Cleaning the alienware M15x

Hey guys, Dust is a huge problem for me. I'm looking for a method to use. I'm well prepared to open the laptop but I don't have a can of compressed air to clean it once I'm in there. Do you guys have another method? Youtube videos would be nice but if not I wouldn't mind a written tutorial.

 

All I can say is don't use a vacuum, the suction can cause static electricity which could damage components.

Sent from my DROID RAZR

 

thanks! I've had 3 people saying I should use a vacuum LOL would've been bad. So should I buy a can of compressed air then?

 

I'd use a garden hose.. just rinse it out, shake it dry. Should work pretty well to get it clean. #DONOTUSEaGardenHosetoCleanitOUT,lol

Don't use a vacuum. Compressed air is your best method.

 

Cleaning the Alienware M15x - YouTube
By MrWattos short and sweet

if you need something more thorough here is a guide by csin
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...orial-guide-completly-cleaning-your-fans.html

 

thanks! will try the hose pipe

thanks bro, problem is that guy is using an air compressor, and looked at the top comment. So best to do is to do the same thing he did with a can of compressed air right?

thanks for that other link, but I'd imagine doing something wrong and messing up LOL.

 

you dont have to break down the fan like that, i would just pull the fan assembly out and clean it with a can on conpressed air, and use compressed air to blow out the heat sink as well.(if you have thermal paste i would also do a repaste)

 

why do you hate your M15x lol

 

In my case, i cant get compressed air here, so i just used a hand pump, small one, to blow the dust off. Not the best solution but the best for current situation.

 

So I cleaned the laptop using the video method (with can of comp air)
And it's better though..still overheats when I play BF3, even with a cooling pad. So looks like I'm going to try doing that other method that mexicools was talking about.

@King, It's been giving me grey hairs since purchase. Lol.

 

A few good pointers to help with cooling mate.

1.) Strip the mesh out from the intake vents on the bottom of the laptop. Helps airflow. A little more dust might travel inside but a clean every few months with compressed air will sort that out.

2.) Prop the baby up. I use the 9 cell battery expressly for this purpose and then have additional 2cm high rubber/gel legs underneath that. Give the laptop about 4 cm clearance and allows the fans to suck cool air through the machine.

3) Use hwmonitor. Dial in the required fan speed before you game this helps your cooling keep pace with heat generated more effectively.

If I can keep my 6990M under 85C in ambient temps well over 20C I am sure these pointers will help you out.

 

This is the way I clean pretty much all my laptops.

On the side note, old Amd fans make awesome jet engine with blasted with compressed air at 200psi.

#DO NOT DO THIS WITH A WORKING FAN, IT WILL CERTAINLY DAMAGE IT#

This ^^^

It helped me greatly with my M15x, also repasting the GPU/CPU helped by 8-10 degree C

 

thanks for the reply, Where would I get/buy the additional 2cm rubber/gel legs from?
and it's also my GPU/CPU that's getting hot from playing games :/

 

Glad I can help. Good job on repasting it is always a good place to start along with thermal pad placement check.

The legs I have are really rare. I bought them a couple of years back and they are awesome but the shop I got them from doesn't have em. What makes em cool is if they lose their stickiness washing them with soap makes the sticky side sticky again!

I found this alternative that looks just as good. Laptop 4 Pcs Gray Rubber Cool Feet Cooler Holder Legs | eBay

Don't forget to strip the plastic/metal mesh from the intake vents. It comes off pretty easily once you have pried a couple of corners of mesh up. Really helps airflow.