Can You Recycle A Laptop Into A Desktop? Let's Find Out!

[off wave surfer]

This is one of the most interesting threads I've ever seen on the forum and consistently makes for great reading! Keep the updates coming, can't wait to see the finalised build

[AshleyAshes]

6 hours ago, off wave surfer said:

This is one of the most interesting threads I've ever seen on the forum and consistently makes for great reading! Keep the updates coming, can't wait to see the finalised build

What's funny is that it's only interesting because it's laptop guts.  If this were just off the shelf ITX gear it'd be 'Just another RVZ01 Build'.  It'd never make sense to do this build unless you had a laptop worth gutting.  But that's kinda the appeal of Scrapyard Wars too, huh?  It'd not be nearly as interesting if it was 'Computer Store Wars' where both teams just get a budget and an hour in a computer store to pick out new stuff.

Right now, all I can say is that I'm waiting on the mail.  A new heat sink, SATA cables and USB2/3 header adapter are in the mail.  I also ordered the wifi antenna but, well, "Estimated delivery Mon, Aug 28 - Mon, Oct 02", that's that $2 on eBay gets you.

 

Though we can also agree that it's interesting to see what a six year old laptop CPU can do when it has a GPU that it never could have had in it's laptop form.

I also discovered a new 'quirk' if the hardware.  It flashes the power LED when it's off.  At first I dismissed it but I was wondering when when it 'turned off' it would flash as if it was in stand-by mode.  But it'd power up and POST beep just like it should even if it seemed to be in standby.  So I consulted the manual.  ...It flashes when it's in S5 or 'Soft Off'.  If it's in stand by it flashes FASTER.  But yeah you can power it down and the mobo will flash the PWR LED all day just to let you know that it's there.

[AshleyAshes]

New heat sink from eBay has arrived, it has a copper core and more surface area, but it's for Socket G2 so it should fit without modification.

That said, after seeing LTT's giant Intel OEM cooler video do barely better than their standard coolers, despite being MASSIVE in comparison, I do have some concerns and reservations.

 

Photo updates and some before and after temperature results will be posted this weekend.

[AshleyAshes]

So this new cooler, the one on the right, is much better.  Peaked at 69'C in the CPU-Z benchmark instead of 96'C and thermal throtteling.  The idle temps are even about 10'C better.  Gotten as low as 29'C idle.  I mean, I know that's not AMAZINGLY low, but this is a 45w TDP CPU under something half the size a stock Intel 'desktop' heatsink.

 

However I may add a different fan. The built on one is just held with a screw but if you look at the top, it has four offset points for a different fan that would cover the whole top.

 

 

[TraskJ]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Doctor Frankenstein of our modern day. 

 

10/10 project, really. It's always interesting to see what people can do with old silicon. 

[AshleyAshes]

10 minutes ago, TraskJ said:

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Doctor Frankenstein of our modern day. 

 

10/10 project, really. It's always interesting to see what people can do with old silicon. 

Well, I'd argue that the Silicon really isn't THAT old.  If anything, Intel really hasn't done anything 'Game Changing' since Sandy Bridge which is why even Sandy Bridge can be relevant today.  Everything between Sandy Bridge and Kaby Lake can really only be described as 'A little bit faster and a little bit more power efficient than the last one'.  I think Coffee Lake will be the first Intel CPU to REALLY bring massive change to the consumer front since Sandy Bridge.  ...Well, if you don't count Ryzen having done that already this year.

[Aryo170]

Good read. I was debating doing something similar sooner or later when time allows. Nice job though thus far!

[AshleyAshes]

So one thing I'm stuck on for this build is a GPU.  As I said, there's an HD 4850 in it which is borderline useless for even contemporary games and since this isn't a machine I have much actual USE for, I have other machines that I have 'good' GPUs that are passed around.  (Basically my workstation GPU, when replaced, gets hand-me-downed to the HTPCs I -actually- use every day.

 

So obviously I'm hesitant to BUY a GPU for this or at least spend a lot.  The next question is what KIND of GPU.  A Radeon HD 7870 for example could equal a standard PS4 or Xbox, but that's kinda coming up short.  A 7950 or 7970 isn't too expensive to grab these days since they're unattractive to miners but that comes short on the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X.  I want to see this build capable of 4K gaming (Normal settings 4K, not Ultra settings 4K. :P) and that means the R9 290X, 390X, RX 480 or RX 580.  Due to mining, these things are kinda expensive for a 'to prove I could do it' build, ya know?  I do have a 390X for my workstation and it's due to be hand-me-downed to my main HTPC, not this build.  I can test with it, but it won't live in this little laptop powered hackjob because it can do better work in other places.

 

Weird position to be in, huh?

[TraskJ]

10 hours ago, AshleyAshes said:

So one thing I'm stuck on for this build is a GPU.  As I said, there's an HD 4850 in it which is borderline useless for even contemporary games and since this isn't a machine I have much actual USE for, I have other machines that I have 'good' GPUs that are passed around.  (Basically my workstation GPU, when replaced, gets hand-me-downed to the HTPCs I -actually- use every day.

 

So obviously I'm hesitant to BUY a GPU for this or at least spend a lot.  The next question is what KIND of GPU.  A Radeon HD 7870 for example could equal a standard PS4 or Xbox, but that's kinda coming up short.  A 7950 or 7970 isn't too expensive to grab these days since they're unattractive to miners but that comes short on the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X.  I want to see this build capable of 4K gaming (Normal settings 4K, not Ultra settings 4K. :P) and that means the R9 290X, 390X, RX 480 or RX 580.  Due to mining, these things are kinda expensive for a 'to prove I could do it' build, ya know?  I do have a 390X for my workstation and it's due to be hand-me-downed to my main HTPC, not this build.  I can test with it, but it won't live in this little laptop powered hackjob because it can do better work in other places.

 

Weird position to be in, huh?

Have you considered looking at a used 1060? Those are less popular for mining, and a used one would run probably $200 for a 6 gb model if you find a good deal. If you're team red, then by all means go for a 480 or 580. 

[AshleyAshes]

On 8/19/2017 at 10:17 AM, TraskJ said:

Have you considered looking at a used 1060? Those are less popular for mining, and a used one would run probably $200 for a 6 gb model if you find a good deal. If you're team red, then by all means go for a 480 or 580. 

Yeah, the GTX 1060 6GB would compete roughly on the 4K console grounds.  It's something to consider, though even then, a GTX 1060 alone would cost more than my total investment in this build.  ...But then again this build DID cost under $300 since it was just fancy case, old mobo, and odds and ends.  A 'modern' GPU can also overcome the one critical shortcoming in this build too, it's CPU absolutely can't decode 4K HEVC in software, just not enough power.

 

So I have it assembled now with the new cooler and the R9 390X installed and I'm toying with the console ports I have on Steam at 4K settings.  I'll still modify the cooling soon but it won't change performance.  I ordered a 60mm Noctua fan to mount entirely ontop of that cooler since I don't have to worry about 1U of height.

 

By in far GTA5 is the most demanding game of the lot, even internally running at 2880x1620 with settings to normal, there are dips as low as 40fps but it does mostly manage 60fps on average.  Still a far cry better than Xbox One and PS4 and does GTA5 even have PS4 Pro support?

 

Tomb Raider 2013 at 'High' settings manages a minimim of 60fps with an average in the 75fps range and that's all at full 2160p, no scaling like I use with GTA5.

 

Bioshock Infinite can manage 55fps minimum and averages in the 75fps range at 'High' settings.

 

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010 has no issues 4K@60 at max settings, though it is 7 years old and it doesn't even support AA unless you force it in your driver settings.

 

Nights Into Dreams runs 4K@60 locked.  Okay, okay, as a Sega Saturn port it's probably run 4K@60 on most hardware but considering that the only other ports are on 360 and PS3, this is still the only way to play it at 4K.

 

Rocket League also has no issues 4K@60 with all settings maxed.

 

Obviously some of these games have no issues on this hardware but the CPU can show weakness on games like GTA5.  I've also used this exact same GPU with a 3770K overclocked to 4.2ghz (My main livingroom HTPC) and in that situation, GTA5 has no problem running locked 60fps at the same settings.  With how heavy GTA5 can be not just graphically but in the 'simulation' of the whole game, it's really no suprise than an i7 2630qm at 2.0ghz and a turbo of 2.9ghz may come up short against an i7 3770K at 4.2ghz.  Though it's worth noting that the CPU can reliably stay at it's all core turbo speed of 2.6ghz indefinatly with it's current cooling solution.

 

A new CPU could be an option but that obviously has huge considerations.  1) That would BREAK the very idea of a build from 'free' recycled parts. 2) Something like an i7 2960XM goes for $200-$300, you could get a NEW CPU Kaby Lake CPU at that price point that could probably compete on performance.  3) I have no idea what CPUs this mobo actually supports.  On PAPER it's only certified for three CPUs and the 2630qm isn't even on that list.  It LIKELY has microcode for any Sandy Bridge Mobile but it's kinda a gamble.

 

So as we sit here, it's bigger than any console, but not by a lot.  It's built from recycled parts that were mostly 'free'.  Once I get the antenna for it it'll even have 802.11AC and BT4.0+LE built in.  It's CPU is likely on par with the 8 core Jaguars in Xbox One and PS4 though it's hard to make an apples to apples comparison there.  It's got more than TB of storage, rivaling top tier console SKUs and 360GB of that is an SSD that some high demand games could be installed on even.  It can take and power even a GTX TItan Xp if I so wanted since it has both the space and the power supply for most any single graphics card solution.

 

I'll keep updating as minor improvements are done such as the Wifi/BT and the fan upgrade and come November I'll likely put it's 'Forever GPU' in it.  I'm just going to be waiting for Black Friday and also Nov 1st is when I pay off my student loans.

[AshleyAshes]

The last cooler modification.  A 60mm Noctua fan covering the whole heatsink and the recessed fan has been removed.  Zip ties we're needed as the securing mechanism.  I'm a bit confused though since this fan only runs at full speed where the other ones would vary their speed.  That said, even at 3200 rpm the Noctua fan isn't very audible.  The mobo uses 3pin VDC but the Noctua fan is 4 pin PWM, so the PWM pin is unconnected, does a PWM fan hooked up to a VDC header lose any ability to run at variable speed?

So, with this the peak temp is a few degrees lower, more like 65'C, down from 70'C, and it has a much easier time dropping down to 30-35'C when idle.  It's also quiete, the recessed fan would hit 5000pm with less airflow than the Noctua fan and a higher pitched 'buzzing' noise at full speed.

 

 

[IMI4tth3w]

Wow what an awesome project!

 

Some really interesting coincidences here though. My laptop that i used throughout college also went through a similar process. It came with an i3 2310m, 2+4gb of ram, integrated graphics, and a 640gb hdd. I upgraded it to an i7 2640m, new motherboard with nvidia gt525m discrete graphics, 4+4gb of dual channel memory, 250gb SSD, and a disc drive to hdd adapter caddy to use the original HDD as a second drive. I never moved it to a new case, but it lives in my bedroom now as my bedroom HTPC. (here's a thread i made about my laptop a while back http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/custom-dell-n5110.773279/)  And i also have a server with a 3770k... 

 

Projects like these are always a ton of fun. Look forward to seeing the final result!

[Guest]

On 09/08/2017 at 9:40 PM, AshleyAshes said:

So I'm thinking of adding Wifi to this build.  While the mobo lacks wifi and there's no free expansion slots to add PCIE card, there is the mPCIE slot on the back of the board and the laptop I recycled had an Intel AC7620 adapter which is currently in a drawer anyway.

 

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1-Pair-Universal-Laptop-Wifi-Mini-PCI-E-Wireless-Internal-Antenna-Black-White-/352094946177?hash=item51fa7e8381:g:J6UAAOSw0j9ZSzhw

 

So something like this shouldn't be too hard to install, connect, and then feed through the case so that the antenna themselves are outside the metal case but underneath the plastic facade.  And what kinda gloried Steam Box doesn't have wifi?

I've done this sort of thing a few times. Works great!

[AshleyAshes]

4 hours ago, LeinadTM said:

I've done this sort of thing a few times. Works great!

Hopefully it works out.  My obvious concern is that the antenna will be between the metal cage that makes up the structure of the case and the plastic cladding that covers the case edges and this proximity to the metal of the case will interfere with signaling.  But if I can discretely tuck the antenna inside the system, that'll be pretty cool since most 'Desktops' with wifi have antenna sticking out the back IO plate but this one wouldn't.

[AshleyAshes]

So, update.  I've been having boot and stability issues since I added the Noctua fan and they are unlike the issues which we reflowed the power connector for.  These issues magically disappeared once I hooked up an alternate PSU to the mobo.  While I'll do more testing by using the PSU on a different system, it sadly seems like the modified Corsair CX600v2 is failing.  Well, it was purchased in July 2012, spending nearly four years running 24/7 in my media server before it was shelved and then brought in for this job.

I think what disappoints me the most is that most of the charm of this build is pulling 'old, sitting around stuff, modified if necessary' mostly.  Now I'm going to buy a much less stupid semi-modular PSU for this build.

[AshleyAshes]

A refurbished CX450M which fits a bit better and 450w is more appropriate for this build and it'll operate closer to the efficiency sweet spot.  With just the mobo, CPU, and two drives to power before it needs to power any GPU, a 450w PSU should see no issue in running any graphics card except a few outliers.  (Like the HD 7990 or  R9 295x2)

 

The good news is, this solved all the weird power problems I started having with the CX600v2 even if the CX600v2 seems to run fine on OTHER systems.

 

 

[Zando_]

2 hours ago, AshleyAshes said:

A refurbished CX450M which fits a bit better and 450w is more appropriate for this build and it'll operate closer to the efficiency sweet spot.  With just the mobo, CPU, and two drives to power before it needs to power any GPU, a 450w PSU should see no issue in running any graphics card except a few outliers.  (Like the HD 7990 or  R9 295x2)

 

The good news is, this solved all the weird power problems I started having with the CX600v2 even if the CX600v2 seems to run fine on OTHER systems.

The CX450M is a pretty good PSU, I can run my i5 and 980 Ti off it no problem. 

[ProjectBox153]

Wow, what an interesting project to read through. Wonderful work!

[AshleyAshes]

With a reunion with friends this weekend I'm bringing the entertainment.  I configured this build with a GTX 1080 and while this isn't the smallest case, it does fit in my suit case along with my blankie (Shut up.) and there's still room for three days of clothes and toiletries.

 

Iet's see if this can survive a train trip.