External Appearance - Underneath
Looking at that picture and working our way from left to right, top to bottom, we come across the covering for the CPU and graphics module area. Six screws give you access, the CPU sitting right in the top left corner under those exhaust slats, the GPU module under the slats that sit above the Alienware model sticker.
The right hand of the top half of the unit, as we look at it, is where the DVD+RW drive is housed, itself removeable by operating the nearby catch and using a fair bit of force to release it from its port.
The bottom right hand cover is for access to the hard drive. Let's remove the covers.
Using immense PSP skills, I've marked off the GPU (blue) and CPU (red) areas, so you can see how things fit. The GPU module is missing from the picture, to let you see what it's like underneath. More on the modules themselves in an upcoming page.
With the module in place you can see it uses a shared heat transfer medium with the CPU's copper heatsink assembly, to help move heat from the GPU to the CPU sink, aiding cooling. I'll cover the noise aspect in a future page.
With the HDD cover off, it's a simple matter of removing four retaining screws before being able to lift the drive free.
