iFixit

The Wi-Fi board uses essentially the same mounting and connectivity as the WWAN board.

After removing it from the Series 5 and de-soldering the EMI shields, we get a good look at the Atheros AR9382 802.11n Wi-Fi chip with XSPAN.

The back of the Wi-Fi board doesn't have much going on.

After removing its mounting screw, the 16 GB SanDisk SDSA4DH-016G SSD can be removed from the motherboard.

This is the same SSD used in the Cr-48.

Removing two screws frees the miniscule heat sink from the Atom processor.

The Atom processor and NM10 graphics chip produce such little heat that no cooling fins are used at the fan's exhaust. Air forced over the thin copper plate comprising the heat sink and fan shroud bottom by the fan blades is enough to keep things cool.

After removing the display data, keyboard, I/O board, SD reader, and speaker cables, a few screws are all that's left keeping the motherboard in place.

After it is finally freed from the Series 5's chassis, the motherboard can easily be removed.

Front and rear side of the motherboard:

• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom dual-core N570 processor
• Intel NM10 Express Chipset (labeled as CG82NM10)
• Realtek ALC272 4-Channel High Definition Audio Codec
• Samsung K4B2G0846 HCH9 2 Gb DDR3 SDRAM (total of 8 IC's = 2 GB RAM)
• SMSC MEC1300-NU
• SLG8SP513V clock generator
• SMSC EMC2112 Fan controller

At this point, not too many interesting components are left in the Series 5's chassis.

The I/O board can be removed at this point, and it isn't all that appealing. It simply serves to transmit information from the motherboard to the mini PCIe communication cards, USIM card, USB port, and right speaker.

The speakers are held on with little strips of tape and can be removed at this point. No word on how they sound just yet but judging by their diminutive size and fabric domes, they probably won't be popping eardrums anytime soon.

Removing the SD card reader reveals the widely-used Realtek RTS5138 SD reader IC.

The Series 5 display is attached to the upper case by four surprisingly loose Phillips screws.

After a bit of wiggling and magic, the display detaches with no problems.

Located underneath the keyboard, we discovered a Synaptics T1320A – Capacitive Touchpad Controller.

Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook Repairability Score: 6 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

• SSD, Wi-Fi, and WWAN, and most other components are individual modules that can be replaced independently
• Display is very easy to remove
• Mostly-plastic construction feels a little cheap
• RAM is not replaceable
• Battery cannot be removed without opening the case