Dell XPS 15 9575 Motherboard Replacement

Written By: Karthik

Comments: 21

Dell XPS 15 9575 Motherboard Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

This guide demonstrates how to replace the motherboard in the Dell XPS 15 9575. The motherboard connects all the hardware components in the device and is a critical component. If your Dell XPS 15 is experiencing power issues and you've already checked your battery health, a motherboard replacement might be necessary. To make sure this is the right fix, check the troubleshooting section for specific symptoms such as failure to boot, overheating and power issues.

Check out the Dell XPS 9575 Troubleshooting page for more help narrowing down your issues to the motherboard.

Before you begin this repair, turn off your laptop and unplug it from the charging adapter. As an extra precaution, unplug the battery connector from the motherboard or remove the battery before you start.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

For your safety, please make sure the device is powered off and the A/C adapter is unplugged.
Use your T5 Torx driver to remove all eight 3.2 mm screws holding down the back panel.
Wedge an opening pick between the back cover and the base of the board, then slightly lift the tool to pop the clips on the back cover off.

I found it quite tough to make the initial pick insertion. The easiest point for me was on the rear edge of the laptop just to the outside of the hinge.

The screws were all same size so no need to remember which came from where.

Mr Mac - 07/12/20

Step 2

Make sure all screws are removed before you lift the panel to prevent any damage from occurring.
Remove the bottom cover from the device when all sides are free.

Step 3

Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove all four silver 3.2 mm screws fastening the interconnect cable.

There is an off/on switch for the battery to the right of the SSD. You can see a diagram of it on the battery picture above. It advises to turn it off before working with the battery.

AtotheJ -

Turn off the internal power as AtotheJ suggests. I did not have to remove or touch the fan as the interconnect cable came loose easily.

bubba -

Step 4

Carefully wedge the plastic opening pick between the fan and the interconnect cable.
If this position does not release the interconnect cable, slide the opening pick along the edge until it is completely free.
Remove the interconnect cable.

I have a different cable on my XPS 15 2 in 1. The fan covers were not attached to the cable and remained in place. So only the long thin strip was removed and it came of very easily

Mr Mac - 07/12/20

On my 9575, I couldn’t get the entire fan cover off but realized it wasn’t necessary as I was able to get access to the battery connector by just removing the four screws above and moving the bottom section out of the way.

AtotheJ -

In fact, per Dell user manual, thats the sure way to break the very tiny plastic parts of the fan cover. I did it, now I regret. I cannot unhear the small creak due to void space, and un-feel the light wobbling while typing on the top part of keyboard

Aurel A -

Step 5

Use the nylon tweezers to remove the interconnect pins from each of the circuit boards.

Step 6

Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove all eight 6.4 mm screws from the battery.

One of the screws was stripped on my laptop (the one between the fans) and rotated without releasing. I had to remove the other 7 and the battery cable and carefully lift up the battery while undoing the screw to try to pull it out. Thinking about it afterwards, maybe the location in the base that is was screwed into had snapped away rather than the thread being stripped which was why extracting was so problematic.

Mr Mac - 07/12/20

On my laptop. The J1 was a better fit for the screws. I almost stripped on with the j0.

michael Estrada -

Same situation for me. Battery screw heads are Phillips1 not Phillips0.

jasonlbailly -

Step 7

Use a plastic opening pick to pry the black battery cable away from its silver adapter.
Hold the pick at 35 degrees from the computer and push towards the battery to remove the cable from its socket.
Do not push straight into the battery cable as this could damage the adapter.
When you disconnect connectors like these, be careful not to dislodge the small surface-mounted components surrounding the socket.

Study the connector on the new battery carefully and the large photos in this guide so you know which bit to push in which direction. The connector was in very firmly so you have to apply reasonable force very carefully as you must avoid slipping and damaging the motherboard components. I had to try a few different techniques as pushing just the small black plastic rectangle as shown was doing nothing. I found grabbing the sides of the cable with my fingers and wiggling side to side a little helped.

Mr Mac - 07/12/20

This connector doesn’t come out easy. Have no idea how the person removed it with the pick as the little plastic rectangle on mine broke easily. What worked for me was to remove all the screws holding the battery so that it’s free. Remove the battery so that’s it’s free and then pull by wires as close to the connectors as you can. It came out easy this way.

AtotheJ -

Definitely study the connector. I found the best way was to remove the battery and gently pull directly away from the connector. The little “T” has 2 pins underneath so you should not put pressure on it. Remember to turn the power switch back to the “On” position before closing the case.

bubba - 25/11/21

Removing was quite easy by first lifting battery then pulling the cable. Installing difficult, best was to gentle press with the pick step by step left and right.

Aöbert -

Step 8

Use a plastic opening pick to separate the battery from the device.
Lift the battery straight up and remove it when it is completely separated.

The last bullet seems redundant since the conclusion says the same thing

Markus Eldridge - 25/10/19

The most difficult part of this for me was inserting the new battery cable. This will depend on who manufactured the replacement. It was very stiff and I used a spudger on either side of the connector bit by bit - i.e. push the left side in a bit, then the right side, and repeat until it was fully in. Again, be careful not to gouge the motherboard and don’t cut into the outer cable in the connector.

The cable was a bit too long on my replacement and curved upwards proud of the battery. I was hoping that pushing down best I could and reassembling would not cause a problem but now the right mouse click on the mouse pad is very stiff and only just works. I think I’ll live with it rather than open up again as I’m just happy that the laptop still works and has a battery that has a decent life.

Mr Mac - 07/12/20

Step 9

Use the Phillips 0 Screwdriver to carefully extract each of the four 3.2 mm screws.

If you have red markup, you should also have red bullets. Also, make sure to use end punctuation—I would check every step for this.

Alex Watkins - 23/10/19

Step 10

Confirm all four screws have been extracted from the fan.
Find the wire connecting the fan into the motherboard and use the plastic opening tool to push the wire out from the motherboard's port.

Follow ROYGBIV order for markup.

Alex Watkins - 23/10/19

Step 11

The fan has been completely disconnected and is now safe to remove.

Remember to begin all steps with action verbs, and remove reassembly directions, since the blue box below has the same information.

Alex Watkins - 23/10/19

The last bullet seems redundant when the conclusion says the same thing

Markus Eldridge - 25/10/19

Step 12

Wedge the plastic opening pick in between the aluminum cover and the motherboard.
Gently pull up popping off the cover and revealing the rest of the heat sink.
The aluminum cover will slot into small clamps on all sides, so be sure to align all sides within the clamps during reinstallation.

Proofread the second bullet to ensure it’s clear.

Alex Watkins - 23/10/19

Step 13

Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove all five black 3.2mm screws.

Step 14

Wedge the plastic opening pick in between the edge of the heat sink and the aluminum perimeter with care not to scratch the CPU beneath.
Gently pry up on the heat sink until it is loose enough for you to remove. Then grab and remove the heat sink.
If it does not work in the first position that you tried, try another. Do not pry too much in one position because it could damage the components beneath the heat sink.
Clean and Reapply the Thermal Paste during reinstallation.

Add removal/reapplication per iFixit feedback.

Alex Watkins - 23/10/19

Step 15

Use a Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove two screws from the lower corner of the motherboard.

Step 16

Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the two 3.2 mm black screws holding down the cover.
Use the tweezers to carefully remove the silver cover from the backboard.
Under the cover you will see the display cable fused to a rectangular adapter.
Gently wedge the plastic opening pick in between the display cable and the backboard.
Gently pry up, disconnecting the adapter with the display cable from its bracket.

Step 17

Open the screen until it is 180 degrees from the keyboard and then lay the laptop face down.
Use a Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the three 6.3 mm screws securing the hinge on the side above the motherboard.