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Ask HN: How to build a laptop

9 points by revorad ↗ HN
I need a new laptop and I'd like to build one myself from components. But I'm struggling to find anywhere to buy components (in the UK) or even help on how to go about building one. There is a lot of info around building desktop PCs and I have built some in the past. There are lots of desktop component suppliers too, but I can't find any for laptops.

I know for most of you, it just makes sense to buy a good readymade one (MBP or Thinkpad), but I would like to try and build a laptop myself, to learn how to do it, to see how much it costs to make a good one and to have fun!

Another motivating factor for me is that I can't find any Linux laptops here in the UK. Dell used to sell them but I don't find them on their site any more. System76 (USA) charges $150 to deliver.

If I built laptops with Ubuntu pre-installed, I could probably sell them to other people too.

Do you have any good pointers on how I can get started?

Thanks!

19 comments

[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 56.6 ms ] thread
pharno
well, there's not much to put together, maybe the mb,cpu and fans, but thats all. no graphics card, no soundcard, no whatever-card. then some wiring speakers, and the screen, and you're done. Its not worth it, but If you really want it, just go ahead ;).
revorad
Where do I get the body?
Khao
I don't think it's possible to buy laptop parts separately. The only possibility I could see would be to buy used parts and hack together a laptop inside an empty laptop case, but that would be painful and not worth it in my opinion.
mahrain
There are a couple of "bare bones" laptop manufacturers that can give you OEM-type empty shells with a mainboard, screen and battery. The only options you have to customize are in the memory, storage, optical bay and operating system. Some might also allow for different processors through a socket (even though for modern systems this will allow you to choose your clock speed mostly).

I suggest you look for a distributor or importer of components who can supply these bare bones chassis laptops.

Update: A couple of manufacturers of these: http://www.clevo-computer.de/ and Mitac/Gelac from Taiwan.

revorad
I'm searching for bare bones laptops but my Google-fu is failing me. Do you know any names of such manufacturers or distributors? Anywhere in the world will do.
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[dead] brk
I'm not aware of any companies that make DIY laptop components (I do recall there was one about 15 years ago).

The parts are too highly specific, due to to desire to keep size/weight to an absolute minimum. Unlike a desktop PC where size and weight don't really matter much.

But, I'm curious, what do you really hope to gain from this exercise? Building any PC today is mostly a matter of plugging 10 or 15 bits together and then loading an operating system. I suppose if you've never built a system before, this might hold some allure.

For a portable device like a laptop, even if you could completely build it yourself, you'd probably be unhappy with the results (size/weight/performance/durability) for the money.

Your best option is probably to find a slightly used machine you can reimage.

BTW, I just went to the UK Dell site, searched for "linux" and found some laptop options.

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veyron
Have you tried replacing parts in an existing laptop (the first natural step is replacing ram / HD)?

I ask because I realized, only after actually opening up the laptop, that the CPU is soldered onto the MBP. I'm actually not sure how other manufacturers handle CPUs

revorad
I haven't done that yet, but I have an old Asus eee lying around, which I might take apart and mess around with.
veyron
If you can swap parts, you may be able to "build" a new laptop by replacing ram, HD, and cpu. SSDs do wonders (assuming your mobo supports it)
revorad
The trouble is that the eee is too small for any real work. I want a full size laptop (at least 13"). I'm just amazed at the contrast between building a laptop and a desktop. People have been building desktops for years, but there just isn't a culture of building laptops from scratch!
sigil
I second this approach. Instead of building a laptop from scratch, try rebuilding existing laptops. Start with minor upgrades and repairs. Work your way towards major ones, and eventually do a complete tear-down and rebuild.

I suspect this is the way car mechanics learn. There are some further similarities. Like cars, and unlike desktop computers, laptops are heavily constrained by portable form factor concerns (size, thinness, total weight, efficient and safe cooling, low power usage, ruggedness). This wider variety of problems leads to a wider variety of solutions. So like cars, the guts of a laptop can differ wildly, and for learning you're best off picking a "line" that's well-engineered and has been relatively stable over time.

I've been slowly working towards laptop building via re-building existing laptops. Specifically, old IBM T4x Thinkpads, which you can pick up for about $200 these days [1]. There's a wealth of information about how to take them apart and mess with things [2], the user disassembly manuals are excellent [3], and I believe even the more recent T2xx Lenovo line is still pretty similar in terms of components and how they all fit together.

[1] http://www.iobound.net/laptop-prices/

[2] http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki

[3] http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/3...

revorad
Thanks a lot. That's a really interesting way to go about it, which I hadn't considered very seriously. I will go buy some Thinkpads. I might also experiment with Dell. I've had an inspiron for a few years and like it.
Armence
On the Linux on a laptop issue, I'm pretty sure there is an EU Consumer Protection directive that prohibits bundling software with hardware except in cases which are irrelevant to your situation. So you should be able to buy a laptop and then get a refund for the M$ software on it.
revorad
Really!? I didn't know about the refund thing. So is it the seller or manufacturer who has to issue the refund?
fractallyte
You can certainly get a refund, from the manufacturer.

The legal basis is the Competition Act 1998, Chapter 1, Section 2, Subsection 2, in particular Subsection 2(e): 'make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts.'

I bought a Samsung laptop and went through the whole process, culminating in the issuance of a Small Claim. When Samsung realised I was serious, they hastily settled - I got back the cost of Windows (full retail price!), plus court costs, and the costs for having to send so many letters...

Using legal process (a Small Claim) is very easy, and nothing to fear - provided you've done the homework. The fact is that these large companies are getting away with illegal practices, but any determined individual can stop them dead. You have rights, so enforce them.

brudgers
>"There are lots of desktop component suppliers too, but I can't find any for laptops."

There are plenty of suppliers for the modular components of laptops, e.g. RAM and mass storage devices. Even for quasi-modular components such as batteries, there are often several suppliers. But because of the space and performance tradeoffs inherent in laptop design, there is no standard formfactor for the laptop itself.

It might be helpful to consider the interchangeability of modular parts common among desktop systems to be the exception rather than the norm - after all it's not like a person can do that sort of swapping with the typical Mac or thin client.