Parts planning — CPU, RAM, storage, Wi‑Fi compatibility
Track: Build your own laptop · Duration: 34 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
Parts planning — CPU, RAM, storage, Wi‑Fi compatibility
Laptop workbook — parts, assembly, firmware, and troubleshooting next to the video.
CPU & RAM
- Match socket and chipset (Intel/AMD generation). Mobile CPUs are often BGA soldered — only swap if your platform uses an LGA/PGA socket (uncommon in thin laptops).
- DDR4 vs DDR5, SODIMM vs soldered — check max capacity and speed supported by BIOS.
Storage & Wi‑Fi
- M.2: keying (B/M), length (2280 vs 2230), PCIe vs SATA — wrong spec = no boot.
- Some OEMs whitelist Wi‑Fi cards in BIOS; research before swapping modules.
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.