if that works better.

 

What name was on the motherboard, compal?

 

N1smo, or anyone else, do you have the 650m ultrabay? I wonder what kind of connectors are in there. Imagine the possibilities if there actually is an mxm slot or something like that...

 

Thanks, mate, for taking the time to post so many pictures and details. I'm sure it will be helpful to anyone in the future who wants to repaste or clean their systems.

 

Was it hard removing the backplate/ultrabay? I have read that some people have trouble with removing those two parts.

 

The backplate was definitely a challenge. The best way is to wiggle in different directions while lifting instead of lifting straight up. There are a bunch of clips that grips in different directions. I broke 2 of them off, both of them from the front and now along with my wiggle technique, it is really easy to take off.

 

Hey how difficult is it to remove/replace the ram? I bought the 8gb version and would probably upgrade to 16gb in the near future...

Awesome pictures- thanks!!

 

One question, If you are taking apart the computer, what is the best way to prevent static electricity or anything messing up the motherboard? I took apart my y470 a couple of months ago to to add new grease to my GPU/CPU but I ended up messing up the computer. I had to send in to Lenovo and they fixed it and marked "faulty motherboard" as the problem. Any tips on how to prevent that from happening in the future and thanks for the screenshot.

 

Use an antistatic wrist strap.

 

Yes, definitely get a antistatic wrist strap. I also messed up my Acer 5739g that way but I have to admit, I didn't use a wrist strap when I disassembled the Y500. I like living on the edge... I must have taken and put this thing together over 20 times at this point. I had some issues with the keyboard throwing out random characters which I didn't notice before because I was concentrating on fixing the touchpad gone wild issue. Once that was fixed, noticed that using the numpad was very hit and miss especially the "6" key would throw out "`6" randomly. I eventually fixed it with some more electrical tape. This thing has some serious shielding issues. All is good now though, never knew laptops are so sensitive.

 

Hey @n1smo, I know that this is a dead thread, but i just redid my thermal paste and the temps seem a little bit high, I was wondering if your CPU temp was still high/if it not what did you do to fix it.

 

Nevermind, the idle temps seem high, but when I run prime 95, the temps remain cool and never reach the 90C mark where the cpu multiplier kicks down, and in furmark the GPU never exceeds 70C.

 

hey guys, can the air vents at the bottom be removed? i am planning to remove the air vents so that air from the laptop cooler can easily flow through. i saw the dis-assembly video and it only shows removing the whole bottom cover.

 

Nope, the air grate at the bottom is part of the base, it cannot be removed, and it would be a bad idea to do so, if something touches the fan, the fan could break or stall, either way, your system would then overheat.

 

Unfortunately you are wrong ^^^. The air grate can be removed, it has only some clips. Though I do not recommend it because of what you are saying and also a better chance of getting more dust ASAP.

 

i was thinking of removing the grate only while playing. my y500 really heats up while playing farcry 3 on high settings, unlike other games. and my cpu and gpu temps go around mid 80's and mid 70's respectively. though these are safe temps, it's so much hotter on the palm rest and the area around the keyboard. it's brushed aluminum so it's obvious why it conducts heat easily and i think it's also affecting temps of my hard disk, reached 50c once. it's kinda hot in my room at this time of the year, no ac. do you guys think it's safe to play under these temps? for around 4 hours straight? if it's ok then it's better to bear the heat and just go with it than to risk dust and damaging the laptop.

 

Those temps seem to be a bit high to me, but I have not played Farcry 3 on my system. I have however run FurMark, which maxes out the GPU and I don't get temps higher than 65C. I would recommend replacing the thermal paste if you feel up to the job, it has done wonders for my system and I am still in the 100 hour break in stage for the new thermal paste.

 

IMO, i'd say you should buy some strong Cooling Pads, Guys.
Lol, I hate high temps within my gaming time!

 

The dust cover on the bottom of the Y500 has flexible metal tabs, much like the dust filters that cover the bays on some PC cases, Thermaltake for example.

 

yeah flexible metal tabs is one way to describe them. i opened the bottom lid and saw that there are only two little openings placed behind each end of the grate. i always imagined that the opening where the air pass through were as big as the vent itself.

yes you can remove the grate but in order to do so, you have to open the bottom lid first, bend a several metal tabs that locks the grate in place, remove the grate, then close the lid. really a lot of work. not a good idea.

 

I did rip the keyboard out cuz I thought there is only two screws but then downloaded the manual and found out there are 3 screws, the y500 has different layout than the y400, anyway lenovo replaced it for me with the trackpad so all good now.