How To Build Your Own Laptop
Building your own PC is easy, but is it even possible to build your own laptop? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, but it all depends on how you define "building" a laptop. There are many different ways to get the exact laptop you want.
Why is it difficult to build your laptop?
One of the greatest strengths in the desktop PC world is that everything is based on open standards. So CPUs, graphics cards, motherboards and other components are all built to fit together in a standard way.
The problem with this approach is that it wastes space and is not very efficient. That doesn't matter if you're putting a tower computer on your desk, but if you need to carry a computer around, it needs to be compact. While the technology in a laptop is still fundamentally the same as in a desktop computer, the actual design and form factors are not.
There are few (if any) standards for designing and building laptops. Laptops are crammed with custom hardware that is soldered in place. That's why the idea of building a laptop by buying a bunch of components and then assembling everything yourself doesn't make much sense. However, that doesn't mean you can't get the laptop you want.
Upgrading an existing laptop
You can upgrade most laptop RAM and hard drives, but you can't change the core components of most of them. At least not if you lack the knowledge and equipment to re-solder parts.
If you want to learn more about upgrading laptops, read Can You Upgrade an Old Laptop and Is It Worth It?
Equip a new laptop
When you order a new laptop online, why don't you get the components you want? There is often a fine selection of pre-built laptop models that cover the most common configurations. While you may think your needs are unique, there's probably already a pre-built laptop on a shelf somewhere with exactly what you need.
The advantage of this approach is that you receive your laptop quickly because the actual assembly is already done. This is a good reason to order laptops online rather than visiting a store, as a brick-and-mortar store will likely only have the most common configurations.
Ordering a custom laptop
For most people, building your own laptop means ordering a custom laptop. Unlike pre-built laptops that sit on the shelf and are ready to ship, custom laptops are incomplete laptops that do not have the final components installed.
Often on the manufacturer's website you will find an option to "customize and buy" laptops. This indicates that someone will assemble the laptop to your specifications within the capabilities of this laptop frame.
The main disadvantage of this option is that you have to wait a few weeks for your laptop to arrive. After all, a real person has to assemble everything, test it and send it on its way to you. You also pay a little more for the privilege of factory customization. But then again, if the perfect pre-built machine were out there, you wouldn't have to go down the route of building your laptop first!
Buying a barebones laptop
Barebone laptops are an interesting option that comes close to the idea of "building" your laptop. When you buy one, you essentially get a laptop that lacks the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and sometimes even components like the Wi-Fi module and keyboard. These laptops also come without an operating system, so you have to decide which one you want.
Barebone laptops often use standard desktop CPUs and offer a desktop CPU socket. However, there are limits to the maximum TDP (Thermal Design Power) of the CPU you install. Anything higher is too much for this particular barebones laptop's power and cooling solution.
In terms of GPU choices, most barebones laptops use the MXM mobile GPU standard. For more information on MXM, see our laptop upgrade article. Most other components for barebones laptops should be standard. However, if you also need a keyboard, webcam or other permanently integrated part, it will probably only be available from the barebones laptop manufacturer.
Using a laptop shell
There is a specific class of laptops that do not contain a computer at all. It's usually just a clamshell case, screen, mouse, keyboard, and other basic peripherals.
The idea is to use another device as the "brains" of the laptop. For example, Samsung's Dex feature gives you access to a full desktop environment simply by plugging the phone into a USB-C dock and peripherals. A Dex-compatible laptop simply combines all of these components in one laptop sleeve. That means you don't have to carry two devices around with you; You only have one computer, which you use as either a smartphone or a laptop, depending on your needs.
There are also laptop shells that can become a laptop with devices like the Raspberry Pi. Examples are CrowPi2 and Elecrow. Because these tiny educational computer boards are so small, they can be used with various laptop shells designed for them.
Buy a modular laptop system
The ultimate dream in building a laptop is complete modularity. Don't like your GPU? exchange it. Need more connections? No problem! This not only allows you to build the laptop you want, but also allows you to customize the laptop for different use cases. If you're going on a business trip, you might pack in more battery power and ditch the powerful GPU you don't need right now.
To date, only one company has made a real attempt to create such a device. Framework has created an ecosystem that claims to offer all the upgradeability and flexibility of desktop systems without compromising what makes laptops so popular.
Framework is a new offering and it's not clear if other companies will follow suit. Still, they promise that you can, for example, replace your current motherboard and CPU with a newer model in the future without having to buy a whole new laptop.
Of course, as you might have guessed, there's still a problem with modular laptops since they're still proprietary. Until the day there is an open standard that spans different brands of laptops, building your own laptop will never be quite the same as building a desktop PC.
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