MacBuild Laptop Build

Building a laptop in MacBuild is a fairly freeform process. Aside from the Laptop Build Checklist, there is no standard method for resolving or repairing laptops with issues. It is not uncommon to swap optical drives and displays in an effort to turn two broken laptops into one working one. We presently only build up a few different models, so it's easy to learn the basics of working with each type.

What we build
We presently work on translucent white iBook G3s and better, PowerBook G4s and better, and any newer models that come in. The specs we build the most common models are as follows:

What we don't build
We don't build anything below the specs listed above. Clamshell (colored) iBook G3s and black PowerBook G3s are presently saved for bulk/online sales. Everything below that can get recycled.

Recycling procedure
Should you come across a laptop that needs to be recycled, this is what you do:
 * 1) Pull the hard drive
 * 2) Pull any parts that may be useful (optical drives with recording capability, AirPort/wifi cards, memory modules 128MB in size or larger)
 * 3) Put in the Recycling outbox

Tips

 * Use a guide - some procedures for removing/exchanging parts are very complicated, so it's always good to have documentation. iFixit's guides for laptops are particularly good, as they provide not only fairly easy steps to follow but also make note of the different types of screws and parts removed in each step, which makes it easy to keep track of.
 * Keep track of your screws/part - it is not uncommon to end up removing 50+ screws from a system when swapping a HD in a laptop. You can use either an ice cube tray or a screw guide from iFixit to keep track of what came from where.
 * Allot sufficient time for a project - working on Apple laptops can be very time-consuming due to the level of deconstruction one has to go through to swap parts. For example, swapping a hard drive in an iBook can easily take over an hour and a half if you've never done it before (or if you don't do it on a regular basis).  If you decide to start a project, make sure you have enough time to at least put the system back together before you leave or develop a good system for keeping track of your progress.