self built laptops

[tterris]

So.. I'm interested in building my own laptop. Next year I'll need one for school so I figured this would give me a fun summer project, rounding up some parts and piecing the beast togetha.

2 Decembers ago I built the desktop I use and I found it to be well worth the research and time that went into it, which wasnt' really that much after I got all the parts and began the assembly.

I'm wondering if any of you have built one that you own, or know of some good sources of information (magazines, online tutorials, books).

Years ago I know it was an endeavor that only specialists and people in the know could expect to do, but now I've heard that it's easier today than ever before to do it, with more information available. I actually heard that assembling a laptop is easier and quicker if you know what you're doing.

So, can i expect to be able to do this, and for an equivalent price of one bought retail?

What I really one is one that will give me good wireless internet connectivity, will play dvd's well, and will allow me to navigate through windows and run a couple programs simultaneously. I won't be playing Oblivion or quake 4.

edit with a few questions that have come to mind:

will I be able to play movies with an integrated gfx card at the same quality as I would with a dedicated card?

if i choose to build a system w/o a dedicated video card, should i add extra ram to support the lack of video memory?

is that how it works, when you rely on an integrated video card the ram is what gets tolled when running a graphically intensive program?

i really don't know much about how the system works, but i knew enough to build a desktop and think i can handle a notebook.
Thanks guys!

 

[Ionizer86]

When you self-build a laptop, the board, case / form factor, and screen will be set by the particular barebone you get. You basically only add in the parts you can upgrade anyway: HDD, CPU, Ram, wireless, etc.

An example would be the MSI 1029, but honestly, I think people have had issues with the model. On top of that, building your own laptop doesn't really save money, defeating much of the purpose of building. I think the frugal way to go is to buy a base end model of the series you want (so you can get the screen, chassis etc that you want) then upgrade the parts on your own. By doing so, you'll have the cheap pulled parts to sell, recouping some of the cost of upgrading. For example, a lot of laptops have Celeron M's, which can sell for $35 upwards depending on clock speed. A Pentium M 1.5 is only ~$70, and the chip overclocks easily to 2.0GHz. Ram too is cheap. I've seen 1GB DDR-2 for $70 or less. So it's a pretty frugal route to buy a nice series laptop with cheap specs then toss in your own parts.

 

[tterris]

so if my understanding is correct, it is actually cheaper in most cases to still buy a laptop with the specs you want. if i buy a base end series laptop, sell all the parts i dont want and buy the individual parts that i do, wont that be more expensive than just ordering a laptop with all the parts that i do want already in it?

and when you say get a good series laptop, are you referring to the company who sells it (lenovo, dell, gateway) or something else?

and also, what steps are usually taken to sell laptop components that are pulled from a system. would i just have to buy some anti-static wrap and package it up safely, and sell it on ebay?

is that how it's commonly done?

 

[thescreensavers]

I have a msi MS-1036 Works fine I also have a MSI MS-1029 Works fine I also have a MSI MS-1013it works fine. There of higher quality then dell,hp....ect

ALL OF THESES SUPPORT BLUETOOTH
the 1036 has 4.1 Surround sound Speakers and a 1.3MP Camera
the 1013 and the 1029 have Aluminum bases and magnesium allow frame
1029 and the 1036 have a panels on the bottom to put the CPU, ram ,WIFI card, HD if you know how to build a desktop its that easy even easier. MSI Website there are guides on how to build it

The 1013 requires some opening.

You should only get Super talent Ram for these laptops From Here

1013 4.5lbs 12inch widescreen
1029 6.39lbs 15inch Widescreen(x700 GPU 128mb dedicated Vram)
1036 6.99lbs 17inch Widescreen (x700GPU 256mb dedicated Vram: DVI-out)
Give you the best of luck PM me if you have any other questions

A video about these laptops Broadband version (30.7MB)
and the Dial-up version (1.85MB)

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
I have a msi MS-1036 Works fine I also have a MSI MS-1029 Works fine I also have a MSI MS-1013it works fine. There of higher quality then dell,hp....ect

ALL OF THESES SUPPORT BLUETOOTH
the 1036 has 4.1 Surround sound Speakers and a 1.3MP Camera
the 1013 and the 1029 have Aluminum bases and magnesium allow frame
1029 and the 1036 have a panels on the bottom to put the CPU, ram ,WIFI card, HD if you know how to build a desktop its that easy even easier. MSI Website there are guides on how to build it

The 1013 requires some opening.

You should only get Super talent Ram for these laptops From Here

1013 4.5lbs 12inch widescreen
1029 6.39lbs 15inch Widescreen(x700 GPU 128mb dedicated Vram)
1036 6.99lbs 17inch Widescreen (x700GPU 256mb dedicated Vram: DVI-out)
Give you the best of luck PM me if you have any other questions

A video about these laptops Broadband version (30.7MB)
and the Dial-up version (1.85MB)

I don't see any super talent notebook ram from ewiz.

 

[Ionizer86]

I've read a number of people having issues with their MSI barebones. That on top of the price and seemingly nothing stand-out about the model would make buying a normal notebook a better choice for most.

About buying for the series, example: buying the cheapest T42 possible because you like the Thinkpad T series (There was one on EPP for $975). Subsequently, upgrade by buying your own ram (512MB DDR can be had for $30 or less) and swapping out the hard drive for something nicer, like an 80GB 5400RPM. Just find a model you like, find the lowest spec'd config, and go from there.

When reselling the parts, you can reuse the packaging for the parts you buy. Retape together antistatic bags, reuse the peanuts, etc.

You often come out ahead by following this route because upgrades are often pretty expensive preconfigured. A Thinkpad with stock 1GB ram and an 80GB HDD would cost hundreds, maybe over a thousand more than the bottom line one.

 

[tterris]

ok thanks for the tip.

do i need a video card to be able to play dvds at good quality though? are integrated cards sufficient, and if i get a system with integrated gfx would i then be able to buy a video card at a later date if i decided to upgrade?

 

[Ionizer86]

Any old integrated video will be fine for DVD's. In fact, if you don't game, integrated may actually be better because of reduced heat output and longer battery life. Unfortunately, you can't upgrade from integrated video to a real video card later.

BTW what else are you looking for in a notebook and how much are you going to spend? Think about issues like form factor/screen size, weight, battery life, etc.

 

[tterris]

ah, so if i build a system with integrated then if i wanted to upgrade to a gaming rig i would have to overhaul the whole system by buying a new motherboard right?

does integrated gfx have any gaming capability though? i do play some 2d games that aren't very taxing at all. would integrated gfx be able to run a rts game like warcraft 3?

basically what i want out of this though is not the ability to game, but to have awesome wireless internet connectivity, very portable and lightweight that has a good lcd screen for viewing dvd's. i'd like a long battery life.

 

[Ionizer86]

It's not worth buying a board because they cost almost what a system costs. If you're moving on, just sell the laptop and buy a new one (laptops hold value pretty well if you got a nice config for cheap).

2D games should be fine on integrated graphics, along with some older / lighter 3D. The GMA900 and 950 are about at a Geforce 2 GTS level, I believe.

If you like DVD's, I'm guessing you're looking at widescreens? Do you need a full-sized keyboard? There are affordable 12" laptops nowadays, though the do have a small screen along with a small keyboard.
From the sounds of what you're looking for now though, maybe you'll want to look at the Thinkpad Z60t (14.1" wide, ~4.5lb). My buddy got a pretty basic one from OSU for ~$750. Once he swaps the Celeron M for a Pentium M, it'll be a really sweet machine. This machine could suit you well too if you got the extended battery for it and added ram / swapped the disk to your content.

 

[thescreensavers]

you say I've read a number of people having issues with their MSI barebones. What type of problems? heres a Supertalent 1gig stic https://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=D400SB1G

 

[imported_jon1003]

Originally posted by: tterris
ah, so if i build a system with integrated then if i wanted to upgrade to a gaming rig i would have to overhaul the whole system by buying a new motherboard right?

does integrated gfx have any gaming capability though? i do play some 2d games that aren't very taxing at all. would integrated gfx be able to run a rts game like warcraft 3?

basically what i want out of this though is not the ability to game, but to have awesome wireless internet connectivity, very portable and lightweight that has a good lcd screen for viewing dvd's. i'd like a long battery life.

You can't upgrade the vid card or buy a new board, laptops are just too specialized. visit notebookforums.com where you'll find info on 'all' the barebones on the market, guides on putting them together, and trusted places to buy them. I recommend buying all the parts from one place with a warranty, then choosing "ship parts separately." I built my own asus nb, but kinda wish I had the security of a warranty now.