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Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use 
of your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to 

hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, 

personal injury, or death.

Copyright 

©

 2015 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

 This product is protected by U.S. and 

international copyright and intellectual property laws. Dell

 and the Dell logo are trademarks of 

Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned 

herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

2015 - 10

Rev. A00

Summary of Contents for X51

Page 1: ...Alienware X51 Service Manual Computer Model Alienware X51 R3 Regulatory Model D05S Regulatory Type D05S003 ...

Page 2: ...problem WARNING A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage personal injury or death Copyright 2015 Dell Inc All rights reserved This product is protected by U S and international copyright and intellectual property laws Dell and the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc in the United States and or other jurisdictions All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their res...

Page 3: ...ew Of Your Computer 10 Removing the side panel 11 Procedure 11 Replacing the side panel 13 Procedure 13 Removing the processor cooling assembly 14 Prerequisites 14 Procedure 14 Replacing the processor cooling assembly 18 Procedure 18 Post requisites 18 Removing the wireless card 19 Prerequisites 19 Procedure 19 Replacing the wireless card 21 Procedure 21 Post requisites 23 3 ...

Page 4: ...28 Prerequisites 28 Procedure 28 Replacing the hard drive 33 Procedure 33 Post requisites 33 Removing the graphics card 34 Prerequisites 34 Procedure 34 Replacing the graphics card 39 Procedure 39 Post requisites 39 Removing the solid state drive 40 Prerequisites 40 Procedure 40 Replacing the solid state drive 43 Procedure 43 Post requisites 44 4 ...

Page 5: ... Setup 45 System Setup Options 45 Boot sequence 51 Changing boot sequence for the current boot 51 Changing boot sequence for future boots 52 Flashing the BIOS 53 Getting help and contacting Alienware 54 Self help resources 54 Contacting Alienware 55 5 ...

Page 6: ... electrical outlets 4 Disconnect all cables such as telephone cables network cables and so on from your computer 5 Disconnect all attached devices and peripherals such as keyboard mouse monitor and so on from your computer 6 Remove any media card and optical disc from your computer if applicable 7 After the computer is unplugged press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to ground the system bo...

Page 7: ...atory_compliance CAUTION Before touching anything inside your computer ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface such as the metal at the back of the computer While you work periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate static electricity which could harm internal components CAUTION When you disconnect a cable pull on its connector or on its pull tab not on the cable itse...

Page 8: ... Plastic scribe 8 ...

Page 9: ...nsure that no stray screws remain inside your computer 2 Connect any external devices peripherals and cables you removed before working on your computer 3 Replace any media cards discs and any other parts that you removed before working on your computer 4 Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets 5 Turn on your computer 9 ...

Page 10: ...teps in Before working inside your computer After working inside your computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Inside View Of Your Computer 1 processor cooling assembly 2 memory modules 3 riser cage 10 ...

Page 11: ...ter working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Procedure 1 Place the computer on its side with the left panel facing up 2 Remove the screw that secures the left panel to the chassis 3 Release the left panel by sliding it towards the front of the computer 1 left panel 2 screw 3 chassis 4 Turn the left pan...

Page 12: ...5 Lift the left panel off the chassis 1 left panel 2 lighting cable 3 chassis 12 ...

Page 13: ...r computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Procedure 1 Connect the lighting cable to the left panel 2 Align the tabs on the left panel with the slots on the chassis and slide it toward the back of the computer 3 Replace the screw that secures the left panel to ...

Page 14: ... liquid cooling units and stops after a few minutes of computer use The bubbling sound is due to the air that resides in the liquid cooling assembly When the temperature of the liquid rises it expands and the air bubbles in the tube are dislodged Alienware X51 being a compact desktop computer initially the sound may be more audible as compared to the liquid cooling units in other larger desktops T...

Page 15: ... NOTE Note the orientation of the fan so that you can replace it correctly 1 fan 2 system board 3 fan cable 4 processor cooler cable 5 routing guides 6 screws 2 5 Remove the memory modules 6 Remove the screws that secure the radiator to the chassis 15 ...

Page 16: ...the front of the computer and release it from the chassis 1 screws 2 2 radiator 3 chassis 8 Lift the radiator and hold it as shown in the image below to remove the thumbscrews that secure the processor cooler to the system board 16 ...

Page 17: ...9 Lift the processor cooling assembly along with the cables off the chassis 1 thumbscrews 4 2 radiator 3 processor cooler 4 chassis 17 ...

Page 18: ...r the processor on the system board 2 Align the screw holes on the processor cooler with the screw holes on the system board 3 Replace the thumbscrews that secure the processor cooler to the system board 4 Align and place the radiator on the processor cooler and slide towards the back of the computer 5 Replace the screws that secure the radiator to the chassis 6 Replace the memory modules 7 Align ...

Page 19: ...inside your computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Prerequisites 1 Remove the side panel 2 Remove the processor cooling assembly Procedure 1 Disconnect the antenna cables from the wireless card 2 Remove the screw that secures the wireless card to the system b...

Page 20: ...3 Slide the wireless card out of the wireless card slot 1 wireless card slot 2 wireless card 3 system board 4 screw 5 antenna cables 2 20 ...

Page 21: ...tions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Procedure CAUTION To avoid damage to the wireless card do not place any cables under it 1 Align the notch on the wireless card with the tab on the wireless card slot 2 Slide the wireless card into the wireless card slot 3 Replace the screw that se...

Page 22: ...e antenna cable color scheme for the wireless card supported by your computer Connectors on the wireless card Antenna cable color Main white triangle White Auxiliary black triangle Black 1 tab 2 notch 3 wireless card slot 4 wireless card 5 screw 6 antenna cables 2 7 system board 22 ...

Page 23: ...Post requisites 1 Replace the processor cooling assembly 2 Replace the side panel 23 ...

Page 24: ... computer After working inside your computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Prerequisites Remove the side panel Procedure 1 Using your fingertips press the securing clips at each end of the memory module slot until the memory module pops up 24 ...

Page 25: ...le from the memory module slot CAUTION To prevent damage to the memory module hold the memory module by the edges only Do not touch the components on the memory module 1 memory module 2 securing clips 2 3 memory module slot 25 ...

Page 26: ...uter follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Procedure NOTE Alienware X51 R3 supports only DDR4 memory modules If you are adding additional memory modules or upgrading the memory modules ensure to use DDR4 UDIMMs 1 Align the notch on the memory module with the tab on t...

Page 27: ...slot and press the memory module down until it clicks into place NOTE If you do not hear the click remove the memory module and reinstall it 1 memory module 2 securing clips 2 3 memory module slot 4 tab 5 notch Post requisites Replace the side panel 27 ...

Page 28: ...ructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance CAUTION Hard drives are fragile Exercise care when handling the hard drive CAUTION To avoid data loss do not remove the hard drive while the computer is in sleep or on state Prerequisites Remove the side panel Procedure 1 Remove the screws that...

Page 29: ...2 Release the riser cage from the tabs on the chassis 1 chassis 2 screws 2 3 riser cage 29 ...

Page 30: ...the front side of the computer 1 riser cage 2 chassis 4 Remove the screw that secures the hard drive assembly to the chassis 5 Slide the hard drive assembly toward the inside of the computer to disconnect the power cable and the data cable from the hard drive 30 ...

Page 31: ...6 Lift the hard drive assembly off the chassis 1 hard drive assembly 2 screw 3 chassis 7 Remove the screws that secure the hard drive bracket to the hard drive assembly 31 ...

Page 32: ...8 Slide the hard drive out of the hard drive bracket 1 hard drive 2 hard drive bracket 3 screws 2 32 ...

Page 33: ...fragile Exercise care when handling the hard drive Procedure 1 Slide the hard drive into the hard drive bracket 2 Align the screw holes on the hard drive with the screw holes on the hard drive bracket 3 Replace the screws that secure the hard drive bracket to the hard drive 4 Slide and place the hard drive assembly into the chassis to connect the power cable and the data cable to the hard drive 5 ...

Page 34: ...n Before working inside your computer After working inside your computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance Prerequisites Remove the side panel Procedure 1 Remove the screws that secure the riser cage to the chassis 34 ...

Page 35: ...2 Release the riser cage from the tabs on the chassis 1 screw 2 chassis 3 riser cage 3 Press the tab and disconnect the graphics card power cables from the graphics card assembly 35 ...

Page 36: ... Lift the riser cage from the chassis and remove the graphics card power cables from the routing guide on the riser cage 1 graphics card power cables 2 routing guide 3 riser cage 4 graphics card 5 tab 36 ...

Page 37: ...5 Open and release the card retention bracket from the riser cage 1 tab 2 card retention bracket 3 graphics card 4 riser cage 6 Turn around the riser cage and locate the PCI express latch 37 ...

Page 38: ...7 Press down the PCI x16 express card latch and lift the graphics card assembly off the riser cage 1 card retention bracket 2 graphics card assembly 3 riser cage 4 PCI express latch 38 ...

Page 39: ...cs card assembly with the slot on the riser cage 2 Place the graphics card assembly in the slot and press down firmly Ensure that the graphics card assembly is seated in the slot 3 Rotate the card retention bracket towards the riser cage until it snaps into place 4 Route the graphics card power cables through the routing guide on the riser cage 5 Connect the graphics card power cables to the graph...

Page 40: ...e your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance CAUTION Solid state drives are fragile Exercise care when handling the hard drive CAUTION To avoid data loss do not remove the solid state drive while the computer is in sleep or on state Prerequisites Remove the side panel Procedure 1 Remove the screws that secure the riser...

Page 41: ...3 Lift the riser cage from the chassis and place it on the side of the computer as shown 1 screw 2 riser cage 3 chassis 4 Remove the screw that secures the SSD card to the riser card 41 ...

Page 42: ...5 Slide the SSD card out of the SSD card slot 1 SSD card slot 2 SSD card 3 screw 4 riser card 5 riser cage 42 ...

Page 43: ...orking inside your computer follow the instructions in After working inside your computer For more safety best practices see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www dell com regulatory_compliance CAUTION Solid state drives are fragile Exercise care when handling the hard drive Procedure 1 Align the notch on the SSD card with the tab on the SSD card slot 2 Slide the SSD card into the SSD card sl...

Page 44: ...SD card slot 2 SSD card 3 screw 4 riser card 5 riser cage 4 Align and press down the riser cage until the riser card slides into the riser card slot on the chassis 5 Replace the screws that secure the riser cage to the chassis Post requisites Replace the side panel 44 ...

Page 45: ...e installed enabling or disabling base devices and so on Entering System Setup NOTE You must connect a keyboard and mouse to access and configure system setup 1 Turn on or restart your computer 2 During POST when the Dell logo is displayed watch for the F2 prompt to appear and then press F2 immediately NOTE The F2 prompt indicates that the keyboard has initialized This prompt can appear very quick...

Page 46: ... the asset tag of your computer ME Information ME Firmware Version Displays the Management Engine firmware version of your computer EC Information EC Firmware Version Displays the embedded controller firmware version of your computer Memory Information Total Memory Displays the total computer memory Memory Available Displays the amount of memory available on the computer Memory Technology Displays...

Page 47: ...ay or hide OptionRom Information during system POST CPU Configuration Hyper Threading Technology Allows you to enable or disable the HyperThreading in the processor XD Bit Capability Allows you to enable the Execute Disable mode of the processor Intel R SpeedStep Allows you to enable or disable Intel R SpeedStep Technology NOTE If enabled the processor clock speed and core voltage are adjusted dyn...

Page 48: ...ed NIC Pxe Option Launch PXE OpROM Allows you to enable or disable the PXE OpROM UEFI PXE Driver Allows you to enable or disable the UEFI PXE Driver Ipv4 PXE Support Allows you to enable or disable the Ipv4 PXE Ipv6 PXE Support Allows you to enable or disable the Ipv6 PXE SATA Mode Displays the SATA mode on your computer PCIE GEN3 Allows you to enable or disable the third generation of PCI express...

Page 49: ...r disable system to boot if F1 error occurs Secure Boot Control Allows you to enable or disable the secure boot control Load Legacy OPROM Allows you to enable or disable the Legacy Option ROM Set Boot Priority Boot List Option Displays the available boot devices USB Boot Support Allows you to enable or disable booting from USB mass storage devices such as external hard drive optical drive USB driv...

Page 50: ...u to unlock setup Admin Password Displays whether the admin password is set System Password Displays whether the system password is set Password Change Allows you to set change or delete the admin password The admin password controls access to the system setup utility HDD Password Status Displays if the hard drive password is set HDD Password Displays the hard drive password BIOS Recovery from Har...

Page 51: ...ur operating system using an external media The previous boot sequence is restored at the next boot Future Boot Sequence change the boot sequence for all future boots for example to boot from the primary hard drive Changing boot sequence for the current boot 1 If you are booting from a USB device connect the USB device to a USB port 2 Turn on or restart your computer 3 When F2 Setup F12 Boot Optio...

Page 52: ...ess F12 The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option to the boot menu NOTE To boot to a USB device the device must be bootable To ensure that your device is bootable check the device documentation Network The computer attempts to boot from the network If no operating system is found on the network the computer generates an error message Changing boot sequence for future boots 1 Enter ...

Page 53: ...atic detection of the Service Tag NOTE If the Service Tag cannot be detected automatically select your product under the product categories 4 Click Get Drivers and Downloads 5 Click View All Drivers 6 In the Operating System drop down select the operating system installed on your computer 7 Click BIOS 8 Click Download File to download the latest version of the BIOS for your computer 9 On the next ...

Page 54: ...p Accessing help in Windows 8 Windows 8 1 and Windows 10 In Windows search type Help and Support and press Enter Accessing help in Windows 7 Click Start Help and Support Online help for operating system www dell com support windows www dell com support linux Troubleshooting information user manuals setup instructions product specifications technical help blogs drivers software updates and so on ww...

Page 55: ...e issues see www alienware com NOTE Availability varies by country and product and some services may not be available in your country NOTE If you do not have an active internet connection you can find contact information on your purchase invoice packing slip bill or Dell product catalog 55 ...

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