Lenovo Legion T7i AIO Upgrade Part 1: Ugh Backplates! 

Hey everyone. Short video for this one. Ram into an issue getting the backplate off so we have to solve that problem. The next video will be extra long as we replace the motherboard and cooler! You’ll want to be subscribed and hit the bell so that you don’t miss that one. Have a safe and great weekend!!!!! -Jeff

So someone I know got this PC with an 11700K and a 240mm AIO already installed. After 2 years, the cheap AIO that Lenovo used failed. I tried guiding him through installing a new cooler (funnily enough I had him switch from liquid to air while you are switching from air to liquid, but we are using a very good dual tower so it should be fine), but we ran into the same backplate issue. I ended up having him use a hair dryer to heat up the backplate and slowly wiggle it free, and after about half an hour, he was able to pry it free without causing damage and was then able to install the Thermalright Frost Tower 120 that he bought. Screw Lenovo for gluing things, but at least it isn't impossible to fix.

For those in low spirits after watching this, i'd like to let you know there is a solution that can be done without changing the motherboard - even for complete PC building novices like myself. Doing this, I reduced my peak gaming temps from 95c at max load, to 57c. My specs (OEM build) are Legion T7 Ryzen 5800 / Rtx 3060. I bought the same AIO in this vid - icue h100i elite capellix and did the following. Backplate: i gently used dental floss to break down the adhesive (being careful to not let it reach the center of the backplate), then was easily able to get the backplate off with a lever AIO mounting: use the Intel brackets that come with the AIO, and use the 2011/2066 Intel pins AIO control box: make sure to connect all the RGB and Fan connectors from the pump and 2 fans into the corresponding part on the AIO control box (and not directly into the motherboard) AIO USB port: motherboard only had one USB port at the bottom but it was already being used by the existing fans. I removed the existing one plugged in, and plugged in the AIO USB in its place Thermal grease: cleaned all existing grease off the CPU and the default on the AIO, and I replaced it with kryonaut thermal grizzly (purchased from Amazon) BIOS: change cooling option to liquid cooler, and turned on overclocking if you weren't using that already Software: installed iCue software and set the 2 CPU fans to balanced, and the pump to quiet I had to test all the pins to see which gave the best mount (and best temps) and the 2011/2066 intel ones were by far the best for me, despite me using an AMD CPU (AMD pins will not work because the motherboard needs an intel backplate). After a full day of tests in various games at uncapped FPS, I haven't gone above 60c once. I would previously hit 95-98c frequently with the OEM cooler, sometimes even with fps capped. Also, my idle temps have now dropped from ~65-70c beforehand, to ~30-35c now. Hope that helps!

Just to piggyback off of everybody who said you can get that dumb ass backplate off, you DEFINITELY can with some elbow grease and confidence! In my opinion I think the adhesive was a cheap, yet stupid, way to replace using screws to mount the backplate to the mother board. BUT what I did was get a lever like plastic tool and tried to pry it off until I saw the adhesive start to peel. You can use dental floss but I was scared of going too far. If you do just don’t go near the center rectangular piece that the cpu is seeded in. I know I speak for everyone when I say we all learned a lesson when getting a prebuilt PC. ESPECIALLY from Lenovo

This was so helpful 5/5 stars

Hi Jeff, do you know if it's feasible to get the backplate off? if you are able to get the backplate off and swap out the motherboard, can you reuse the cooler on new motherboard? Thanks.

I wish you said all this before I bought the pc on your recommendation in your first video. Can I at least use the stock backplate on a better air cooler like a noctua?

I've heard of a few people getting that backplate off with a hair drier to assist softening up the adhesive, and a sturdier pry tool.

My T7 AIO cooler gave up the ghost. Opened it up and it was full of gunk and particles. The liquid looked brownish so I assume there is corrosion going on in there as well. Faced the backplate issue just like you and decided to switch the motherboard and CPU but keep the GPU, memory and harddrives. Went with a 5800X3D instead as well as a new case. I put the old T7 to be thrown out with the trash, but then this morning I decided that if I am going to throw it away anyway I might as well just see what and how much adhesive they used. I took a punch and a hammer and hit the knob going through the motherboard... pretty hard... and it left a small gap to the backplate and motherboard. I then worked a knife around the backplate until it came off. That adhesive sucks bigtime, but I think I might have been able to get it off without actually hurting the motherboard. It is not glue but a double sided adhesive tape that fixes the backplate to the motherboard Now I am thinking of replacing the AIO cooler with a cheap Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2 aircooler and a disk in it and have a nice upgrade for the kids computer

I’m currently trying to upgrade this exact PC, is there any updated videos of yours you can link me to? I’m very interested in a water cooler for my Lenovo aswell :/

can you give me an indication of which argb and rgb connectors are being used. mine is chaos. if i change color of cpu fan, my rear fan changes too. the legion logo does not have control at all and the front fans look like being connected to rear fan. would be great to see the original connectors used on mobo. thanks

Whatsup Jeff I have a question. If you were to replace the 3 front panel fans and the one fan in the back which new fans that are quiet would you choose? And what about the fan rgb. I suppose this pc uses some kind of device that controls the rgb somewhere. Do you have to remove it if you want to use .. lets say some non rgb noctua fans? Thanks a lot :)

I have been reading somewhat mixed reviews on the Lenovo Legion T7 cases in regards to the cooling and fan noises, would you say that the stock cooling is suffiencent or lacking? I have been considering a Lenovo Legion setup with a 3080 ti card in that's why I been somewhat hesitant after reading those comments rather not have a boiling computer.

Does the Lenovo mobo have the USB 2.0 header? I tried to replace the old and busted Lenovo AIO with the Corsair AIO (H100i), but I do not know where the USB header is.

You can get the backplate off. I took mine off with some dental floss. The adhesive they use to attach it to the MB is crazy strong. If you can wedge some floss or fishing line in-between the backplate and the MB you can begin to break the adhesive up and it’ll pull off.

Hey Jeff you know if this pc can fit the Asus Strix 4090? its about 14 inches long

Dude where did you get that new in the box lol.

Welp. I took your information from the last video and just changed the motherboard out right away. It's a shame because I really like the machine just not the lack of upgradeability.

I'm sure there are people that never crack the case of their pre-built and just live with it and all it's quirks and faults. However, video after video, people "upgrade" them until eventually, there is nothing left but the CPU and GPU. It's an eloquent argument not to buy an OEM prebuilt unless you have no choice. There is a reason most of them are less expensive than SI prebuilts or require such modification. Been there, done that. If the motherboard is cheap and limited, there's not much you can do. Same thing with the Omen. One guy even killed his motherboard trying to get a glued back plate off.

Can I install a better air cooler like a noctua on this motherboard?

What cpu socket is the lenovo legion?