
XPS 8960 Service Manual
Removing the system board
Prerequisites
- Follow the procedure in Before working inside your computer.
- Remove the left-side cover.
- Remove the front cover.
- Remove the memory modules.
- Remove the 2230 solid-state drive or the 2280 solid-state drive, whichever is applicable.
- Remove the graphics card, if applicable.
- Remove the wireless card.
- Remove the coin-cell battery.
- Remove the voltage-regulator heat sink, if applicable.
- Remove the fan and heat-sink assembly (65 W) or the fan and heat-sink assembly (125 W) or the fan and heat-sink assembly (125 W, air cooling), whichever is applicable.
- Remove the processor.
About this task
The following image indicates the slots and connectors on your system board.

- Processor socket
- U-DIMM slots
From the left (a>b>c>d):
- DIMM 1
- DIMM 2
- SATA power cable
- M.2 2230 or 2280 solid-state drive slot
- M.2 2230 wireless-card slot
- Coin-cell battery socket
- Power-button cable
- Front chassis-fan cable
- Hard-drive data cable (SATA 0)
- Hard-drive data cable (SATA 1)
- Hard-drive data cable (SATA 2)
- System-board power cable
- M.2 2230 or 2280 solid-state drive slot
- PCIe x16 slot (SLOT 1)
- PCIe x4 slot (SLOT 2)
- PCIe x4 slot (SLOT 3)
- Back chassis-fan cable
- Processor fan and heat-sink fan cable
- Processor liquid cooler pump cable
- Processor-power cables
The following images indicate the location of the system board and provide a visual representation of the removal procedure.




Steps
- Remove the screw (#6-32) that secures the front I/O-bracket to the chassis.
- Rotate and remove the front I/O-bracket from the chassis.
- Disconnect all the cables that are connected to the system board.
- Remove the nine screws (#6-32) that secure the system board to the chassis.
- Lift the system board at an angle and remove it from the chassis.
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