DIY Laptop Concept

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jtabb1256

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I have a part list put together: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jtabb1256/saved/YYWCmG
I also have a 3D CAD drawing of it.

In the drawing, in the case of the laptop, there are 5 80mm fans, which is really ambitious. In reality, I'd only have 1 or 2, but I'm not sure the best place for them. The drawing has the laptop at about 2 inches (53 mm) thick when it is folded. The drawing is somewhat accurate (almost completely accurate in height), but not accurate enough to 3d print the parts, although it wouldn't be too hard to make it printable.

Also, if I do actually build this, i will build it with the cheap parts that are in the list. If it works, I'll make another one with a nice motherboard with an i7, add a pcie extension and have a graphics card in the void in the right with the fan facing the bottom of the case.

The 500GB SSD I am going to keep no matter what. This build would be a lot cheaper without using that SSD.

Link to CAD file:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/trj4iqcd51rixll/AAB0h4QKv4oBxfnT1Ic_JJQga?dl=0

You will have to use 123D Design to open the file. 123D Design is free, and this is the easiest way I could find of sharing it. I tried many ways to get it into pdf form, but it couldn't keep the color. :p
 
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davidarad02

davidarad02

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Dec 27, 2014
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you cant use desktop components in a laptop, nor you can really build one. constructing a laptop is very very hard, and only companies that know what they are going makes them. you half to solder all of the components to the motherboard, and the motherboard itself is fully custom.
just go out and get a regular laptop, or just buy a desktop. you can get some cheap laptops these days.
 
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jtabb1256

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The objective here is to make a laptop out of desktop parts, contrary to what you say. It will be thick and clunky, but I'm a person that loves designing and building things. I've custom made several things around my house, with the help of my dad. This project would be just for the sake of fun, not for making a functional laptop.
 
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jtabb1256

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Haha. If it totally fails, it's just $300. Companies spend millions for the sake of knowledge. I think $300 is worth it.

Also, I am doing a summer research program this summer, so I didn't have time to try it and I go to a really challenging high school, so I won't have time to try building it this school year. I'll have to wait until next summer (after I graduate).

 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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This sounds great, keep me posted too :)

I wouldn't bother trying to get airflow in there as such, just arrange it like a normal laptop. Just put a vent next to each critical component (usually just the CPU/CPU fan) so the air can escape directly rather than getting it to flow all the way through the case. Look at my laptop for example (Sony Vaio Pro 13''). The CPU is the only major component so it is put on the top left corner of the case next to the CPU heatsink. The CPU fan is blowing down onto the heatsink and the air escapes through the vent.

I understand that this is just a fun concept but it seems to me that in order to be worth it, it should be able to do something that a normal laptop couldn't. For example you could put high end desktop parts in there or get a PCI-e x16 extension cable and build an external graphics card 'dock' so you can do high end gaming when docked. Or you could think of some wacky way to have dual monitors where they fold out or something.
 
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jtabb1256

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There is a hollow space on the right side that I could fit a slim dual slot card with a reference cooler like the gtx 960 and have the intake on the bottom and exhaust out the back. I'd have to have an hdmi cable coming out the back of my computer though.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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So even if you could make this work, the question I would ask is where are you going to get a battery that is capable of powering this thing? I can't imagine you could use a conventional laptop battery, and I would think even a car battery would struggle.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Battery life, from the use of many or exceptionally powerful fans is the main reason laptop designers have trouble implementing cooling solutions on laptops that use higher tiered gaming adapters or are overclocked. They either take up too much space or suck the batteries dead far too fast. Anything that needs to be left plugged in in order to perform at anything near optimal performance, might just as well BE a desktop, and negates the value of it being mobile in the first place. If designers with milions of dollars in the budget and huge resources for testing cannot overcome these factors it's unlikely that you will be capable of doing so, but it still might be fun even if failure or no real advancement of concept is imminent.

Good luck either way.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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Maybe a big deep cycle like those used in big rigs, and farm tractors?
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Maybe a portable turbine generator might, or if you're Tony Stark, the Arc Reactor might be capable. :lol:
 
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jtabb1256

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I wish
 
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