XUX7: Upgrade & maintenance - TUXEDO Computers

Important notes!
Please make sure to handle the following steps with care and follow all steps as described.

No liability and warranty claims can be accepted for damage caused by improper upgrade or maintenance!

Why should I upgrade or maintain my TUXEDO?

If you want to upgrade your system memory (RAM) or mass storage (HDD / SSD) of your TUXEDO at any later time, this can be easily and safely done even by unexperienced users with appropriate care and following all mandatory steps.

System maintenance, especially cleaning the cooling system and fan(s), can help your TUXEDO notebook run cool and quiet even after several years of use.

At TUXEDO Computers, we give you full control over your TUXEDO notebook and, unlike some other manufacturers, explicitly allow you to open your notebook for maintenance and upgrade purposes without voiding the warranty.

However, the mandatory requirement for obtaining the warranty is the proper and careful execution according to the steps described in this manual. No claims can be accepted for any damage resulting from improper execution!

Overview

• Preparations
• Opening the chassis and unplugging the battery
• Upgrading the system memory (RAM)
• Upgrading the mass storage (SSD)
• Replacing the battery
• Replacing the WiFi module
• Replacing the CMOS battery
• Cleaning the fan and cooling system

Preparations

Please make sure to have a tidy work surface with sufficient space as well as all necessary utensils, such as suitable screwdrivers, on hand. An anti-static mat as underlying surface for your TUXEDO notebook is ideal to avoid any damages from a static discharge. However, this is not absolutely necessary. Alternatively, make sure that you "ground" yourself before beginning the upgrade and maintenance procedure , e.g. by touching a heating.

When touching hardware components inside your TUXEDO notebook, we recommend wearing gloves to avoid transferring sweat and grease to sensitive contacts. However, if your hands have been washed with soap beforehand, this can also be done without. In any case, please avoid direct contact with the electrical contacts inside your TUXEDO.

Opening the chassis and unplugging the battery

Place your TUXEDO notebook on a flat surface (preferably a tabletop or anti-static mat) with the bottom panel facing upwards and then remove the 8 screws of the maintenance flap. It is best to collect the screws in a small container or bowl.

To avoid damaging your TUXEDO by any remaining energy coming from the battery, please unplug the battery first. You can easily release and lift it out from the outside using the two sliding locks.

Upgrading the system memory (RAM)

Two of the total of four RAM slots are located on the right below the left fan and can be replaced easily. Accessing the other two RAM slots is a bit more complicated, since they are located on the other side of the motherboard. To get access, you have to remove the keyboard first:

For this, please loosen the 2 screws right next to the two fan housings, which are marked with a small keyboard symbol. Then flip the notebook around, open it and use a thin plastic spatula or similar to lever the keyboard out of its anchors. Attention: After levering it out, you still have to remove the keyboard's ribbon cable before you can remove the keyboard from the case!

To remove a RAM stick, simply press the two metal clips on the left and right slightly apart until the memory stick pops out of its anchorage. You can now remove it.

To add a new RAM module, insert it into the free slot at a slightly slanted angle with the contact surface facing the ram socket. The small notch on the RAM stick's edge helps with the correct orientation and thus only allows one way for the RAM installation. After the stick is firmly seated in the RAM slot, gently press down on the RAM module until the two metal clips snap into place on their own and lock the RAM stick in place.

Upgrading the mass storage (SSD)

Your TUXEDO Polaris 17 / Stellaris 17 has 2x SSD slots in M.2 format. These are located between the battery and the left fan.

To remove an existing SSD, simply unscrew the mounting screw at the rear end of the SSD stick until it lifts up a bit on its own and you can carefully pull the SSD out of the socket.

To add a new SSD, insert it into the free M.2 slot at a slightly slanted angle with the contact surface facing the socket. Then press down the back end of the SSD with your finger and fix the new SSD again with the screw.

Replacing the battery

The battery of the TUXEDO Book XUX7 can be removed from the outside via the sliding lock.

Replacing the WiFi module

If you want to replace your wireless network / WiFi card, please proceed as follows: Similar to the SSD, loosen the screw that holdes the WiFi card on place. Then, carefully and preferably with a thin (non-metallic!) spatula or guitar pick, loosen the two antenna cables of the WiFi card attached directly above the screw. You can then easily pull the Wifi module out of the plug and replace it with another WiFi card.

Replacing the CMOS battery

In (very) rare cases (e.g. due to discharge or for resetting the BIOS etc.) it may be necessary to replace the CMOS battery or disconnect it from the mainboard. Attention! Please only do this if you know exactly what you are doing or in case our support team has explicitly advised you to do so.

The CMOS battery is located half-way below the right edge of the laptop battery and therefore requires the laptop battery to be removed first. To disconnect the CMOS battery, please carefully remove the small connector with the red-black cable from its socket.

Cleaning the fan and cooling system

Important notes!
Maintenance of the cooling system (especially the re-application of the thermal paste) should explicitly be done by experienced users only!

No liability can be accepted for any damage to the cooling system and/or fan caused by improper maintenance.

To ensure that your TUXEDO can still work quietly and cool even after many months of use, we recommend cleaning the fan as well as the heat sink's fins every 6 to 12 months - depending on the environment conditions.

In principle, you can easily perform this procedure without removing the cooling system by blowing through the fan blades and the fins of the heat sink with a compressed air spray. Caution: When using this method, please be sure to block the fan wheel from spinning, as the high air pressure can cause the fan to rotate too fast and be damaged!

Alternatively, if you want to clean the cooling system manually or replace the thermal paste, please loosen all screws on the heat sinks for the CPU and GPU as well as on both fan housings and carefully remove the thin fan cables from the mainboard. You can then carefully remove the complete cooling system including the fans. 

To replace the thermal paste, carefully remove the old thermal paste from the heat sink and CPU / GPU die using a paper or cloth towel and then carefully clean all contact surfaces of any remaining particles with a little bit of cleaning alcohol.

Now apply a bit bigger than pinhead-small blob or elongated strip of the same amount to the cleaned CPU and GPU die and place the heat sink in place with light and even pressure. Please do not lift the heat sink again and press it down again, as this can cause tiny air bubbles in the thin thermal paste layer, which negatively affects the conductivity performance!

Now tighten all screws with only light pressure at first, not going all the way around but in diagonal order to distribute the pressure of the heat sink on the CPU and GPU chip as even as possible. Once all screws have been screwed in with light pressure, now tighten them, again in diagonal order, with slightly more, but normally strong pressure. Now screw both fans as well and re-connect their fan cables to the motherboard.