Turning off your computer — Windows 10....................................................................................................................... 5
Before working inside your computer................................................................................................................................. 6
After working inside your computer....................................................................................................................................6
2 Technology and components......................................................................................................... 7
USB features.......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
System board layout.............................................................................................................................................................11
Removing the cover.......................................................................................................................................................12
Installing the cover......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Front Bezel............................................................................................................................................................................14
Removing the front bezel..............................................................................................................................................14
Installing the front bezel................................................................................................................................................ 16
Removing the cooling shroud....................................................................................................................................... 18
Installing the cooling shroud..........................................................................................................................................19
Removing the PCIe X1 expansion card-optional........................................................................................................20
Installing the PCIe X1 expansion card–optional......................................................................................................... 22
Removing the PCIe X16 expansion card–optional.....................................................................................................24
Installing the PCIe X16 expansion card–optional.......................................................................................................26
Installing PCIe expansion card in slot 1– optional...................................................................................................... 28
3.5-inch hard drive chassis................................................................................................................................................. 31
Removing the 3.5-inch hard drive chassis ................................................................................................................. 31
Installing the 3.5-inch hard drive chassis ...................................................................................................................33
3.5-inch hard drive........................................................................................................................................................ 35
Removing the drive cage.............................................................................................................................................. 37
Installing the drive cage................................................................................................................................................ 38
M.2 SATA SSD ....................................................................................................................................................................42
Removing M.2 SATA SSD ........................................................................................................................................... 42
Installing M.2 SATA SSD ..............................................................................................................................................43
Removing the WLAN card............................................................................................................................................44
Installing the WLAN card.............................................................................................................................................. 45
Removing the heat sink assembly............................................................................................................................... 46
Installing the heat sink assembly..................................................................................................................................48
Removing the memory module....................................................................................................................................50
Installing the memory module....................................................................................................................................... 51
Power switch....................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Removing power switch............................................................................................................................................... 52
Installing the power switch...........................................................................................................................................54
Power supply unit................................................................................................................................................................56
Removing the power supply unit PSU........................................................................................................................ 56
Installing the power supply unit PSU.......................................................................................................................... 59
Removing the coin cell battery.................................................................................................................................... 62
Installing the coin cell battery.......................................................................................................................................63
Removing the processor...............................................................................................................................................64
Installing the processor.................................................................................................................................................65
System board.......................................................................................................................................................................66
Removing the system board........................................................................................................................................ 66
Installing the system board............................................................................................................................................71
Enhanced Pre-Boot System Assessment — ePSA diagnostics................................................................................... 79
Running the ePSA Diagnostics.....................................................................................................................................79
System error messages...................................................................................................................................................... 83
Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and to ensure your personal safety. Unless otherwise
noted, each procedure included in this document assumes that the following conditions exist:
•You have read the safety information that shipped with your computer.
•A component can be replaced or, if purchased separately, installed by performing the removal procedure in reverse order.
NOTE: Disconnect all power sources before opening the computer cover or panels. After you finish working inside the
computer, replace all covers, panels, and screws before connecting to the power source.
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For
additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and
simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and
support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow
the safety instructions that came with the product.
CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching
an unpainted metal surface at the same time as touching a connector on the back of the computer.
CAUTION: Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by
its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a processor by its edges, not by its pins.
CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables
have connectors with locking tabs; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the locking tabs before you
disconnect the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also,
before you connect a cable, ensure that both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.
NOTE: The color of your computer and certain components may appear differently than shown in this document.
Universal Serial Bus, or USB, was introduced in 1996. It dramatically simplified the connection between host computers and peripheral
devices like mice, keyboards, external drivers, and printers.
Let's take a quick look on the USB evolution referencing to the table below.
Table 1. USB evolution
TypeData Transfer RateCategoryIntroduction Year
USB 2.0480 MbpsHigh Speed2000
USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 5 GbpsSuper Speed2010
USB 3.1 Gen 210 GbpsSuper Speed2013
2
USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 (SuperSpeed USB)
For years, the USB 2.0 has been firmly entrenched as the de facto interface standard in the PC world with about 6 billion devices sold, and
yet the need for more speed grows by ever faster computing hardware and ever greater bandwidth demands. The USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1
finally has the answer to the consumers' demands with a theoretically 10 times faster than its predecessor. In a nutshell, USB 3.1 Gen 1
features are as follows:
•Higher transfer rates (up to 5 Gbps)
•Increased maximum bus power and increased device current draw to better accommodate power-hungry devices
•New power management features
•Full-duplex data transfers and support for new transfer types
•Backward USB 2.0 compatibility
•New connectors and cable
The topics below cover some of the most commonly asked questions regarding USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1.
Speed
Currently, there are 3 speed modes defined by the latest USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 specification. They are Super-Speed, Hi-Speed and FullSpeed. The new SuperSpeed mode has a transfer rate of 4.8Gbps. While the specification retains Hi-Speed, and Full-Speed USB mode,
commonly known as USB 2.0 and 1.1 respectively, the slower modes still operate at 480Mbps and 12Mbps respectively and are kept to
maintain backward compatibility.
USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 achieves the much higher performance by the technical changes below:
•An additional physical bus that is added in parallel with the existing USB 2.0 bus (refer to the picture below).
Technology and components7
•USB 2.0 previously had four wires (power, ground, and a pair for differential data); USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 adds four more for two
pairs of differential signals (receive and transmit) for a combined total of eight connections in the connectors and cabling.
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 utilizes the bidirectional data interface, rather than USB 2.0's half-duplex arrangement. This gives a 10-fold
increase in theoretical bandwidth.
With today's ever increasing demands placed on data transfers with high-definition video content, terabyte storage devices, high
megapixel count digital cameras etc., USB 2.0 may not be fast enough. Furthermore, no USB 2.0 connection could ever come close to the
480Mbps theoretical maximum throughput, making data transfer at around 320Mbps (40MB/s) — the actual real-world maximum.
Similarly, USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 connections will never achieve 4.8Gbps. We will likely see a real-world maximum rate of 400MB/s with
overheads. At this speed, USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 is a 10x improvement over USB 2.0.
Applications
USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 opens up the laneways and provides more headroom for devices to deliver a better overall experience. Where USB
video was barely tolerable previously (both from a maximum resolution, latency, and video compression perspective), it's easy to imagine
that with 5-10 times the bandwidth available, USB video solutions should work that much better. Single-link DVI requires almost 2Gbps
throughput. Where 480Mbps was limiting, 5Gbps is more than promising. With its promised 4.8Gbps speed, the standard will find its way
into some products that previously weren't USB territory, like external RAID storage systems.
Listed below are some of the available SuperSpeed USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 products:
•External Desktop USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Hard Drives
•Portable USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Hard Drives
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Drive Docks & Adapters
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Flash Drives & Readers
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Solid-state Drives
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 RAIDs
•Optical Media Drives
•Multimedia Devices
•Networking
•USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Adapter Cards & Hubs
Compatibility
The good news is that USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 has been carefully planned from the start to peacefully co-exist with USB 2.0. First of all,
while USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 specifies new physical connections and thus new cables to take advantage of the higher speed capability of
the new protocol, the connector itself remains the same rectangular shape with the four USB 2.0 contacts in the exact same location as
before. Five new connections to carry receive and transmitted data independently are present on USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 cables and only
come into contact when connected to a proper SuperSpeed USB connection.
This topic explains the HDMI 1.4 and its features along with the advantages.
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is an industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. HDMI provides an
interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a DVD player, or A/V receiver and a compatible digital audio and/or
video monitor, such as a digital TV (DTV). The intended applications for HDMI TVs, and DVD players. The primary advantage is cable
reduction and content protection provisions. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multichannel digital audio
on a single cable.
NOTE: The HDMI 1.4 will provide 5.1 channel audio support.
HDMI 1.4 Features
•HDMI Ethernet Channel - Adds high-speed networking to an HDMI link, allowing users to take full advantage of their IP-enabled
devices without a separate Ethernet cable
•Audio Return Channel - Allows an HDMI-connected TV with a built-in tuner to send audio data "upstream" to a surround audio
system, eliminating the need for a separate audio cable
•3D - Defines input/output protocols for major 3D video formats, paving the way for true 3D gaming and 3D home theater applications
•Content Type - Real-time signaling of content types between display and source devices, enabling a TV to optimize picture settings
based on content type
•Additional Color Spaces - Adds support for additional color models used in digital photography and computer graphics
•4K Support - Enables video resolutions far beyond 1080p, supporting next-generation displays that will rival the Digital Cinema
systems used in many commercial movie theaters
•HDMI Micro Connector - A new, smaller connector for phones and other portable devices, supporting video resolutions up to 1080p
•Automotive Connection System - New cables and connectors for automotive video systems, designed to meet the unique
demands of the motoring environment while delivering true HD quality
Advantages of HDMI
•Quality HDMI transfers uncompressed digital audio and video for the highest, crispest image quality.
•Low -cost HDMI provides the quality and functionality of a digital interface while also supporting uncompressed video formats in a
simple, cost-effective manner
•Audio HDMI supports multiple audio formats from standard stereo to multichannel surround sound
•HDMI combines video and multichannel audio into a single cable, eliminating the cost, complexity, and confusion of multiple cables
currently used in A/V systems
•HDMI supports communication between the video source (such as a DVD player) and the DTV, enabling new functionality