Dell XPS 17 L701x/L702x Disassembly and Overheating Repair Guide

[@barrycogen3414]

A little late to the party but thank you for the teardown! Our decade-old L702 is still going strong, but it definitely needed a cleaning.

[@BrueComputing]

Glad I could help!

[@nicholashepburn9381]

The monitor on the L702x still has one of the best monitors I have ever used, all these years later. It was still far superior in brightness and color saturation compared to my current LED Predator monitor. I wish the L702x were upgradeable, I would've slapped a new CPU, GPU, and motherboard in it and would still be using it to this day. Cheers to all the good times I had in World of Warcraft Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria on that cherished L702x Laptop!! PS - I watched this video simply to take the L702x apart to see if I could scavenge that 3D IR emitter and put it to use...guess I'm going to have to buy the 3D kit :(

[@1971Swannie]

Hi There, I watched this video last night and read through most of the comments. I had the exact same issue with my Dell. I was a little skeptic as I have never opened a laptop in my life before. I watched the video 3 times just to make sure and then attempted to open it. Well I have to say....I could not have asked for a better tutorial. The amount of dust and muck that accumulated over the years is nothing short of mind boggling. So I cleaned it out and then attempted to put it all back together again. And to my surprise i managed to get it all working in 10 minutes. The difference in temperature is astonishing. Than you so much for your video, it was a life saver!!!!!!

[@BrueComputing]

Brilliant, glad it helped!

[@mikemcgraw1710]

Thank you much! Never worked on a laptop before, followed your video step by step. Changed my screen and back cover and cleaned my coolers, applied new thermal paste to replace the 5 1/2 year old dried up. Couldn't have done it without you.

[@BrueComputing]

Glad to help.

[@AM-pi7jy]

Thank you for this video! Yes, even in 2021 this is useful! ;) I have a Dell XPS17 L702X with the FHD 3D screen. The screen would stay black (even at boot), only flicker and show white flickering lines and dots. The self test (boot with "D" pressed) worked ok, i saw red, green, blue and white. The external monitor (HDMI) worked ok as well. So i used this video (and another) to take the laptop and the screen apart and it turned out that a loose cable was the problem. The connector on the back of the LCD screen to be specific. I use a different order to disconnect the screen (hinges) from the body. First i unscrew the two screws on the bottom and then i flip the laptop over and unscrew the four screws in the hinges. With the FHD 3D screen, Intel Core i7 2630QM, 12GB of ram, a SSD and HDD and of course the Bluray player makes it a laptop that is still very useful today! The only things that bother me are the power cable that is falling apart and recently the second battery died (i replaced it a couple of years ago for the first time), the laptop does not accept the 3rd party replacement i got for it recently (YANEC).

[@CAANE]

It would have been useful to see the cleaning process used, and potenially the replacement of the thermal paste/pads. Taking it apart is only getting to the possible problem not correcting it. I appreciate the detailed walk-through to getting there though. Thanks again.

[@BrueComputing]

CAANE Good point, I'll consider that for future videos.

[@anthonymastrud4119]

Brue Computing I agree totally. I already know how to take it apart, but I wanted to know how to apply the thermal paste and it's process

[@6581punk]

Nobody can agree on a definitive method, some use the method which applies a thin layer, other say use a pea sized amount in the centre and it spreads itself :)

[@vinvinafrica7376]

Thank you very much. With your video as reference it was done within one hour my XPS runs like new again.

[@BrueComputing]

Glad it helped

[@NinjaForHire]

omg what a nightmare just to get to the board on this one you need to fully disassemble its ridiculous

[@MikeAtCirrius]

Very helpful video! I've been in the IT software industry for more than 20 years but was always a bit hesitant to perform this level of maintenance especially on my laptop. My machine is 4 years old and repeatedly shutting down because of heat issues several times a day. After performing the teardown and maintenance on the cooling system, its running better than ever. Even under load its running 40 degrees cooler! Sincerely appreciate the step by step instructions!

[@BrueComputing]

Glad to help. :)

[@jrenick1]

I have been trying to get up the nerve to do this. This will help Thanks

[@jrenick1]

I chickened out...

[@4rg3s]

Mine is also about that age but I wish it could automatically shut down to protect the system. Last year, its motherboard got burned. I admit it was my fault to neglect the fan hygiene (It's way more complicated to clean this xps model than the inspiron. I got nervous and decided to ignore it since it didn't show any "I'm burning" signal and never shut down in the middle of work.) After I got the motherboard replaced. I watched my machine like a hawk: always on the desk with cooling pad, and extra fan near the vent, fanspeed on and kept track of the numbers frequently, temperature ~65F (low work load), up to 95F(heavy)... Although the temperature monitor said 75F, I noticed the vent and the nearby area turned really hot when I was running heavy softwares. That's why I put an extra fan beside to help blowing away the heat faster. It seemed to solve the problem. However, on the 363th day, it turned off while I was only surfing the webs. Seemed like the motherboard got fried again. I didn't turn the side fan on because I thought a few chrome tabs weren't "heavy work" *Cry a river* I love my machine so much but it's too much to replace the motherboard the second time. Moreover, I don't know where the real issue lies and what I did wrong. I'm afraid it'd keep repeating the same way over. Maybe, I should give up on it and look for a new one.

[@arkasza2007]

4 years and you've encountered heat problems? :O When my dell was 2 y.o. I cleaned the fans and changed thermal grease. It's been 4 years after that operation and it is still running max 72 degrees C on GPU under 100% load overclocked to 720mHz. You must live in a very dusty region :D

[@dlaregpeep4947]

it is scary to open this laptop but when you follow thru the teeth and label it, taking pictures of how it looks like before removing on the complicated part and having enough space to place the memory card, hard drive etc., you'll be able to fix the problem. Thanks uploader you save me money and no more worries about overheating. I also used other video for putting the heat sink paste/compound.

[@oblivionlord1242]

Hey Brue:') Just got this laptop for £160!! what a bargain This guide is beautiful once it arrives, I will be doing this!! Also love your IGPU benchmark tests.

[@BrueComputing]

Thanks! Glad you found it useful!

[@6581punk]

Damn, a good price. I paid more than that. I just don't like small limited machines with poor sound. I want to use it for MOD trackers on Linux, so I'm somewhat of a niche user.

[@phpremco]

thank you SO SO MUCH! I've been trying to open it for ages since it was leaving burn marks on my wrist, it started to get so hot.. the cooling paste was completely dried up and the fan was quite dirty. the laptop opens a little different to others i'm used to. a tip: once detached the heatsink you can was it with the tap and a toothbrush, no electrics are attached, just make sure its dry before you put it in.

[@Mudge07]

I’d referred to another access video to repair my battery release catch, however on reconstruction the ribbon for the touchpad was always slipping out of the clamped closed connector. My initial repair was just to fit the ribbon into the socket and tape the flying tape to the flat motherboard (plenty of spare to prevent damage), but on power up this wasn’t sufficient. Using your video it was far easier to minimise the amount of debuild to reach the same point, thanks. Final effort was to put some tape onto the pull-out tab to ensure that the clamp was closing on a thick enough ribbon end to make a physical lock.

[@BrueComputing]

Glad it helped!

[@alexg_19]

Thank you very much! Tip: My l701x keyboard / touchpad cable retainers are different to l702x as i could see in the video. Had problems to remove them, until found out they can be adjusted by 90 degrees up and cable can be pulled out. Other action on that leads to demage of the retainer and no chance to assembly that part again

[@XC_Tom]

Thanks for the video! Never did something similiar but I had no problem removing the dust and changing the thermal paste. 15°C less on full load Maybe you could add a comment that removing the harddrives and ram is "optional" and not needed for further dissambly. You need a bit confidence to open it up, but it's not difficult! ~30 screws are a lot?! Well atleast there are screws.

[@Skotzmun]

Thank you for this - it was absolutely perfectly presented and enabled me to change the (very noisy) fan on my unit without actually having to swear once! You are a sanity (and hearing) saver. :)

[@BrueComputing]

+Skotzmun Glad to help. :)

[@ChemBustaRhymes]

Thank you. I spend the last hour cleaning my XPS 17 using your video as reference.

[@rsaba]

You, sir, saved my life ! Thank you very much

[@BrueComputing]

Glad it helped!

[@JeremyPrattigmp2u]

Down from nearly 90 degrees celsius to 40 after replacing the heat pipes and thermal paste.

[@vaska47]

Have that exact lap top what a machine it has been for last 6 years or so. Amazing. This video made me stop half way since i realized i don’t have enough tools) Thanks for the vid

[@BrueComputing]

Glad I could help!

[@SirW0nka]

Hi, Thanks for the video. You should have shown the reassembly as well, no matter how long the video might get. That would have been very helpful too. I'm having a similar issue with my Dell Vostro 3700. I did it take it apart a few times but haven't noticed any thermal compound on the CPU and the GPU. They are all clean like it was being cooled without it. Do you think that adding some might help. Actually my problem is that the GPU seems to overheat as the screen goes crazy after like 10 minutes of usage (colored squares appearing, image freezes...). Let me know your thoughts. Thanks

[@BrueComputing]

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly, as Haynes manuals say. :) I suppose I could have done this but not only would it have made for a very long video, but a very long upload as I only have 1Mbit upstream internet living in a rural area. There isn't anything notable on reassembly so it didn't seem worthwhile. You would normally expect some form of thermal pad or thermal paste between the chips and the heatsink.

[@SirW0nka]

Brue Computing Hmm as far as I remember, I haven't noticed anything like that, but I do have some thermal compound left as I needed some to build my desktop PC. Do you think that adding some might help, and do you think that the issue I described can be fixed, or is the GPU just dead?

[@BrueComputing]

Hard to say without seeing it myself, but potentially. As you say could be a failing GPU or video memory though.

[@SirW0nka]

Brue Computing OK thanks for your replies. I'll just try that and keep my fingers crossed :-)

[@robwelsh5070]

Excellent video .. thank you. Just cleaned mine and refreshed the thermal paste. The cooling element was very blocked. Sounds like a different laptop now!

[@nicolasmarun9620]

OMG, all those screws does the laptop have? How can I remember where each of the screws goes? I see that I will need a whole day of work to change the thermal paste, and a bit of luck too, good video, thank you very much.

[@BrueComputing]

Thanks - good luck with it!

[@rogerbruce2896]

Is there a next video? I was hoping to see the actual cleaning and applying the thermalpaste

[@acaro9340]

My Wlan screw is super tight and the head doesn't have the proper threading. Any ideas on how to remove it?

[@GabrielRodriguez-um8fi]

Man I haven't taken apart this laptop in a while. I enjoy taken stuff apart and putting back together. Sure, it was complicated in the beginning but there is nothing wrong in stretching your mind a bit. #challengeaccepted

[@heribertfranz5307]

Sir, on my Dell XPS L702X is on the right site from the screen plug also a little plug with wires, what is it for?

[@mcmanus1806]

I have this laptop, and it works well but unfortunately I cannot use it as the screen hinges have completely snapped and I’m not sure how to replace them, any idea or help?

[@lawriuz69]

I just cleaned up the cooler without the full opening of the lid ;) but it is cool vid, really helpfull for the next time

[@PHHabert]

Thanks for your video, it really helps! sadly on mine laptop, the screw at 5:53 spin in the void in both ways :(. any clue on how remove it?

[@BrueComputing]

If it spins it normally means the plastic underneath is broken - so you don't really need to worry about removing it.

[@PHHabert]

@@BrueComputing thanks! i’ill try with a clamp…

[@TheSplatteredApron]

Exactly what I needed to know, thank you very much!

[@GoldenGateNum9]

*Thanks, very helpful, but was waiting for the thermal paste part, so much for the money shot =).*

[@latlak]

^well my display screws are gone now, i somehow managed to damage the whole screw so it doesnt grip anymore. any with the wireless card, i have like 4 of those tiny golden bits but only 2 connectors, hopefully i connected them right

[@WikileaksArabic]

Firstly thank you many thanks for this beautiful explanation II I hope you help me to solve this problem so I have my dell xps l702x but forgot the BIOS password. I went to several stores maintenance unfortunately useless, please help me how to delete the BIOS password, removed the battery from the device and waited more than an hour but to no avail, please help me and thanks Wait for the answer from you

[@WikileaksArabic]

please Help me

[@BrueComputing]

+Wikileaks Arabic I'm not aware of any way to clear the BIOS password other than replacing the motherboard.

[@WikileaksArabic]

+Brue Computing Thank you for your answer, and I hope to find a solution to this problem

[@UDAUOD]

Could you tell me if it is possible to update the processor for a newer version of 3 GHz? Currently my PC has: i7-2670QM CPU @ 2.20 GHz Thanks for any advice!

[@davidyoung800]

Thank you

[@BrueComputing]

Welcome!

[@texastandyrestorations6485]

I have such a laptop but seems the AC adaptor is broken on the board, my question is, can it be repaired easily ?and secondly, the CPU seems to be a standard one can it be used on a desktop motherboard ?

[@antoniofegatelli8483]

Grazie!

[@BrueComputing]

Welcome!

[@TEa-ze6jk]

how do you know when you have an overheating problems? my laptop sometimes freezes and at other times restarts is it related to overheating?

[@DrDanielHoward]

are the screen and plastic cover for the screen (silver) the same between 701x and 702x? What are other differences? I am going to use a 701x to help fix my 702x. I noticed you mentioned that keyboards are slightly different. Thanks for any information that you may provide has a response to this comment.

[@BrueComputing]

I can't remember I'm afraid - its over 3 years since I last looked at either machine.

[@darkulic]

Just had to do this your video helped immensely thanks.

[@rzpsicosis]

Hi I have the XPS 17 L701x model. I want to replace the primary hdd for a newer one with larger capacity. Is there a way to know which is the largest capacity it can accept? Thanks!

[@BrueComputing]

Any 2.5" SATA drive should work if it is a 9mm drive or less. What are you looking to fit?

[@gag_sin_gracia]

@@BrueComputing I thought I could Install a 2tb Seagate ST2000LM007, it's only 7mm high.

[@MichelDumontphotos]

Thank you very much for the explanation. It,s well done.

[@BrueComputing]

Glad it helped.

[@tmbthe1425]

What would be the fastest way to remove only it's keyboard and nothing else

[@notmyname1911]

Hi, i have the L702x model and i want to add more ram. I read a lot of forums about the ram support. Some say that it can use 2x8Gb 1600Mhz, 16gb in total. Can you tell me if this is the case ? Thanks

[@BrueComputing]

Looking at the official specs the maximum module size it will accept is 4GB - 8GB ones may work, but aren't officially supported. My models of the L702x have 2 DIMM slots, others have 4, so you'd probably want to check what yours has.

[@notmyname1911]

@@BrueComputing Mine is with 2 slots aswell. I have 6 gb right now, i wanted to try with the 16gb upgrade because i don't see a significant improvement if i get 8 gb. Im not ready to give up on this laptop,it server me well for 7 years :) If i find a good deal for used 8gb sticks ill try to see if they work

[@Iamselasi]

i recently dissembled my l702x to replace my subwoofer and keyboard unit. after assembling the laptop, it wouldn't start. it has been 3 weeks and i still can't figure out what went wrong. this is my second time taking the laptop apart... the first was to fix the overheating issue. can i please get some help?

[@sebpratt2844]

Same. I wish I knew what I did wrong... ☹️

[@FullMoonUmbreon]

Is the 550m soldered onto the motherboard, or would it be possible to remove and replace it with a newer gpu with the same or lower power consumption?

[@BrueComputing]

Yes, it is soldered on. No this would not be possible.

[@mikejaques4702]

Amazing video!!! Thank you

[@simaszaidimas6213]

i have the same laptop. i think its from 2011 or 2012 ? now i play ANY game, ANY OLD GAME, and it starts to lag (frames per second drop) very hard, whatever the game, 1999 released, 2005 released, everything is starting to lag bad after a few minutes of playing. aida64 shows CPU and GPU 90 Celsius. would cleaning the heat sink and reapplying the thermal paste help? or i can kiss this laptop goodbye? i dont want to... a dell is a dell :(

[@OldUKAds]

That was my issue, and it helped me. If anyone else comes along and read this comment - try it. Your CPU is probably throttling due to overheating. I downloaded Throttlestop as it showed me the CPU temp and if the clock speed was dropping.

[@ThreeSixSevenNine]

So in a nutshell, essentially take every single part of the laptop to bits. I would rather buy new than go through this, great design Dell.

[@BrueComputing]

+ThreeSixSevenNine It isn't that bad really - certainly cheaper to clean it out than to replace it. :)

[@Олександр-с4о3п]

Thank your for video.good job.

[@andrewcalldridge1644]

Very useful Thanks

[@MacInTheNet]

Thanks man, very helpful : )

[@JBadabing87]

My Dell XPS17 is always very warm. I want to clean it, but I'm not going to do it on my own ;)

[@MDSHAHIDKHANRONY]

Brother just do it. Trust me it's work absolutely fine and it's very easy to open. Just unlock all screw :)

[@janrohla]

thx James :)

[@thetube4607]

You could have speeded up the screw removal parts. LOL

[@elmhurst86]

I gave this a thumbs down. This was such a great instructional video until the 14:43 mark. Why did you stop? It would have been so great if you had cleaned the heat sink/fans and replaced the thermal paste to show everyone how to do it and then put everything back for this specific laptop.

[@AngriestEwok]

This particular model is awful. Overheats all the time. I stuck a fan tray under it and regularly air dust the vents but it still needs a proper clean about every 12 months. Rubbish design.

[@JohnDoe-yk9rs]

poor NUM 1 key. :-(

[@BrueComputing]

John Doe Indeed, damage by the laptop owner who uses the laptop for CAD work on-site, not myself I hasten to add!

[@LeapingFrogg]

No offense but your video is not helpful. The majority of the time your hands and arms are completely blocking the view and I can't see which screws you are unscrewing and where. Furthermore, after you've disassembled the whole bloody laptop (not your fault, this is just plain ridiculous the way they've designed this!) you don't show how you clean it or re-assemble it. Also, I have no clue what "Thermal Paste" is. Next time, please have your camera positioned so that details can be seen and please include start to finish visual instructions. I'm very capable and have done many hardware installations but this is just too damn complicated. I won't even attempt to do this - I'm afraid I won't be able to put it back together.

[@OldUKAds]

I managed just fine with the instructions.

[@Bodragon]

@@OldUKAds So did I. As for thermal paste, I know what it is but hasn't Lu Peonies heard of Google ? >

[@TEa-ze6jk]

how do you know when you have an overheating problems? my laptop sometimes freezes and at other times restarts is it related to overheating?

[@BrueComputing]

Use a program like HWMonitor to monitor temperatures: www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html If they are exceeding 100c then it can lead to throttling, and then thermal shutdown to protect the system.