Laptop (Samsung Chronos 7 - NP700Z5A) to desktop pc

thingiverse

After six years of faithful service, my Samsung laptop had begun to overheat excessively and fall apart at an alarming rate. When I first purchased it, this high-end machine boasted a sleek aluminum exterior and impressive power. Despite its impending obsolescence, I was reluctant to discard it entirely. I decided to breathe new life into the old laptop by repurposing it as a desktop PC. This involved disassembling the entire device and identifying which components could be salvaged for the new project. The case had suffered significant damage on multiple ends, necessitating the creation of a custom 3D printed enclosure for the mainboard and a sturdy mount for the display. Inevitably, many peripherals had to be sacrificed in order to accommodate the revised design, including the keyboard, touchpad, SD card slot, CD/DVD drive, webcam, microphone, and one of three USB connectors. Through meticulous measurements and a substantial amount of time spent working with SolidWorks, I was able to develop a functional desktop PC design centered around the mainboard, hard drive, and display. Two heatsinks were installed along with an additional fan, which could be switched on and off as needed, using M3 and M2 screws to secure everything in place. Once plugged into a keyboard and mouse, this reconfigured laptop was transformed into a fully functional desktop PC. The entire process, including the design phase and assembly, took approximately 25 hours to complete. While the experience was at times painful, the end result has been well worth it: my repurposed computer now serves as both a reliable backup PC and a dedicated machine for running my 3D printer. Visit imgur.com/gallery/A1ZQJ for more information on this project.