Installing Laptop Hardware

 

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The fuck are we talking about today?

The usual laptop Components an IT person might "swap"(replace) or repair:

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Wireless Card 
System board
Optical drive
SATA hard disk
SD card reader
USB port
CPU Heat Sink and Fan

RAM

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Here are the things to keep in mind when swapping the following devices:

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1. Hard Drive's

(Dope Video - 5 min) The fuck is a Hard Drive?

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There are 3 different types of Hard Drives, but only one is MOST common:

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1. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) -- most common; slowest; CHEAPER

 

2. Solid-State Drive (SSD) -- fastest; EXPENSIVE

 

3. Solid-State Hybrid Drive (SSHD or HHD... same shit)

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When you encounter a hard drive, you will most likely encounter a 2.5 inch (link for images) SATA hard drive.

 

"(Link for images) SATA" is just a specific type of wire that connects to a device.

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On a laptop, you will find the Hard Drive at the bottom end of the laptop by removing the obvious screws. Laptops will vary, however.

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To see how to swap a Hard Drive and RAM check out this video
WARNING ITS LOW-BUDGET LOOKING BUT THAT'S THE PRICE OF FREE INFORMATION

 

Note: Sometimes you'll a metal bracket encasing the Hard Drive.

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BUT WHICH DISK IS BETTER, HDD or SSD?

SSD, If you're broke as fuck; HDD, if you want to store a lot of shit 

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Solid State Drives come in 2 types:

Make sure you learn below and watch the video provided!)

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1. 2.5 inch

2. M.2 (which come in 2 types)

1. SATA 

2. NVMe (uses PCIe bus... just means this one is faster than SATA)

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6 minute Video (a little lengthy but its good shit)

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2.5 inch HDD's & SSD's are the most common size you will find

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1.8 inch HDD's & SSD's are very very rare

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B. MEMORY (aka... RAM)

(Video - 1 min) What is RAM?

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When swapping RAM, you have to do it safely and not like a dumbass.

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ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) just means stored electricity is going from one place to another in an all-at-once manner.

 

When this happens, it's possible you could damage the components of the system or shock yourself.

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The best way to protect yourself from ESD is with the following equipment:

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1. ESD Wrist Strap (Most common)

connects the strap with a cord to a ground (electrically negative area) as to dissipate the electricity

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2. Grounding mat 

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3. Anti-static gloves

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Not only is ESD important, but so is having the right RAM.

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Let's talk about RAM!

(Video - 5 min) How to install RAM?

(Video - 3 minute) RAM compatibility

This information might get tricky so follow me here

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 RAM-speed is measured in Gigabytes (or Gb).

 

Generally, the more RAM, the faster your processing speed. 

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When you "upgrade" RAM, you're going from a lower Gb to a higher Gb.

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When upgrading RAM, there are 2 things to keep in mind: 

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1. If you want to upgrade more than one RAM stick, make sure they are both the same Gb's. 

 

Why? Because the fastest RAM, is only as fast as the slowest RAM speed if you are installing 2 sticks of RAM.

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For example, if you wanted to install 4Gb RAM and 8Gb RAM, your system will only run at 4 Gb of RAM.

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2. Make sure the new RAM stick type matches (or is better than) the older RAM stick type. 

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Sounds confusing, but there are many website that can tell you if you can or can't upgrade your RAM before you buy go ahead and buy the wrong one and spend money like an idiot.

 

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C. Other things part of a portable device:

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CMOS - hold the date, time and system configuration

Smart Card Reader - found in some portables; usually used for reading a form of ID to sign into system

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Optical Drive - device for CD's, DVD's

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Wireless Card/Bluetooth Module - device that gives you internet and connected to other device

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Cellular Card - adds 3G or 4G (Cellular data)

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Video Card - device that processes your video

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MiniPCIe - what connects devices to you system board

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Screen - screen...

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DC Jack - where you connect the power cord to you device

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Battery - Battery...

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Touchpad - the mouse-like feature on your laptop

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Plastics/Frames - the mechanical things holding your components together

Speaker 

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System Board - the motherboard; the skeleton

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CPU - the brain; what processes the commands, instructions, actions 

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Confused? Don't worry. All you have to do for now is just know the existence of these things. You don't have to be Steve Wozniak.

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Don't overwhelm yourself with unnecessary bullshit right now.

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Just know the name, the basic function and what these components look like. Dazzit.