Natsuka wrote...
I bought a Dell Inspiron 14.
I wish I had about $800 and I'd buy my own custom laptop.
I can't build a laptop or a computer myself, I'll surely mess up.
How do you even build one? It must be very complicated.
It's more assembling than building, but it's really simple; the hardest part is making sure everything is compatible, and that's just a little time consuming.
First, collect all the parts: case, power supply (if case doesn't come with one), motherboard, RAM, HDD/SSD, processor, heat sink (processor will come with one).
Second, if necessary, put the power supply in the case so that the cables are on the inside of the case and fasten it down.
Third, put the motherboard in the case so that the external slots (e.g. USB) go outside the case and fasten it down.
Fourth, put the HDD/SSD in the case so that the slots are accessible and fasten it down.
Fifth, insert the processor into the motherboard; there is only one slot for the processor; the slot and the processor have an arrow on one corner; line these arrows up and it should slide right in. Do not force the processor in as you will likely break it; if it doesn't just drop in, some pins may be crooked and can be straightened with some tweezers.
Sixth, install the heat sink on top of the processor; there are several styles of heat sinks, but it should be obvious how you are supposed to install it; consult manuals as necessary. If the processor and fan are not new or you don't trust the thermal paste from the factory, you will need to clean off the existing thermal paste with some cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol and apply new thermal paste.
Seventh, open the tabs that secure the RAM and insert the RAM into the motherboard; there will be a little gap near the middle of the RAM and a little bridge near the middle of the slot; line the gap and the bride up and insert the RAM; these are off-center, so there is only one way to insert the RAM. When the RAM is lined up, just push down until both tabs click into place (you can help the tabs while you push the RAM, but don't help too much because the tabs clicking signify that the RAM is fully inserted).
Eighth, connect power cables to the motherboard and HDD/SSD (see respective manuals if you have trouble).
Ninth, connect all other cables: SATA or IDE cabel from HDD/SSD to motherboard, fan power cables to their slots on the motherboard (see motherboard's manual for details), case cables to motherboard (cables and slots should be well labeled; if you have any trouble, see motherboard's manual).
To keep things short and simple, I've assumed that there is only one HDD/SSD and that it already has everything installed, there are no accessory cards and that there aren't any media drives (e.g. CDROM drives); all of those things are easy to include; if you can assemble the simple computer in my example, you can assemble a more complex computer. Also, firmware and software setup is easy; the BIOS and OS have very good and descriptive labels for everything, so it's very difficult to screw it up; just remember: if you don't know what it is, the default settings are good.
You may be saying: "That's a lot of text.", "That doesn't look simple.", "tl;dr."; but it's just comprised of a lot of small, simple actions. Consider the text required to tell someone how to assemble a birdhouse; there will be a lot of really simple actions to perform; that's what this is. A six year-old can assemble a birdhouse and a six year-old can assemble a computer.