That’s what works for this laptop. I don’t know what exact model you’re working with so can’t say if that should work for you as well. Usually there is a seam visible where the back connects to the rest of the laptop which is where you can try separating the two after removing all the screws holding them together.
I'm not sure about the official part numbers, but I was able to find listings on ebay for the drive bars and cables when googling for "15-ax280nd drive bars" and "15-ax280nd drive connector".
I believe that the chips you see under the heat pipe (there's one at the top just after the turn, and then one at the end) are the CPU and GPU, though I'm not sure which is which. I can't imagine them not putting a heat pipe on the GPU.
Yeah, removing the back cover feels like you're breaking something. I found that slightly twisting it upwards (as if it were connected to the screen hinge) helps with getting it loose without it feeling too wonky.
