Step-by-step

1. 1

   Remove the hard drive cover

   1 min

   Slide the plastic hard drive bay cover off the rear corner of the console to reveal the hard drive tray.

2. 2

   Unscrew the hard drive bracket

   2 min

   Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the single retaining screw holding the hard drive bracket in place.

3. 3

   Extract the hard drive tray

   1 min

   Pull the hard drive tray straight out of its slot in the console chassis.

4. 4

   Pry off the top plastic cover

   3 min

   Lift the front left and right corners of the top panel until the plastic clips unlatch, then slide the panel toward the back to remove it.

5. 5

   Peel off the rear warranty stickers

   2 min

   Use tweezers to peel off the warranty stickers on the rear panel of the console to access the hidden screws.

6. 6

   Unscrew the rear security screws

   3 min

   Remove the three T8 Torx Security screws located on the rear casing of the console.

7. 7

   Remove the bottom case cover

   3 min

   Pry up the edges of the lower plastic casing to release its clips and lift the cover off the console.

8. 8

   Unscrew the power supply unit

   4 min

   Remove the T8 Torx and Phillips screws securing the power supply unit to the internal metal shield.

9. 9

   Disconnect and remove the power supply

   3 min

   Disconnect the power supply cable from the motherboard, then lift the power supply straight up out of the console.

10. 10

    Disconnect the Wi-Fi antenna cables

    2 min

    Use tweezers to carefully detach the antenna cable connectors from the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module.

11. 11

    Remove the metal shield screws

    5 min

    Remove all remaining Phillips and T8 Torx screws securing the upper metal plate to the chassis.

12. 12

    Remove the APU retaining clamp

    3 min

    Unscrew the two Phillips screws securing the metal APU tension bracket and lift the bracket off.

13. 13

    Lift off the upper metal shield

    2 min

    Carefully lift the top metal shielding plate away from the motherboard assembly.

14. 14

    Disconnect the optical drive ribbon cable

    2 min

    Use a plastic spudger to unlock the ZIF connector latch and pull out the optical drive ribbon cable.

15. 15

    Remove the motherboard assembly

    3 min

    Lift the motherboard board up from the lower metal frame to gain access to the cooling fan underneath.

16. 16

    Disconnect the cooling fan cable

    1 min

    Unplug the fan power connector from its socket on the motherboard plate.

17. 17

    Unscrew the cooling fan housing

    2 min

    Remove the Phillips screws holding the fan shroud to the middle chassis frame.

18. 18

    Remove the defective fan

    1 min

    Lift the old cooling fan out of its recessed bay in the chassis frame.

19. 19

    Clean dried thermal paste

    4 min

    Clean all old thermal compound off the APU surface and heatsink plate using isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.

20. 20

    Apply fresh thermal paste

    2 min

    Dispense a small pea-sized dot of new thermal paste onto the center of the APU chip before installing the replacement fan and reassembling.