Anyone built a laptop?

[Maikiki]

Many people built desktops but very few built laptops. Is it the same thing as building a desktop? 

 

 

[LukeLinusFanFic]

Not really. There used to be laptop "kits" where you could basically stick into it whatever you wanted, but that was years and years ago, and even then was super niech. They were bulky, heavy and expensive. Nvidia killing the mxm form factor (removable laptop GPU) doesn't help. 

 

Laptops are just too small and tightly integrated machines to be self built. For example, if you had wanted to put a core i9 you'd need pretty baller cooling, but if you just put a Pentium in you don't really need it, and then it's just expensive and heavy. 

[aisle9]

Not really. Building your own laptop is virtually impossible unless you have lots of connections within Dell and can talk them into machining it for you. Everything is customized for that specific laptop, including custom tooling to shape and form everything from the motherboard to the chassis.

[Jurrunio]

No. Even back when laptop CPUs and GPUs are user-removable without a soldering kit or brute force, you still need to buy a bare chassis for it which comes with a shell, a monitor, a keyboard, a motherboard, a battery and the cooler in. You then go source your own storage, CPU, GPU and memory sticks and turn it into a proper functioning laptop. It's more like food from Subway

[Maikiki]

6 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

No. Even back when laptop CPUs and GPUs are user-removable without a soldering kit or brute force, you still need to buy a bare chassis for it which comes with a shell, a monitor, a keyboard, a motherboard, a battery and the cooler in. You then go source your own storage, CPU, GPU and memory sticks and turn it into a proper functioning laptop. It's more like food from Subway

 

So... you can but it's stupidly hard and not convenient since building a desktop way better. With the food from Subway thing, I can't stop imagining that all laptops are like them. Well done, you changed my eyes. 

[Jurrunio]

12 minutes ago, sud said:

 

So... you can but it's stupidly hard and not convenient since building a desktop way better. With the food from Subway thing, I can't stop imagining that all laptops are like them. Well done, you changed my eyes. 

You can still do it today, but the key thing people want from a custom laptop is "to have a better cooling system" which so far none can provide.