What happens if you remove the side cover from the computer? We disassemble the computer system unit. There is a lock on the system unit, how to open it.
No matter how carefully we use a computer, no matter how hard we try to protect it from breakdowns, from time to time it needs a preventative examination. The reasons for our intervention may be different: the need to change the video card, reinstall the motherboard, clean dust from parts, etc. To eliminate the listed problems, you need to make preliminary preparations, namely, open the computer case. So, you have a task ahead of you. You don’t want to spend money on a specialist, because you think that you can do everything necessary yourself. Great! We will tell you how to properly open the computer case so as not to damage it even before the repair/cleaning begins.
Before you get started, be sure to turn off your computer through the Start menu and turn off the power. Be sure to unplug the cord from the outlet. Disconnect all devices connected to the system unit (monitor, mouse, printer, keyboard, etc.). Now that you have de-energized the device, you can begin the opening itself.
When a person hears the definition “in Russian,” an association is immediately created of a certain scope and special attitude to work, which is characterized either by a complete lack of interest or by complete dedication to the task with one’s head. We are now talking about the second option. Before you begin, understand that you are responsible for your technique. If you have never disassembled a system unit before, remember that there is a risk. If you do something wrong, the computer may not start when you reassemble it. Therefore, we ask you to treat the matter in the Russian way, that is, with love and attention.
The housing consists of a painted metal cover and front panel. It is this cover that we need to remove in order to get to the inside of the computer. The front panel is, in simple terms, the “face” of the system unit on which the disk drive, USB port, etc. is located.
First, take a look around. Most often, the case is held in place with four to six bolts located on the rear wall of the system unit. They can be unscrewed using a Phillips screwdriver. If the bolts are tight and do not give way, use pliers.
If you decide to open the cover in order to get to the motherboard, then it is best to place the system unit on the floor to make it more convenient to work. Attention, you should be careful at this point! Under no circumstances should you place the system unit on a carpet, as the parts are very sensitive to static electricity. Do not touch the boards until you are grounded, otherwise the accumulated charge in you can easily lead to the death of the boards.
You can ground yourself using an antistatic wrist strap or holding a metal object in your other hand. Pay attention to the motherboard contact panel. It is located on the back side of the case (in the same place as the bolts). You will recognize it by its large number of different ports. Turn the system unit on its side so that the contact panel is located at the bottom and looks to the side.
The only thing left to do is use a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the bolts that hold the painted metal cover. Then we move it a few centimeters back from the front panel, and then carefully lift it up. That's it, you have completed the task yourself!
1. The motherboard contact panel is also secured with bolts. If you only need to remove the cover, then there is no need to touch them.
2. Make sure that you have turned off the power to the equipment and disconnected all possible wires. There is no need to hold the start button, much less unplug the cord from the outlet. Turn off the computer as follows: “start” - “shut down” - turn off the power button on the back wall of the system unit - disconnect the power cord and other components. Ready.
3. Be sure to ground yourself before working with ICs and cables. To do this, just hold on to the metal frame inside the system unit. It is worth purchasing a grounding bracelet for the future.
4. Do not place the system unit on the carpet, it will not like it very much.
5. It takes a little effort to remove the cover. Be careful. You don't have to bend it for it to give in. Most often, it cannot be easily removed when one bolt is missing somewhere or there are additional fasteners. If you examined the structure again and found nothing, and the lid still sticks, try to find the answer on the forum where your particular model is discussed. Or call a specialist.
6. You cannot plug a “naked” system unit into a power outlet. If you need to check the results of your work, be sure to put the lid back on.
7. Check for warranty stickers. If you accidentally damage them during opening, the warranty will become void. Don't tear the sticker. We said above that there is a risk. It would be very annoying to be left without a guarantee in addition. It would be wiser to contact service center, where the cover will be removed, and upon completion of the work, a new sticker will be affixed, which will indicate who opened the computer and when. In this case, the warranty will not be void.
How to open a computer
A desktop computer consists of two large parts - a monitor and a system unit (usually called a computer) and a bunch of smaller devices: a keyboard, mouse, etc.
A computer (system unit) is a case with electronic boards located in it. On the front of the case there is an indicator, disk drives, if any, light bulbs, and often buttons. On the back of the case there are connectors for connecting a monitor and other devices.
Most often, cases come in horizontal (desktop) and vertical (tower) types.
Of course, you can put both cases on their sides, but then the drive slot will be in a vertical plane.
The easiest way to determine what type of case you have, if you yourself are at a loss, is to ask the seller (look at the invoice).
Let's consider a mini tower AT format case.
On the back side of the case along its perimeter there should be screws for a Phillips screwdriver in the amount of 6 or 4 pieces. These screws secure the painted housing cover. They need to be unscrewed.
It should be noted that the power supply is attached to the back with exactly the same screws. There is no need to touch them.
1. - Computer front panel
2. — Painted metal housing cover.
It is necessary to move the painted housing cover a few centimeters back relative to the front panel. Often this requires some effort, but there is no need to bend or bend anything.
This need arises, for example, to clean a PC from dust or replace thermal paste on heating elements, such as a processor, video card, motherboard chips (north and south bridges).
There is also a need to replace a unit, or make an upgrade - update the equipment to a more modern one. Sometimes you can replace something without removing the motherboard, but sometimes this is necessary for convenience and to avoid the possibility of damaging the element when bending during installation. When the board is removed, it is possible to support it from the back side, preventing such bending.
Removing the cover.
Yes, to get inside the system unit you need to remove one, or sometimes better, two side covers of the case. How to do this? There are specific screws on the back of the system unit, two for each cover. Using any small screwdriver, be it Phillips or straight, we unscrew them.Almost all models of cases have special recesses on the covers; you should pull them back. This will release the latches and the sides will be easily removed.
Now the entire “stuffing” of the electronic machine is gaping in front of you.
Preparation.
If you still decide to completely disassemble your PC, then first of all you need to disconnect the cords. There are a lot of them and they are different appearance. There is usually a latch on the side of the connector that you press to release. Failure to do this may result in the connector breaking, which may result in the motherboard having to be replaced. Therefore, you need to be careful and carefully inspect the connection point before removing it.
To remember where which wires were and in what position, it is better to use a camera and photograph how the connectors are located.
This is especially true for the front panel plug. Sometimes they are scattered chaotically and it is extremely difficult to put them back in the correct order, especially for beginners.
It is better to take pictures from different angles and distances. This way you can see the inscriptions on the plugs and the colors of the wires.
Removing the video card.
Once the plugs are removed, we proceed to dismantling the video card. It is usually large in size and when you unscrew the mounting screw that secures it to the case, the card will dangle freely from side to side, which can damage the connector on the motherboard.Therefore, we release the fastening latch, which is located on the right, below the video card. To do this, feel it with your finger and press the lever down. In this case, the card will come out of the slot halfway. Then we simply pull it with our fingers without damaging its elements.
I would like to remind you once again that all operations with computer components must be performed after first removing static from the body. To do this, just touch the radiator or tap in the bathroom before doing anything. There is also no need to wear woolen or synthetic materials before work. It is better to dress in cotton clothes.
After dismantling, we carefully place the video card, like other components, in one place. Not on top of each other, but side by side, with the main elements facing up.
If you have a cat, then this is more difficult. Firstly, this is a source of static, and secondly, when you leave, something can fly to the floor. And this is not good. The cat will run away, and you will have to buy a new expensive part. In such cases, you can put everything in a lockable box.
If the power supply and processor cooling do not interfere, then remove the motherboard along with the processor. This way there is less chance that when removing the cooler the screwdriver will fly off and pick apart the board, and it will also be clearer what exactly needs to be rotated and where.
Removing the motherboard.
There are screws around the perimeter of the board that must be carefully unscrewed and placed in a separate box. For convenience, we place the system unit on its side and use a magnetized screwdriver to unscrew the screws one by one. Afterwards, we check whether they are all dismantled. If yes, then when the board moves it will move freely.
We take the processor cooler with one hand and the opposite end of the board with the other and carefully pull it out.
It is very important not to bend the board, so we place it on a flat surface. Now let's see how we can remove the cooling to get to the processor.
Here in the photo is one of the options.
This is a box cooler Intel processors coket 775.
Everything is very simple here. Using a screwdriver, turn the latch 90? and pull it up slightly.
This must be done on all four fasteners. Then simply pull the cooler up. It should come out fairly easily.
Now you can wipe off the thermal paste from the processor and cooler with alcohol and apply a new layer before reassembling.
North and south bridge.
These are chips on the motherboard that are responsible for certain functions. They also get hot, which can cause system instability. Therefore, it is also necessary to periodically change the paste on their radiators. The south bridge on cheap motherboards may not have a radiator at all.
Sometimes users glue it themselves or attach it in a different way. In any case, this will only benefit the system.
It is easy to remove such a radiator. Depending on the model, the method is different.
But usually it is clear what needs to be done. In this case, you just need to pull the fasteners towards you, squeezing the spacers on the opposite side of the board.
You can even do this with tweezers.
In general, you can blow with anything that can direct a point flow of air, for example, a compressor. There’s just a “pear” in every home.
You can wipe the boards with a cotton swab soaked in triple cologne. And the smell will be there and the dust will go away.
In hard-to-reach places, use a match or a toothpick with cotton wool wrapped around it.
But you need not to overdo it, not to make great efforts, so as not to “demolish” some capacitor or resistor. Be gentle with your faithful iron friend.
You also need to reassemble the device, only in reverse order. All connectors should be in place. Difficulties may arise with the front panel wires. But using pre-taken photographs there should be no problems.
That's probably all. Good luck with your PC.
As you know, system unit cases are divided into desktop (desktop), and minitowers or tower (see the Reference part of this book). Currently, in our country, mini-towers are most widespread when the height of the body is greater than the width.
When choosing a system unit case, you need it to meet the following criteria:
1.Hardware compatibility with the power supply and the used motherboard.
2.The internal space must allow the installation of the necessary computer components.
3.The dimensions of the system unit are acceptable for optimal placement on or under the desktop.
4.The location of internal devices ensures proper cooling.
5. Maintenance of computer units should be convenient, and access to them should be optimal.
6. The quality of the housing must be high enough not to lead to injury when handling it.
7.The material of the case and its chassis is strong enough to securely fasten computer components and allows for repeated replacement of units.
8.The appearance and design of the case suits your taste.
All other things being equal, it is better to give preference to vertical buildings rather than horizontal ones.
Of particular importance is the choice of suitable ventilation inside the system unit:
1. It is advisable to use a fan with a diameter of at least 80 mm.
2.The fan located on the rear wall of the system unit provides additional cooling of the computer. If there is more than one of these on the back wall, then they should work in the same direction - either both blow out air or both draw in air. Recently, in some cases, the principle has begun to be used when, for better cooling, one fan works to draw air in, and the other, on the opposite side, works to pull it out.
3. Inside the case, try to carefully lay the wires so that they do not interfere with the normal movement of air.
4.If the system unit is vertical, then to cool it it is better to use a fan inside the power supply with air intake from the bottom panel, since then it simultaneously blows the motherboard located below, on which the most heated devices are located - the processor and the chipset (a set of chips for control tires).
5.Do not block the space near the fan inlets, otherwise the cooling efficiency of devices located inside the system unit will sharply decrease.
Previously, the AT type was the standard (the typical arrangement of connectors on the rear wall is shown in the figure above). Currently, the most common type of case is ATX (the approximate placement of connectors on the rear panel is shown in the figure below).
· The ATX standard was developed in 1995 to unify connectors, configure system unit devices and improve airflow for computer devices. This format assumes the size of motherboards is 30.5 x 24.4 cm. The size of motherboards may differ from those indicated above in the direction of decreasing the value vertically or horizontally. Over time, new ATX substandards were introduced with the following motherboard sizes:
· Mini-ATX- 28.4 × 20.8 cm
· Micro-ATX- 24.4 × 24.4 cm
· Flex-ATX- 22.9 × 20.3 cm
For these boards, system unit cases have been developed accordingly, which are smaller in size than the ATX case.
However, despite the abundance of types of cases and their external design, the methods for installing internal devices in them are quite similar. Let's look at this using an ATX case as an example.
In order to provide access to internal devices computer, you need:
1. If the computer is turned on, then turn it off programmatically by saving the necessary files or by long pressing the power button.
2. Disconnect all cords connected to the system unit. It is advisable to first disconnect the power cables, and then the information wires, after first freeing the connectors from being attached to the plugs (if any), unscrewing the screws at the edges of the connectors or unfastening the fastening brackets.
3. Unscrew four (or six) screw(s), located, as a rule, along the edges of the rear wall of the system unit and remove side panels housings, moving them back in the direction from the front surface of the block.
The picture above shows where the screws are for the old AT unit. The ATX block may have different screw locations. The figure below shows how to remove the AT housing cover.
The ATX system unit may have different types showdown. Let's consider one of them. Typically, the back of the unit has two screws on the right (to remove the left side panel) and two screws on the right (to remove the right side panel).
In order to remove the right panel, unscrew the two screws on the right side of the rear panel of the system unit and then remove the cover, as shown in the figure below.
There may be an option when there are no screws on the back wall, as shown in the figure below.
As you can see in the picture, the screws on the back wall are only used for the power supply, and there are no screws on the right and left side of the back block.
In this case, the top cover is removed. The top view is shown in the figure below.
As a result, we will see the inside of the system unit, as shown in the figure below.
Assembly is carried out in reverse order. Almost all plugs are designed in such a way that it is impossible to insert the connector into the wrong place, that is, the number of pins on the connector corresponds to the number of holes in the plug and vice versa. The exception is the connection of the keyboard and mouse, but they have their own colors to indicate the pair: plug - connector (green for the mouse, purple for the keyboard).
The main elements inside the system unit can be seen in the figure below. Near the front panel on top there is a compartment in which drives with a 3.5-inch form factor are located. These include CD and DVD drives different types. Below is a compartment in which 2.5-inch drives are installed. These include floppy drives (in older computers) and hard drives. You can install several hard drives. At the top left of the figure is the power supply, and below it is motherboard- the main element of a computer.
In general, we all have a computer that naturally “lives” in the case. In the case itself there are fans, a lot of different wires and the devices themselves.
Now let's think about whether it is possible for the computer to work without side covers, what will happen in this case and how harmful or useful it is.
I want to say right away that you can remove the side covers, or rather, only one - the one under which the processor, radiator, and, in general, the main one is located (the other simply makes no sense). But what happens if you remove the cover from the case? Firstly, it will be easier for the computer in terms of temperature - it will receive as much fresh and cool air as possible and the fans will begin to “eat” it, while cooling everything as it should (or rather, even more efficiently).
The computer will work better, I’m telling you this honestly, but maybe you already know that free cheese is only in your mousetrap, which is why I’ll now list all the good and bad points, and what you should pay attention to when removing the cover from the case computer
So what to do? In general, I advise you to open the lid only when necessary. If the computer is old, and you are too lazy to disassemble it and clean it, then you can temporarily remove the side wall from the case, and in this state the computer will work for a little longer, and then you still need to clean it!
The most important thing when removing the cover is that the computer becomes open not only to air, but also to the so-called “enemies” of the computer - dust, fur, pets, liquids (tea, coffee, you never know). So be careful and think carefully!.Otherwise, this interesting situation might happen:
But if you have an expensive and modern computer, then I advise you not to remove the cover, but to improve the cooling using fans, for example from Noctua (this is Austria), just don’t think that I’m not advertising - they just really make high-quality coolers.
Finally, I’ll write that I personally always keep my computer without the side cover, the cat doesn’t come close to the computer, and I clean it regularly. And by the way, the temperature is actually lower than both the processor and hard drives, and if you have a video card, then it will definitely work “easier” for it!
