Course overview — building a laptop vs buying
Track: Build your own laptop · Duration: 22 min
Video lesson
Videos stream from YouTube. To use your own uploads, host on YouTube (or another embed-capable host) and set video_embed per lesson or edit defaults in academy-laptop-track.php / Academy Admin.
Course reader
Course overview — building a laptop vs buying
Laptop workbook — parts, assembly, firmware, and troubleshooting next to the video.
Reality check. Unlike desktops, most laptops use custom motherboards and tightly integrated parts. “Building your own” usually means: start from a barebone (chassis + board), or upgrade/repair a standard machine — not soldering a CPU from scratch.
Safety. Disconnect power and laptop battery when opening the case. Use ESD practices (strap/mat). Never puncture or short lithium cells — fires are real.
You will learn
- Which DIY laptop paths exist
- Compatibility matrices (RAM, SSD, Wi‑Fi)
- Assembly, cooling, BIOS, and OS bring-up
- Debugging common failures
More tutorials: Open video search on YouTube
Lesson quiz
Each attempt uses a random set of questions with shuffled answer choices. Pass at 70% or higher to mark the lesson complete.