Ideas regarding a laptop

[Guest_imported]

I have been thinking about building a computer for myself for quite some time. I am currently in college and have limited resources.
There have been various laptops go up for auction at ebay, all between 100 and 166 MHz. Is it possible to use a faster processor in these machines? If so, what would be a general rule for how fast a processor the mobo would support? I also have a few hard drives for desktops available. Can they be used in docking stations for extended storage?
Is there a specific distribution of Linux that would run the best on a laptop? I have done quite a bit of research and I can't see much difference. I'll mainly be using it for text processing, C++ programming and gaming (while docked). Thanks!
Tim B

 

[jsauce]

Laptops usually cannot be upgraded. You cannot remove the chip or motherboard. The hard drives, modems, network cards, and batteries are usually the only think that can be upgraded. I have also seen CD-ROMs, and floppys removed too, but not much more than that. I'm not saying that this isn't possible, just saying I haven't ever seen it. [sig]<p>John D. Saucier<br><a href=mailto:jsauce@netadvances.com>jsauce@netadvances.com</a><br>jsauce@diablo2.com<br>
Use The second email if the first doesn't work.[/sig]

 

[edfair]

And even cd-roms and floppies sometimes have discrepencies between devices, even from the same manufacturer. [sig]<p>Ed Fair<br><a href=mailto: efair@atlnet.com> efair@atlnet.com</a><br><a href= > </a><br>Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. <br>
Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.<br>
[/sig]

 

[ptswolfman]

Laptops are one of the hardest things to upgrade. As mentioned by the others, the hard drive, memory, etc can be upgraded with fair ease, however, the processor is usually soldered onto the system board of the laptop. You would have to research the laptops design before knowing if the processor could be updated. I have seen many laptops w/ a normal socket 7 on it. It all depends upon the manufacturer of the laptop.
If your talking about a laptop w/ around the 100MHz processors though, your not likely to be able to upgrade. It's when you get into the 200+MHz that it even becomes a possibility. As far as docking stations and the like, again, it depends upon the manufacturer. Toshiba, Compaq, and Dell (there are a few others) offer docking stations that you can plug in 3.5&quot; hard drives and other &quot;desktop&quot; devices. The only problem is that it's usually in thier &quot;business&quot; group of laptops that offers these docking stations.
Hope this helps. [sig]<a href=mailtotswolfman@home.com>ptswolfman@home.com</a><br><a href=

http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=1402203>Brainbench.com's

Online Certification Transcript</a><br>A+ Certified Technician with service certifications for Machintosh, Compaq, Toshiba, IBM, and HP[/sig]