Make your own laptop using Mini-ITX components

The main appeal of laptops tends not to be their upgradability: that's what desktops are for, right? Well, if the recent trend for "deskbooks" is anything to go by, then that assessment isn't true anymore. Entering the same league as commercial 19- and 20-inch desktop replacements, and tipping the performance vs. portability scale heavily towards the "need two people to carry it" category is Torquil Harkness' "ITX-Laptop," a computer designed around Mini-ITX components so that it simultaneously maintains a modicum of portability alongside full upgradability. Torquil admits that the end result could have been far smaller had he used Nano-ITX -- or Pico-ITX -- components, but in order to make it "as powerful as a regular desktop" he decided to go for larger parts. Despite Torquil's statement that performance was the aim, we'd have to say on first glance at the specs -- 2GHz, 1GB RAM, and a PCI-based ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card -- that some degree of compromise took place. Still, we believe him when he claims that he "could slot in a motherboard with PCI Express in the future" because this thing's wide open for future upgrades, and that's the point. Never mind the limited specs or the questionable chrome paint job: just lean forward, take a closer look at those computer guts and think "I can do that too." That's the way to stick it to the man.

[Via BoingBoing]

[Patrick @ Jan 27th 2007 9:09PM]

Seriously?

[gfar @ Jan 28th 2007 10:31PM]

Oh my God.
No, not seriously at all. That thing is a piece of shit.

[Spencer @ Jan 27th 2007 9:17PM]

Well, sure. But can you play Twilight Princess on it?

[blahblah @ Jan 27th 2007 9:30PM]

Garbage

[Ellianth @ Jan 27th 2007 9:43PM]

If I brought something like that to school the other kids would laugh at me. No thanks :p.

[... @ Jan 27th 2007 10:10PM]

This was on Hack A Day a week ago...

[Evan Pasquier @ Jan 27th 2007 11:25PM]

Is that sheet metal?

[v_dogg @ Jan 28th 2007 12:11AM]

dang i want one.

[mattie @ Jan 28th 2007 12:12AM]

i wonder how long before you burn you're hands on it

[Mike [gamebittk] @ Jan 28th 2007 12:41AM]

Good luck getting this on an airplane.

[mastershake916 @ Jan 28th 2007 1:41AM]

Not only has it been on hack-a-day a week ago like someone else mentioned, it's been on EVERY PLACE ELSE since then.

[Major Malfunction @ Jan 28th 2007 8:09AM]

GeoCities still exists?

[Evan A. @ Jan 28th 2007 4:04PM]

Why?? Waa why would you build your own laptop when you can buy one better (and good looking) for the same price,


Worthless.

[Genemaster @ Jan 28th 2007 4:04PM]

So UGLY!!!!

[Joshua Walters @ Jan 29th 2007 1:24AM]

I remember seeing that on Hack-A-Day! I want to do it, but it is pricey to get a decent ATX mobo......... I guess, that is the only downfall of this idea!

[MaxPowers @ Jan 29th 2007 3:05AM]

Craptastic!

[rob bergman @ Feb 1st 2007 10:19AM]

I can see making a laptop like that if it costs less than $400. But why would you ever want to make one that is HUGE costs alot and takes a lot of time. Also 2Ghz and 1GB of ram is not that good for a laptop. I saw tablet PCs with that a few years ago.

[TekBoi @ Feb 2nd 2007 5:10AM]

Good idea, I'm next.
I won't be winmping out either.
Hopefully, mine will have:
19" wide LCD,
Core 2 Duo 1.83 OC'ed with water colling to 3Ghz
ATI X1950 PRO 512 w/ 48 pproccesors
2x PC2-6400 2GB eam dual channel
2x SATAII 320GB - Raid-0
Oh, an this thing is gonna have a GINORMOUS battery pack, gonna make it weigh twice as much, don't care.

Now that I know its possible, I'm gonna build by dream Laptop

[ramrod @ Apr 23rd 2007 7:30PM]

well so far i can't see anyone else design or make a good upgradeable laptop.... well i can't see anyone else who has posted a comment here try and build something as good as this guy... and besides would anyone of you have bought the very first light bulb while it looked the way it did?