A number of customers have reported that the CPU and RAM cover on their 5200 appears curved and not alligned correctly. This is actually a part of the design of the CPU heatsink assembly, as shown below.
This is a drawing of the CPU/RAM cover on the back of the 5200. Mounted to the bottom of this cover is a large heat sink. Attached to the heat sink are two heat-conductive pads, one in section A, and another in section B. The pad in section B is responsible for transmitting heat from the CPU to the heat sink. The pad in section A is responsible for transmitting heat from the heat sink to a large heat plate built into the rest of the 5200's bottom panel.
The heat-conductive pads only work if held in place by some amount of force. This force comes from the fact that the pads are slightly thicker than the amount of available space between the surfaces they bridge. Because of this, when the cover is tightened down, it bends (warps) a bit when screwed into place and the plastic of the cover does not exactly line up with the plastic of the rest of the 5200 bottom cover in some places.
We apologize for this cosmetic anomaly. It is extremely effective in providing sufficient heat dissapation for the CPU. Thus, it cannot be modified on an existing notebook without risking the possibility of heat-related lockups.
Please feel free to direct additional inquiries to technical support at 1-800-967-5667.
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