using all my old parts to build a new laptop

[jackneilson]

so my laptop broke a while back and im 100% certain it was only the cooling fan that's stopped working, forcing my pc to shutdown due to overheating, it use to run all the games i wanted it too, and the one i am running now just isn't cutting it, i was wondering if i can use the my old laptop parts, and basically just re build it, i took it apart carefully and have stored all the pieces safely.

 

[DragonChase]

If it fits then sure, do it, ive morphed many times allot of broken laptops into one working one 😛 LOL

 

[gbryan101]

Yeah, what you are wanting to do is entirely possible. Before you start, however, I want to warn you that parts for many laptops, especially older ones, can be a pain to find. Inventory what you have and determine what you need before you just start buying stuff. I am sitting on an i7-720QM because I didn't plan ahead, as well as a few other parts I have no use for.

As for 'if it fits,' I am going to caution you again. Laptops are not desktops. Their design is nowhere near as open or as universal and older machines are worse. You could have three laptops with rPGA 988A sockets and have each one only support one or two processors, all with no overlap. If you need or want parts that weren't part of your machine originally, it is a good idea to check if the parts you want were ever even offered in it or its related models. For example, I have a Dell Latitude that the Gen 1 i5 and i7 mobile processors both work in, but not the i3 chips. It solely a BIOS issue. It all fits together, just won't work together.

 

[jackneilson]

If it fits then sure, do it, ive morphed many times allot of broken laptops into one working one 😛 LOL

my case is no longer with me unfortunatly, should i buy another one, or should i build it and have it uncased?

 

[DragonChase]

No person is going to be able to tell you if stuff will fit or if it is even possible to get a case for it.
This is a trial and error experience (a fun one by the way)!, what you can do is make your own case 😉.

What i highly recommend is trying to put everything together without case and test first on non conductive material to check if it works before worrying about a case.

If i were there id do it for you 😛! good old times 😀

 

[jackneilson]

Yeah, what you are wanting to do is entirely possible. Before you start, however, I want to warn you that parts for many laptops, especially older ones, can be a pain to find. Inventory what you have and determine what you need before you just start buying stuff. I am sitting on an i7-720QM because I didn't plan ahead, as well as a few other parts I have no use for.

As for 'if it fits,' I am going to caution you again. Laptops are not desktops. Their design is nowhere near as open or as universal and older machines are worse. You could have three laptops with rPGA 988A sockets and have each one only support one or two processors, all with no overlap. If you need or want parts that weren't part of your machine originally, it is a good idea to check if the parts you want were ever even offered in it or its related models. For example, I have a Dell Latitude that the Gen 1 i5 and i7 mobile processors both work in, but not the i3 chips. It solely a BIOS issue. It all fits together, just won't work together.

do you think it would be best if i takle my parts to a shop, where i can get an expert or someone who knows what they are looking at to determine if it will work properly, rather then just doing it myself blindly?

 

[DragonChase]

Yeah, what you are wanting to do is entirely possible. Before you start, however, I want to warn you that parts for many laptops, especially older ones, can be a pain to find. Inventory what you have and determine what you need before you just start buying stuff. I am sitting on an i7-720QM because I didn't plan ahead, as well as a few other parts I have no use for.

As for 'if it fits,' I am going to caution you again. Laptops are not desktops. Their design is nowhere near as open or as universal and older machines are worse. You could have three laptops with rPGA 988A sockets and have each one only support one or two processors, all with no overlap. If you need or want parts that weren't part of your machine originally, it is a good idea to check if the parts you want were ever even offered in it or its related models. For example, I have a Dell Latitude that the Gen 1 i5 and i7 mobile processors both work in, but not the i3 chips. It solely a BIOS issue. It all fits together, just won't work together.

do you think it would be best if i takle my parts to a shop, where i can get an expert or someone who knows what they are looking at to determine if it will work properly, rather then just doing it myself blindly?

It is recommended, fun fact though NOBODY knows what he is doing like mentioned in my previous post.

As far as i know, you are not even sure if a fan is broken, it might be something like cooling paste needs to be reapplied or Laptop needs to be cleaned.

If you dont know anything about repairing atleast a PC i will not recommend you doing it yourself.

 

[gbryan101]

When it comes to used parts, or even new parts, the only way to know if they work is to test them. Since I build my computers piecemeal, I actually acquire an older machine to plug the crap I buy into to test it before the RMA period is up, at least until I have a core system assembled. I started doing this after a PSU I had sitting around for a few months turned out to be dead when I actually went to use it. It happens.

With a bit of testing and a lot of planning, you can go into projects like these with a good idea of what you need and what you are going to get back out of it. That is why I am suggesting looking at things like similar models to get an idea of where to go. Unless it's a really good deal, I am not going to buy a flat of salvage machines without knowing what I am getting. If I know what I am getting, I can make plans. Otherwise, I'll just have a mountain of junk I probably don't need. I am not saying that you shouldn't buy a spare machine for salvage, just don't go crazy.

As for taking things to a shop, unless the guys working there are some kind of electronic supermen, they are probably going to do the same as most everyone else is going to do: look online, look in spec references, go over old sales literature, set up a test bench, ect. You can tell a lot about mounting a board in a chassis just with a tape measure and by taking a hole template.

If you don't have much experience, laptops might not be the best place to start. Most are simply a disposable product in the eyes of the manufacturer. My favorite has to be the low-end machines with things like glue and two-sided tape used in their construction. They simply aren't meant to be fixed.

As DragonChase pointed out, getting everything out onto the test bench will help. If you are serious about this, I would start there and figure out what you have to work with.

Good luck.