How to Build Your Own Laptop

Buying pre-built laptops from stores may not satisfy your needs. The features you want often don’t fit into a budget-friendly computer. Not to mention the pre-installed software. You can overcome all these problems if you start building your own laptop. Building a laptop is a challenging process, but the results are well worth the money. This wikiHow teaches you how.

Table of Contents

Find parts

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Decide on the main use of the laptop. Laptops used for word processing and checking email will have much different specifications than laptops for the needs of playing the latest games. Battery life is also an important consideration; If you move a lot without plugging in, a power-saving laptop will be more appropriate.

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Choose the processor that meets your needs. The case you buy will depend on the processor, so choose the processor first. Compare between different models to see which processor has the fastest speed, besides cooling capacity and power consumption. Most online retailers allow comparisons between processors for user convenience.

You need to choose the right laptop processor, avoid buying the wrong one for desktop computers.
There are two major processor manufacturers: Intel and AMD. In addition to the favorable and mixed opinions, in general, AMD is more affordable. Learn as much as you can about the processor model you’re interested in to make sure it’s worth the money.

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Select the case. The computer case will decide what rest you can use. The motherboard is usually pre-installed in the laptop case, you need to be careful because this factor determines the type of memory to use.

Take into account screen and keyboard size. We can’t unleash customization, but we have to choose the screen and keyboard based on the case. Laptops with large dimensions will be significantly heavier and difficult to carry.
Finding a laptop case is also not easy. Enter the keywords “barebones notebook”, “whitebook shell” or “laptop case” into the search engine often used to find reputable retailers. Some laptop manufacturers/vendors will let you choose a case. MSI and Eluktronics are among the few companies that still offer barebones laptops (frames for storing server parts, allowing users to customize according to their needs at a reasonable cost).

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Buy memory. Every computer needs memory to operate, however, the memory format of a laptop is different from that of a desktop computer. Let’s look at the SO-DIMM memory that will work with the motherboard in the case. Faster memory results in better performance, but also shorter battery life.

Try to equip 8 or 16 GB memory for optimal performance.

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Select the hard drive. Laptops usually use 2.5-inch drives, while desktops use 3.5-inch hard drives. You can choose between the standard 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM, or purchase a solid-state drive with no moving components (SSD). Solid-state drives, though faster, will be difficult to use in the long run. Solid state drives also come in NVMe versions. The NVMe standard can operate up to 7 times faster than SATA and comes in a compact M.2 form factor. If you often travel with your laptop, you should choose a solid-state drive, because an SSD will not be easily damaged by physical impact like a regular hard drive.

Choose a hard drive with enough capacity to meet the needs of your laptop. Most laptop cases do not have enough space for a second drive or more, so it will be difficult to upgrade later. You need to check to make sure that the hard drive has enough space left after installing the operating system (usually about 15-20 GB). Today, most users often choose 500GB – 1.5TB capacity for laptops.

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Decide if you need a dedicated graphics card (or video card). Not every laptop case can install a separate discrete graphics card. Instead, the video card will work with the CPU’s built-in graphics processor. If the laptop case can use a discrete graphics card, consider whether you need it or not. This is the most important factor for gamers and graphic designers.

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Find the optical drive (optional). This step is not required because with the development of your computer, you can install the operating system from a USB and download most software on the Internet. Today when you buy a new laptop, most will not have an optical drive because the disk memory has been replaced by memory cards and portable hard drives.

Some laptop cases often come with drives. Because laptop cases are also quite picky about optical drives, you need to check to make sure the selected drive will fit into the chassis.
To decide to buy or not to buy an optical drive is very easy. How often do you use disk memory? Note: you can use an external USB optical drive instead of the built-in drive.

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Select battery. Find a battery of the right shape and use the same connector. You need to understand a little bit about the construction of the battery. Laptop batteries have many pins. In the battery, there is an IC that is responsible for informing the computer about the temperature, operating status, when it needs to be charged as well as the current percentage of the battery. If you are a person on the go, you should choose a battery with a long use time. Compare different types of batteries before choosing to buy.

Buy batteries with good reviews. You should read reviews about customer experiences when using.

Assemble

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Preparing instruments. We’ll need a set of jeweler screwdrivers, preferably magnetic. Laptop screws are much smaller and harder to manipulate than desktop computers. Therefore, you should prepare extra pliers to pick up screws in case they fall into the groove.

Put screws in a plastic bag to avoid mess and loss.

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Self-grounding. Static discharge can quickly damage computer components, so you must ground yourself before you begin assembling the laptop. Anti-static bracelets are cheap and convenient items for you to ground yourself.

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Flip the laptop case over so that the base is facing up. You will reach the motherboard after removing some of the protective panels located under the base.

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Remove the drive tray cover. The 6.35 cm tray cover will secure a 2.5-inch type hard drive. The location of this tray varies depending on the chassis, but is generally located towards the front of the laptop.

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Attach the hard drive to the chassis. Most laptop hard drives must be properly mounted in the chassis before being inserted into the laptop. Use a screwdriver to tighten the 4 screws to firmly fix the hard drive to the frame. These screw holes help you determine that the hard drive is mounted in the correct orientation.

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Insert the hard drive chassis into the tray. Use a grip pad to keep the drive frame from moving. Most frames will align with the two screw holes once the hard drive is in place. Tighten the screws to secure the drive frame.

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Insert the optical drive. This process will vary by chassis, but usually the optical drive will be inserted from the front of the tray (after removing the cover) and slide right into the SATA connectors.

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Remove the motherboard cover. This cover will often be more difficult to remove than the hard drive location. You may need to pry it open after you have removed all the screws.

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Install memory. After opening the protective cover, you should be able to access the motherboard and memory slots. Insert the SO-DIMM memory chip into the slots at the appropriate angle and press down. You will hear a “click” indicating that the memory is in place. Memory sticks can only be installed in one direction, so force is not recommended.

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Install the CPU. You’ll probably find the CPU key somewhere on the dock. Use a flathead screwdriver to turn the lock to the “open” position.

Flip the CPU over to see the pins. There will be a corner that is missing legs. This track will align with the slot on the dock.
The CPU only fits into the socket in one direction. If the CPU isn’t in place, don’t use force as you could bend the pins and damage the processor.
After installing the CPU, you need to turn the latch to the “lock” position to fix the CPU.

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Install a cooling fan (most laptops use centrifugal fans). This part is responsible for cooling the CPU and many other components. Usually the CPU will come with a cooling fan. Most fans have thermal paste on the bottom right where it connects to the CPU. If the fan does not already have thermal paste, you need to apply it yourself before installing.

After applying thermal paste, you can install the fan. The exhaust should be in line with the ventilation holes on the laptop case. This alignment process can be a bit difficult. Do not try to force the cooler and the fan to fit, but gently rock them back and forth to push them into place. Sometimes the radiator fan will come with some fixing bolts. If the computer case has a tray for the fan dust filter, install an additional dust filter to prevent clogging of the radiator.
Place the radiator on its side until you find the right place to mount it. This way, the thermal paste will not stick to other parts.
Insert the fan’s power cable into the motherboard. After installing the cooling fan, you need to connect the fan’s power cable to the motherboard so that the computer does not overheat and turn off after a few minutes of use.

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Reinstall the covers. After mounting the components, you can reattach the protective plates of the trays and secure them with screws. So you are done with the assembly.

Start using

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Check to make sure the battery is inserted. Batteries are often forgotten during build, so check to make sure you’ve installed and charged them properly before starting your computer.

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Memory test. Before installing the operating system, run the program Memtest86+ to check that the memory in particular and the computer in general are working correctly. You can download Memtest86+ for free online or boot from a CD/USB drive.

You can also check if the computer recognizes installed memory by accessing the BIOS. Look for the Hardware or Monitor section, if memory is displayed here, the computer is recognized.

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Install the operating system. With self-built laptops, you can choose between Microsoft Windows or a Linux distribution. Linux has the advantage of being free, secure, and supported by a community of volunteer developers. Windows costs money, but has a wider range of programs and greater compatibility.

Linux has many versions to install, but popular choices include Ubuntu, Mint, and Debian.
It is recommended that you install the latest Windows because earlier versions will not be supported after the time expires.
If you don’t have an optical drive installed, you’ll need to create a bootable USB containing the operating system files.

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Install the driver (driver) . After installing the operating system, you need to install the drivers for the hardware. Most operating systems will do this automatically, but you may need to do it manually for some components.

Most components come with a driver disc. Use this disc if the operating system cannot find the correct driver.

Steps

Find parts

Assemble

Start using

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