[nylug-talk] DIY laptop?

[David Rosenstrauch]

Gary Mort wrote:
> Faye Barth wrote:
>> Re: the Windows tax ... I am thinking about getting a laptop...  I am starting 
>> to wonder if going the DIY route is worthwhile.  F. Barth
>>   
> 
> There is a  DIY method of building a laptop?  I know you can get the 
> motherboard, hd, memory and other components, but I wasn't aware that 
> there was a place that you could get the case and associated LCD 
> monitor(or mounting for a monitor and be able to get the guts for the 
> monitor elsewhere).
> 
> Idle curiosity here, I don't have enough confidence in my ability to put 
> together the small components to get a laptop, but I am curious if it is 
> possible and feasible.

It is.  Generally the way it works is that you buy a "barebones" laptop 
which several vendors (e.g., Asus) sell.  It's essentially a laptop with 
no CPU, disk, memory, or wireless card, but which comes with case, 
keyboard, screen, motherboard (usually containing wired network, sound, 
etc.)  You then buy the remaining key h/w ingredients to suit your needs 
(and, if you're running Windoze, s/w as well) and put it all together 
yourself.

It sounded like a cool route to me too and, having built a desktop in 
the past, I was tempted to try it.  However, I quickly discovered the 
one downside - it would have wound up being a good bit more expensive to 
build one than to buy an equivalent laptop retail from one of the major 
vendors.  (Dell, in my case.)

That said, I'd imagine it's a fun route to go for a true geek.

Google "barebones laptop" or "barebones notebook" (and/or see 
http://usa.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=23) for more info and relevant 
magazine reviews.

HTH,

DR