Barebones Notebook

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Posted by michael on Friday February 28, 2003 @09:58AM from the some-assembly-required dept.

Gsurface writes "The first barebones notebook makes its appearance. The barebone notebook features no display, no CPU, no RAM and no HDD, but only the case, with keyboard and touchpad."

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Interesting, but by InterruptDescriptorT · 2003-02-28 10:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

Where, I wonder, would one buy individual parts for a notebook?

It's pretty easy to go to your local dealer and pick up an Athlon, mobo of your choice, some cheap RAM, hard drive, etc. I have to say that I've never seen notebook parts available a la carte like with regular computer paraphernalia.

Besides, even if you could get those things, I have a hunch it would be far more expensive than getting a brand-new notebook from Dell or Gateway. They buy their parts in bulk and can therefore pass the savings on to the consumer.

I'm totally in favour of self-building, don't get me wrong, but I wonder if the economics of the whole deal doesn't favour just buying a new notebook outright and spending the savings on some accessories.

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Karma: Excellent Birds (mostly as a result of listening to Laurie Anderson)
1. Re:Interesting, but by aminorex · 2003-02-28 11:06 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  His distinction may be silly, but English is a silly
  language: His distinction was *clear*, and
  meaningful. I think everyone who read his comment
  understood what he meant, and understood it to be
  a true statement.
  
  Lighten up.
  
  --
  -I like my women like I like my tea: green-
2. Re:Interesting, but by kfg · 2003-02-28 20:55 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Certainly not as many as there used to be. Once upon a time, back in the day, designing and building your own electronics devices, particularly radios and stereo equipment, was a major mainstream hobby. Back then you'd find these shops brightly lit right on Main Street.
  
  Nowadays, in most cities, you can tell you're on Main Street because the density of winos and crack hos suddenly shoots up.
  
  These shops no longer have the sort of clientel that allows them to exist in a mall, which is why you'll find them down alleys where the rent is cheap, but they're there, and they do decent business. There are still quite a few people who, either for enjoyment or for professional reasons, rely on them. No neon signs though, because they don't rely on "attracting" business. You might have been walking right by one in your town without even realizing it. They know that anyone who needs what they've got will find them and actually like to discourage "gawkers" who don't know what they want, come in, buy it, and get the hell out.
  
  They aren't as friendly and helpful as they were 30 years ago either, which is a damned shame.
  
  I used to be able to go in these places and say, "I'm building a data aquisition device for my PC and I was wondering if anyone makes a photoresistor with such and such a property," and they'd either tell me or recommend a superiour part. Then the next time I came in they'd want to chat for a bit about my project.
  
  Nowadays it's, "Look buddy, you tell me the part number, I get it for you, you give me money, ok?"
  
  Like I said, it's a Brave New World.
  
  But still a world where people scratch build their own electronics gear, for one reason or another.
  
  KFG
Re:No Display? by BorgDrone · 2003-02-28 10:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think these are meant for OEM's, so they choose a display, cpu, hdd, etc.
Re:ok..... by will592 · 2003-02-28 10:02 · Score: 2, Insightful

I haven't been able to open the link, but I know eBay is full of LCD screens designed for laptops. I don't know how interchangeable the LCD's are but that might be a good source.
Chris
Re:ok..... by suckass · 2003-02-28 10:03 · Score: 1, Insightful

Ebay!!!!

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blah, blah, blah
Finally by ekarjala · 2003-02-28 10:04 · Score: 2, Insightful

A notebook that comes without the dreaded "Microsoft Tax" (unless they can come up with a pre-emptive "potential-use" licensing fee.)
yeah by Anonymous Coward · 2003-02-28 10:12 · Score: 1, Insightful

i was under the assumption that barebones meant a working system with the minimal number of parts. when it's missing a cpu and ram i guess i was wrong.
Re:A way out of the MS tax by jo42 · 2003-02-28 10:33 · Score: 1, Insightful

Good point. When I tried to buy a Dell Inspiron without Windows Xtreme Poop, the Dell sales rep told me they have a deal with Microsoft that every machine they sell has to have a Microsoft OS on it. Pffhht! Talk about your evil empire monopolists shite suckers.
Anyway, why would I want to get a barebones notebook when with some judcious picking and choosing, you can have a killer laptop for not too many pesos: 1.8GHz P4M, 512Mb RAM, 40GB 5400RPM HD, CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, 1394, 64Mb Mobility Radeon 9000 and a flat out awesome 15" 1600x1200 display. How much? Only $1750 US. Dell Inspiron 8200. Even came with that lump o' shite XP Pro from Messysoft.
Barebones Laptop by Proteus80 · 2003-02-28 10:48 · Score: 3, Insightful

While i'm all for the learning experence of building a computer (I built my last desktop) I also have to take into account the cost. Curiously I went and found a few of the parts the laptop needed to just work. I had to assume alot of what it required but I figure the prices wouldn't be too far off.

CPU: 1.8 GHz Mobil P-4 $445.00
RAM: PC133 128MB $37.97
HDD: 20GB $149.00
DISPLAY: 14.1 LCD Screen $749.00
TOTAL: (APPROX) $1380.00

On top of the cost of the "Barebones" system. (which I don't know thanks to the /. effect)
A quick vist to a certain well known retailer sells a Toshiba Satellite for 999.97.

"I wasn't even supposed to be here today!"
-Dante Hicks