Acer AN515-31 questions about FAn, RAM and SATA cable

hello, im back again in this community and i'd like to leave some questions for those who have the same model as mine (acer nitro 5, 2018, an515-31), also the last thread with the battery issue got pretty popular

ive opened my laptop after 4 intensive "gaming" years, yes it's dusty,

My questions:

why is there only one fan?

where is the other ram slot?

what is that black thing in the left of the fan and

why i have no sata cable?

what thermal paste do you recommend?

Also is there any recommended guide for cleaning the fan? Im getting stutters while playing euro truck simulator 2 and having around 94 degrees

Any answers would be greatly appreciated! :D

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Accepted answers

brummyfan2

Hi,

It was an early model and by design they installed one fan and a dummy to cover the space for second fan, you have 4GB onboard RAM and a slot for replaceable RAM, your model may have come with only the M.2 SSD and a HDD was not included, you can buy a SATA cable online and install a HDD/SSD. as for the thermal paste, any paste will be fine but apply sparingly, when you install the heatsink don't overtighten the screws, handtight should be fine.

SATA cable Part number:50.Q2XN2.003

ARCTIC MX-4 (4 g) - Performance Thermal Paste for all processors (CPU, GPU - PC, PS4, XBOX), high thermal conductivity, safe application, non-conductive, non-capacitive : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

(1) Cleaning and lubricating a laptop fan, replacing thermal compound - YouTube

(1) Acer Nitro AN515-31 М.2 SSD Upgrade / Install - YouTube

All comments

brummyfan2

Hi,

It was an early model and by design they installed one fan and a dummy to cover the space for second fan, you have 4GB onboard RAM and a slot for replaceable RAM, your model may have come with only the M.2 SSD and a HDD was not included, you can buy a SATA cable online and install a HDD/SSD. as for the thermal paste, any paste will be fine but apply sparingly, when you install the heatsink don't overtighten the screws, handtight should be fine.

SATA cable Part number:50.Q2XN2.003

ARCTIC MX-4 (4 g) - Performance Thermal Paste for all processors (CPU, GPU - PC, PS4, XBOX), high thermal conductivity, safe application, non-conductive, non-capacitive : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

(1) Cleaning and lubricating a laptop fan, replacing thermal compound - YouTube

(1) Acer Nitro AN515-31 М.2 SSD Upgrade / Install - YouTube

DavidJoacaRo

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1159892#Comment_1159892

Appreciating the response! Thank you.

brummyfan2

You are welcome 🙂

DavidJoacaRo

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1159899#Comment_1159899

Also what is the maximum supported amount of ram (separately from onboard) and m.2 ssd?

brummyfan2

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1159902#Comment_1159902

You can install up to 16GB DDR4 2400MHz module in the slot to make the maximum of 20GB(4GB onboard+16GB) memory, as for the M.2 SSD, the maximum recommended is 512GB but I think you can install a 1TB at your own risk because I haven't seen anyone installed a 1TB M.2 SSD in this model.