Planning on "reverse-building" a gaming laptop - any advice/suggestions?

Hey all,

I've finally accepted the fact that I'm gonna have to say goodbye to my old e1505; after four years of Frankenstein-ing the hell out of it and squeezing every bit of performance possible via hardware upgrades, the CPU and GPU have narrowed my gaming bottleneck virtually shut.

I have a buddy who works in a computer repair store. He can order laptop parts from the manufacturers at a decent discount, with most parts. On the other hand, he can only get manufacturer-specific parts...so he can't get most of the high-end stuff like a Core i7-920XM, for example; the parts have to be popular hardware for specific laptop models and builds.

Still, I'm thinking I could probably try to "reverse-build" (that's probably the wrong term) a fairly nice gaming laptop by trying to order most of the parts from one specific laptop build; something like the HP Pavilion Dv7t with its Core i7-720QM and 1GB GeForce GT 230M, for example...Basically, I'd be buying the hardware like the CPU, mobo, GPU, case and LCD, etc, and working from there, putting it all together to build an identical or near-identical version of the retail model (I know that most of the parts in a laptop aren't "interchangeable" from one manufacturer to another).

What do you guys think of the feasibility and practicality of this idea? I've never actually built a laptop from scratch, but I've pretty much worked with every component individually in the past, with the exception of soldering. I'm just trying to figure out of a ~30% discount is worth it the project, or if the majority of you DIY-ers have better, established methods, like buying "kits" or something.

Thanks in advance.

 

You know, all the time you spend in building your own laptop, you could earn like 10 times the money you are trying to save by working somewhere (like overtime).

 

Well, I'm not that hardware-savvy. No formal training; just learned what I know by upgrading parts, taking apart PCs and laptops, etc. But that's kinda what I'm wondering when I mention practicality...I saw K-TRON mention in another thread that it's a huge undertaking, but I'm wondering if the same is true if you're just building a laptop with all parts from the same manufacturer and the same model; basically like "putting it all back together again" rather than "custom-building" like most people talk about in this forum section.

I know that it wouldn't be practical if I were buying the parts from the manufacturer myself, but if I have the opportunity to get the most expensive parts at a business discount through my buddy, along with maybe buying a few parts here and there from eBay...well, that's what I'm wondering; if it's not only easier, but practical as well...

Thanks

 

Question, why not just pick up this up? With Bing cashback, it's about 500. Toss in the cheaper HDD/CPU/RAM/Wireless you should be able to obtain from your friend and you have a snazzy unit for a low price.

It'll beat the pants off the Hp dv7t gaming wise.

 

You may as well just buy yourself a Clevo or MSI barebones laptop...

 

And what would be the point of that. Going from a solid Dell to an unreliable junky Clevo. No thanks

Your intentions are well, however you will find some problems with your ideas.
I may not be interpreting your ideas 100% right, so feel free to interject if I interpreted your idea wrong

Laptops use a lot of generic parts, many of which use proprietary interfaces which the common man cannot interface to. Common examples are laptop LCD's and laptop graphics cards. Many want more powerful graphics solutions in your laptops, but it is for the most part unattainable without intense modification. You can do as you want, however you will need to step forward and crank up the size of your project a notch. You can interface another graphics card into your laptop, but chances are it will not fit. I used server and desktop parts in my homemade builds, and I can assure you that it is tighter and as chaotic on the inside as any laptop. I will not hinder you on this, but my first homemade laptop took 5 full scale iterations before final build, and now that I finalized it I realized I can change one or two things to make it better. That is what I will be working on this winter break from school. My homemade laptop is huge, but that isnt to say that they cannot be made smaller. I am currently investing my time into building a smaller lighter version for a good friend of mine. The only real problem I have had is batteries. They just cant source enough current to keep it on longer than a few minutes.

Just a sidenote, dont get rid of the E1505, it is a great laptop. Slap a T7400 n there and it will crank through cpu intensive programs

K-TRON

 

Umm what? Are you serious?

 

Quite actually.

Not all Clevos are as reliable as you think.

The D900T had severe heat issues, while the D900T had some as well. M570 series had issues with sound jacks. M860 had issues with keyboards and etc.

To be fair, K-Tron's speaking from his bad experience with his Clevo, and great experience with his E1505.

K-Tron, it would seem however, that the OP wasn't trying to custom build a laptop, but to assemble one instead, thus requiring a barebones of some sort to work with, and there's not that many available as barebones, and not as non-working but pieced together.

 

Well, then wouldn't it be fair not to let the experience you have had with one laptop make up your opinion of a whole company? He may have had a lemon, it happens, you can't always get the perfect laptop. But from what I hear, and tend to believe, the quality of Clevo laptops far surpass Dell.

 

I think your proper place, would entail one which doesnt assume position.
You do not know how many laptops I have owned, and how many I have built, so stop at that
I have owned more than one Clevo, and what I said is completely factual.
If it is not, why dont you read up on the internet rather than talking from experience

K-TRON

 

To be honest, it depends. If you're comparing high-end Clevo with high-end Dell, I would have to go with Dell, as the Clevos don't have anything like the kind of build quality the Dell business class models do. You did notice the other examples I cited as well, I hope. Clevo's heat management appears to have improved a lot from the D900K/T days.

As for whether or not it's fair, I was merely explaining his perspective. I've also owned laptops from both companies, admittedly, only 1 Clevo so far, the D900C, and should be purchasing my second Clevo soon. The other Clevos I've handled, seemed decently built.

 

Really doesn't make any sense to me to buy a bunch of low end parts and put them together. Just buy a barebone laptop and be done with it probably be the same price in the long run. I certainly wouldn't buy the m570ru that dtwn linked though, while its a solid laptop, the thing sounds like a vacuum when its running.

 

Pretty much what I thought.

True, there is that.

 

Hmm, better make my next laptop a business class Dell.

 

If it helps, the Clevos didn't have the build quality that my business class HPs (Elitebooks) did either.

Note, the Dells I referred to would be the Latitude/Precision lines.

 

Yeah, I know the lines you mean by high end Dell.

And I thought the build quality of HP was universally bad. Seems I was wrong.

 

Elitebooks are very good. It's hard to express how decent they are. Magnesium alloy cage + brushed aluminum finish means that they are both tougher, and look nicer (if you're into that sort of look, I am) than any of the Clevo models. Of course, they also tend to be pricier unless you luck out. i.e. Myself.

Have a look at the 8730w/8530w reviews on NBR. Comparing the 8730w and my old D901C, the 8730w is quite substantially further ahead in build quality, but also a lot less powerful. T9550 + FX3700M gets crushed by Q9450 + SLI 8800M GTX.

 

You could build one of these.

 

LOL; I'm gone for the holidays, then come back and see a little debate heating up in here... Sorry for the late reply guys, lemme clarify a couple things...

I guess I should have specified which HP model I was talking about, as an example...the HP dv7t Quad Edition; it's built with a Core i7 720QM/820QM CPU and an 1GB GeForce 230M GPU; both those components are higher-performance than the Clevo you linked. I appreciate the link; don't get me wrong. But this time I don't wanna make the same mistake I did with my e1505, and spend $200-$300 less for a laptop that would have stayed relevant an extra 2 to 3 years if I spent the extra money. From a lot of the research I've been doing, I'm pretty dead-set on Core i7 CPU architecture, and a GPU with at least the power of the GF 230M...

Heh; I agree about the those Dell e1505's. I can't vouch for any other Dell laptop, but the e15x series was a really solid model. I've been able to squeeze a couple extra years out of it by upgrading the GPU and throwing in some more RAM and a faster RPM HDD. Win7 makes a surprising difference, too. And I don't care what anyone says; I definitely owe some of my laptop's stability to always having a cooling pad beneath it.

But about the rest of what you explained; yeah, I don't think I described what I'm trying to do correctly. Someone further down in the post explained it like I should have; I'm basically thinking of re-assembling a newer-model laptop (like that HP dv7t Core i7, for example) from discounted parts from the manufacturer. I'll be the first to admit I wouldn't be able to build a laptop from scratch like you did; I was hoping to try and save a couple hundred bucks by buying the most-important components from the manufacturer at a business' discount (like the CPU, GPU, mobo, power supply) and buy the rest of the parts from eBay, or again, from the manufacturer. Then basically just re-assemble it all.

So there really wouldn't be anything "custom" in this build. The only options I would have are the ones offered within the models offered by the manufacturer in that series, like maybe two choices of a CPU, and obviously all the after-market parts. Like I originally asked, I'm just wondering if you guys think this is practical, if I can save a couple hundred bucks or so by doing it this way.

The problem with the bare-bones laptops I've seen around the Web is that they really aren't any cheaper; sometimes, they're more expensive, especially considering the big-name manufacturer weekly "coupons" and "discounts"...Depending on the time of month, that HPdv7t Quad-Core I linked above can be bought for as low as $999, which is a couple hundred bucks cheaper than similar "bare-bones" laptop kits, with similar CPU and GPUs...

Like I mentioned in my original post, I have a buddy who works for a PC repair store, and he can order parts from the manufacturers at a discount. That's the only reason I'm even considering this. I still haven't gotten back price quotes from him yet, but if it turns out to be $200 or $300 cheaper to buy all the components and basically "re-assemble" them over the next couple months, it would be worth it to me to save the money. What Im wondering from you guys if I'm talking "crazy-talk" or not. I've already disassembled and reassembled laptops up to about 80%, not including any soldering or thermal pasting. Pasting I can handle, and I don't think I would need to solder anything for the type of "build" I'm talking about.

Am I nuts? Should I just spring the extra cash to buy a $1000-$1200 mid-range gaming laptop?

Thanks for the advice so far. You guys always come through...

 

You might want to look again. The 8800M GTX spanks the pants off the GT230M, while the I7 does the same to any processor you can put in the Clevo barebones.The 8800M GTX still beats any GPU HP has in any laptop currently with exception of the FX3700M in the HP 8730w. If you're dead set on i7, might want to consider the new MSI barebones that are i7 ready. Those come with a GTS250M. If you are willing to cough up the cash, you can also consider the W860Cu barebones. http://mivasecure.abac.com/rjtech/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=W860CU

That said, the current spate of 8800M GTX deaths in the Clevo units and Dell M1730s merits observation.

OT: I'm not really certain why many seem to think that C2Ds are no longer worth buying. Sure, they're not the newest thing on the market, but they are still sufficient for the majority of users and uses out there. Note: I'm not saying you should go C2D. I just find it strange that there's a stampede for i7 when most users/uses won't be using that kind of power.

My question for you was, and still is, since you're basically assembling a barebone, why the HP? You might want to consider other options for a barebone.

Second question would be to ask you if you could possibly obtain the dv7t quad "barebone"? If you can, and at a suitably low price, it's definitely worth consideration.

 

And have a laptop that is less powerful than a midranger, and about three times as heavy? No thanks.

Not to mention they look pretty silly...

 

Yep, I stand corrected. Even without two 8800M in SLI, it looks like a single card is still more-powerful than the 230M. Thanks for the heads-up. That link for the W869Cu looks nice...but yeah, without the CPU and other parts I'd have to buy, it's out of my price range. I'll try researching some more bare-bones systems again to see if I can find something that would come out cheaper than the type of "reassembly" I've been thinking of; I'm just not that familiar with the DIY laptop scene, and after looking around and mostly seeing bare-bones kits that would cost just as much as a laptop from big-name manufacturer, I kinda gave up on that idea.

Yeah, I'll admit that for almost apps/games I'd be using, a C2D processor would probably be just fine. But from what I've been reading, purchasing a Core i7 these days is a worthwhile investment. I forget what the exact specs are off the top of my head, but there are a couple of new engineering aspects of the Core i7's that will be advantageous within the next few years. Plus, I like the idea of a multi-core CPU finally devoting one of its cores to a higher-than-usual clock speed than most dual/quad-cores; the way I understand it, it's like one of the CPUs in the Core i7 can clock up to 3.0Mhz, while the other three are the usual 1.733Mhz or whatever. So you get the benefits of a quad-core CPU, with the added partial benefit of a higher-clocked CPU, if an app/game demands it.

I've just been using that HP as an example because it's one of the first "manufacturer builds" that I came across when I was looking for a laptop model within my price range that I could potentially reassemble from discounted parts. Asus has some decent builds too, like the G51Vx series.

I wish I could; that's the first thing I asked my buddy. But the dv7t quad editions are still new enough that they haven't really been thrown back into the after-market parts scene yet (besides the "usual" parts like keyboards, LCDs, etc...) I haven't even seen the plastics/casing for a dvXt quad series on eBay yet, let alone a case filled with a CPU, mobo and GPU.

That's why I thought of reassembling a mid- to high-range gaming laptop from discounted manufacturer parts in the first place. But after some of the info you guys have provided, I might have to go back to the Web and look around for more of these bare-bones kits. The main problem I've had so far is that I just can't find a kit that would end up being cheaper (after buying the main components) than most manufacturer laptops, especially when the big-names like Dell and HP run those "coupon" and "discount" codes every other week (which like I said, can bring that HPdv7t Quad down to $1000). It probably seems like a lot of work to just save a couple hundred bucks, but my journalism degree isn't exactly paying itself off yet, especially in this economy...

Eh, hell...maybe I'll just do what K-TRON suggested and throw a T7200 CPU in my Dell e1505 for $100; might be able to squeeze a few extra frames per second out of my ancient ATI x1400...The main reason I'm looking for a new laptop in the first place is because I'm getting to the point where I can't play some of the games I'm supposed to be reviewing (I recently had to configure Borderlands at 640x480 on low settings just to get 20-25 FPS).

Thanks for the replies.

 

As you've noted, DIY kits can be expensive, however, if you already have the parts, they can be a good way of upgrading.

As I understand it, the i7 downclocks the other cores to boost the single core by shunting the power for the other cores into the single core. It is terribly useful, and means that the simplest i7 will likely outperform most C2Ds. Have you considered waiting for the i5s to come on scene and look for a i5 based machine instead? It might be a more useful option for you.

To be fair though, I would have to ask the same question of most of the i7 capable machines. Not many chassis available out there right now. And as you have noticed, those that are fit your requirements will likely wind up at a higher price than those ordered from a manufacturer, even with the discounted component prices you would be getting from your friend.

Ah, a journalism major. I'll pray for you. I think it's a worthy exercise, however, you won't be saving much, if any, if you went about picking and putting the parts together, or at least, not very much with the configurations you're looking at.

If you want a cheap machine that outperforms your E1505, try this MSI.

With the current 15% Bing cashback at Tigerdirect, this will be $510 shipped.

 

Another thing about it.

You have to account your time invested.IMO my time is worth money.

Its time taken from my wife,kids,work I could be doing to make money.But instead your building a configuring a laptop top from chassis up.Although building a desktop PC is fairly straight forward.Having taken a few laptops apart myself over the years.Building a laptop has to be more time consuming.

Bottom line how much is your time worth?
But that is just my opinion.

 

You can buy all the constituent parts of the laptop, sans processor, ram, etc, by partsurfer. Is this what you want to do?

 

dont build it from the chassis up. build it from the motherboard AND chassis up.

if at ever you were thinking of putting a laptop motherboard in a case it wasnt made for, you are severely unaware of what youre getting into.

you know what dell precision you can get barebones is the m4400, but the gpu would not be too great. equivalent to the 9700

and... who said that the nvidia quadro FX3700 was the best gpu laptops are being sold with?
because... the precision m6500 has a 3800 you know... if you can find a motherboard of that lol

your best choice for price effectiveness is NOT going to be I series capable.
the precision m6400 is a good bet, with a motherboard at 200 and 3700 gpu at similar.
btw, these business gpus are generally rated lower on benchmark lists, but are physically identical to a gaming card. when the bios is flashed there is little you or i or the system can do to tell its another card.

if you can get MXM 3 video cards at a discount as well however, your situation would be quite different