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Old laptop parts in new PC

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Hello people of Tom's Hardware! Long time browser, first time poster. Anyways, the title explains it all. I'm going to build myself a new PC by the end of this summer, and it will completely replace my old laptop, an Acer Aspire 6930. I want to use as many parts from it as I can, and it comes down to these two parts:

- 320GB Hard Drive (with OS)
- WiFi card (mini-PCIe) (Link)

I've read many mixed reviews about taking an old hard drive w/ existing OS and putting it into a new computer. I have a retail version of Win7 Ultimate (x64) on it, which might help. Does anybody have a definitive answer?

I knew there was a WiFi card in my laptop, but I only just discovered (literally 10 minutes ago) that it's mini-PCIe. My house only has WiFi, so my new computer needs Wifi access. Should I use this and get a $10 PCIe -> mini-PCIe adapter, or get a new $25 USB wifi adapter? The card has worked well for me so far.

And a more general question - is it worth it to sell my laptop for parts? It has a Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor (which is kind of wimpy), 2x2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM, and a decent disc drive. You don't have to do any in-depth research, but is it worth it to try and sell the individual parts of the laptop, or should I just keep it in one piece and use it as a backup in case something goes horribly wrong?

And sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong category!

- Jak Atackka

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Laptop Expert

I was gonna recommend not using parts from your laptop at all. leave it as is and try to sell it. then you can use that money towards your new computer.

Problem is, that computer wasn't worth a crap three years ago, and it isn't worth a crap now. Also, I need to reuse the hard drive, to keep my budget below $1,000, because I'd need a new hard drive and a new OS (since I lost my Win7 Ultimate install disc when I moved :'(  )

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Laptop Expert

I'd agree with nhasian on this. Ok, so it's not a great laptop, but someone might be willing to buy it off you for $150-$200. That's in the range of the cost of Windows 7 Ultimate (retail) by itself. Too bad you lost the disk. You might want to do some research and see if there is any way to pull the CD-Key from the install (unless you do have that somewhere).

Regardless, with a $1000 budget, there's no real need to salvage parts from your laptop.

Case/Power Supply: Antec Sonata III w/500w Antec Earthwatts PSU - $120
Motherboard/HDD Combo: GIGABYTE GA-Z77-DS3H LGA 1155/SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $200
CPU: Intel Core I5-3570K Ivy Bridge - $240
RAM: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 - $39
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB - $80
Optical Drive: ASUS 24x DVD Burner - $18
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 - $180
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 64-bit OEM - $100

Promotional Item #1: Dirt 3 Game Coupon OEM - $0
Promotional Item #2: Newegg Promotional $20 Gift Card - $0

Component Cost: $976.91
Shipping Cost: $19.76
Total Cost: $996.67

Just under your $1000 budget.

XFX MIR - $30
Newegg Promotion Gift Card - $20 <-- End 5/15

If you receive/use these - Final Cost is $946.67 $966.67

-Wolf sends
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Thanks for the info! I'm actually on a $750 budget, which restricts my options considerably. Here is what I'm looking at for a build so far:

Case/Power Supply: Newegg Bundle - ~$100
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 - $129.99
CPU: Intel Core I5-3570k Ivy Bridge - $240
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600 - $61.99
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $17.99
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 - $169.99 (They just went out of stock today, I hope they'll be restocked by the time I can actually buy the computer)
Wireless Adapter: Mini PCIe to PCIe Adapter w/ 3 External Antennas + Laptop's Mini-PCIe Wifi Card - $9.65
Hard Drive/OS: Taken from laptop - $0
Monitor/Mouse: Already own - $0
Keyboard: Cheapo one from Goodwill - $5

Promotional Item #1: Dirt 3 Game Coupon OEM - $0

Component Cost: $734.60
Shipping Cost: $14.96
Total Cost: $749.56

It's cutting it pretty close! I'd go for the XFX Radeon HD 6870, but its MIR expires tomorrow as well. If it's renewed, then I'll change my plan accordingly.

This build has one thing in mind - upgrading. I got a motherboard with two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, so when my graphics aren't good enough I can upgrade. That's also why I got a single, more expensive 8GB module of RAM, because I can get three more. Unfortunately, with only $100 to spend on my Case and Power Supply, odds are I'll only be able to get a 500W PSU, which I'll have to upgrade if I want to go for Crossfire.

I'm pretty tech-savvy (I got Minecraft running on a PowerPC, which is supposed to be impossible due to hardware constraints) so I could pull the CD-Key off of my computer and borrow my friend's install disc (since he has a copy). However, that leaves me HDD-less. My budget is basically what I can earn this summer, and for all I know I'm going to earn $2500, but for now I'm setting my sights low just in case.
Laptop Expert

Two things I messed up on:

1) End of Summer time frame - A lot can (and probably will) change between now and then. Even your budget isn't set, so it's probably best to wait until then. Once we know what's happened to the PC Component market and what your budget looks like, then we can determine if cannibalizing your laptop is even required.

2) Wireless requirement - I still don't like the idea of cannibalizing your laptop. I'd keep it intact and use it for some other specific function. For instance, I use my old laptop strictly for finances. However, if you're dead set on this, there are motherboard with build in mini PCI-E slots, such as this ASRock Z77 Extreme6.

-Wolf sends

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