4 ms·

> What is really needed is a common chassis. I agree. I understand why that wasn't a thing 10 years ago while laptops continued to get thinner and bezels cont

> What is really needed is a common chassis. I agree. I understand why that wasn't a thing 10 years ago while laptops continued to get thinner and bezels continued to get smaller and I/O was rapidly changing and evolving. Modern laptops are much more consistent, and standards like M.2 and USB-C have provide excellent support for low-profile expansion. Now seems like a great time to start rolling out standards for laptop motherboard connectivity, display housing, keyboard/trackpad housing, and I/O bays.

warmwaffles 6y ago
That's not where the money is though unfortunately. It's why manufacturers like the solder on components. Easier to manufacture and make as small as possible. I hate it, and think it's bad for consumers.
- CivBase 6y ago
  We managed to get standards like that on desktops though. What's specifically different about modern laptops?
  - uluyol 6y ago
    Size, heat, weight, and noise are more challenging for laptop design than desktops. Desktops tend to have things spread out much more and you just don't care about some of these issues.
    - CivBase 6y ago
      Size and weight would definitely need to be consider by component manufacturers, but it doesn't seem like that big of a problem when it comes to standardizing a laptop chassis. Heat and noise are definitely bigger concerns since a compact laptop cannot rely on large radiators, fans, and liquid cooling loops for cooling. But if you standardize the screw holes and socket positions on motherboards and graphics cards, I see no reason why a chassis couldn't ship with their own case-specific cooling solutions which leverage heat pipes and low-profile fans to provide cooling. Processor locations are already pretty consistent on desktop motherboards and graphics cards, so this wouldn't be something particularly new.
  - asdff 6y ago
    And those standards are shifting away too. See recent iMacs and Mac Minis.
- scythe 6y ago
  If the only barrier to building your own laptop was soldering the components together, I'd have built one already.
- vbezhenar 6y ago
  They like solder because it's more reliable.

warmwaffles 6y ago

That's not where the money is though unfortunately. It's why manufacturers like the solder on components. Easier to manufacture and make as small as possible. I hate it, and think it's bad for consumers.

CivBase 6y ago
We managed to get standards like that on desktops though. What's specifically different about modern laptops?
- uluyol 6y ago
  Size, heat, weight, and noise are more challenging for laptop design than desktops. Desktops tend to have things spread out much more and you just don't care about some of these issues.
  - CivBase 6y ago
    Size and weight would definitely need to be consider by component manufacturers, but it doesn't seem like that big of a problem when it comes to standardizing a laptop chassis. Heat and noise are definitely bigger concerns since a compact laptop cannot rely on large radiators, fans, and liquid cooling loops for cooling. But if you standardize the screw holes and socket positions on motherboards and graphics cards, I see no reason why a chassis couldn't ship with their own case-specific cooling solutions which leverage heat pipes and low-profile fans to provide cooling. Processor locations are already pretty consistent on desktop motherboards and graphics cards, so this wouldn't be something particularly new.
- asdff 6y ago
  And those standards are shifting away too. See recent iMacs and Mac Minis.
scythe 6y ago
If the only barrier to building your own laptop was soldering the components together, I'd have built one already.
vbezhenar 6y ago
They like solder because it's more reliable.