How to Build Your Own Laptop | DIY Laptop Kit

"I've built a few desktops, but I've never owned a laptop, much less taken one apart. How easy or difficult would it be to buy all the parts and assemble my own laptop? Where would I even buy laptop components? Are there any good resources for this? I ask because usually building your own computer is 25-50% cheaper than buying a pre-built system."

As we know, some famous laptop manufacturers offer custom-built laptops such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo. However, the cost of a custom-built laptop is too high for beginners or students. If you want a cheaper way to build your own laptop, continue reading this article, and you will know what components you need to build a laptop. Check out the step-by-step guide on how to assemble a laptop.

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Can you build your own laptop?
A beginner's guide to building a laptop
How to assemble a laptop computer
How to transfer the operating system after building a laptop

Can you assemble a laptop?

Yes, you can build a gaming and professional laptop. While it may be more expensive to build your own laptop than to buy a new one, you can use it for a longer period of time without having to upgrade components as often.

Parts needed to build a laptop: barebones laptop, processor (CPU), RAM, hard drive, graphics card, and wireless network card.

How to Build a Laptop for Beginners

1. Barebone Laptop

A barebone laptop, also known as a naked laptop, is a computer that only includes the laptop casing, display, and motherboard. First, select your barebone laptop, then outfit the device with a CPU, memory, hard drive, and graphics card.

Points to Consider When Buying a Barebone Laptop:

1. Consider keyboard layout and screen size: The case is non-customizable, so choose a screen and keyboard layout that suits your needs.

2. Best Barebones Laptops in 2022: Based on popular reviews, here is a list of the top 5 barebones laptops:

• Clevo NV41MZ barebone series
• Acer Aspire 5 Ultra-Thin Laptop
• Hyundai Thinnote-A
• CHUWI HeroBook Pro Windows 10 Laptop
• Lenovo Ideapad 3 15 Laptop

You can check configurations through online retailers like CDW, Newegg, and TigerDirect.

The number of hard drive interfaces

4. Check how much storage you need.

2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Purchase a processor that is compatible with your barebones laptop. There are two main CPU manufacturers – Intel and AMD.

Which CPU is better?

Here are three that should be of particular concern.

• Price: AMD performs better than Intel in terms of cost.
• Gaming performance: Both processors deliver great gaming performance, but AMD has an edge in mid-to-high-end products.
• Drivers and software: Intel comes out on top.

If you're interested in a detailed breakdown of AMD versus Intel, check out this article from Tom's Hardware.

3. Random Access Memory (RAM)

Without RAM, your laptop won't work. Check what type of RAM the motherboard supports, and buy 8 or 16 GB of it.

Three types of RAM chips: RDRAM, SDRAM, and DDR SDRAM.

4. Hard Disk Drive

For non-power users, 250 to 350 GB should be enough.

• Size: 2.5-inch, compatible with laptops.
• Speed: SSDs outperform HDDs.
• Storage: Ensure your drive has enough space to install the operating system.

5. Graphics card

A graphics card is essential for graphic designers and gamers. Without one, your laptop won't be able to render images for display. Make sure it's compatible with your motherboard.

6. Wireless Network Card

You can purchase these components to connect to a wireless router for Internet access. The current standards for wireless cards are 802.11g and 802.11n; according to reviews, 802.11n has faster transfer rates than 802.11g.

How to Assemble a Laptop

Get a screwdriver for the laptop.

The screws on a laptop are smaller than those on a desktop computer.

2. Put on an anti-static wrist strap to ground yourself.

Static electricity can damage your components. You can also ground yourself by touching a metal object. Do not wear nylon or wool sweaters.

3. Flip the laptop over so that the bottom is facing up.

Use a screwdriver to remove the panel.

4. Install the hard drive into the bracket.

Secure the hard drive with four screws.

5. Remove the panel covering the motherboard.

6. Install your CPU, RAM, and cooling fan.

Without a cooling fan, the processor would overheat.

7. Replace the panel and turn on the unit.

# How to Migrate an Operating System After Building a Laptop

After building your own laptop, the next step is to install an operating system. If you have a computer already, you can migrate the system to the newly built one with the help of a partition tool like Partition Master in an easy way.

Steps to migrate an operating system to an HDD/SSD:

Launch Partition Master, then select "Clone" from the left-hand menu. Check "Migrate OS" and click "Next". Select your SSD or HDD as the target disk, then click "Next". WARNING: All data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure you have backed up important data beforehand. If not, please do so now. Then click "Yes". Preview the layout of the target disk. Click "Start" to begin migrating the operating system to the new disk.

Then click Restart Now or Finish, to decide whether you want to restart the computer from the new disk immediately.

“Reboot Now” means to save the changes immediately, while “Done” means you will need to restart your computer manually later.

Note: If there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk, migrating an operating system to SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data from the target disk. Backup any important data saved on it to an external hard drive beforehand.