Make sure that you are purchasing a mobile processor, and not a desktop processor. There are two major processor manufacturers: Intel and AMD. There are plenty of arguments for and against each brand, but generally AMD will be less expensive. Do as much research as possible on the processor models you are interested in to be certain it is worth the money.

Take screen size and keyboard layout into account as well. Since the shell is not particularly customizable, you will be stuck with the screen and keyboard you choose. A larger laptop will be more difficult to carry around, and will most likely be significantly heavier. Finding shells for sale can be difficult. Enter “barebones notebook” or “whitebook shell” into your favorite search engine to track down retailers that stock shells. Some laptop manufacturers or suppliers will allow you to choose just the shell. MSI and Eluktronics are some of the few companies that still offer barebone laptops.

Try to get 8 or 16 GB of memory for optimal everyday performance.

Get a hard drive with enough space for you to do what you want with the laptop. Most shells don’t have space for more than one drive, so it can be difficult to upgrade later. Make sure that there is enough room on the hard drive after the operating system installation (usually between 15-20 GB). Nowadays, most people choose from a 500GB-1. 5TB range for laptops.

Some shells come with drives included. Not all notebook drives fit all shells, so make sure that the drive fits the shell you picked. Choosing whether or not to buy one is easy. Consider whether you use disc memory often. Remember, you can use a USB external optical drive instead of a built-in optical drive.

Buy one with good reviews. Read reviews on customer’s experience with using those batteries.

Keep your screws in plastic baggies until you need them. This will help keep them from rolling away or getting lost.

Turn your CPU over so that you can see the pins. There should be one corner that is missing pins. This notch will line up with the notch on the socket. The CPU will only fit in the socket one way. If the CPU does not seat itself, do not force it, or you may bend the pins, ruining the processor. Once the CPU is inserted, put the CPU lock into the “locked” position.

Once the paste has been applied, you can install the fan. The exhaust must line up with the vents on your shell. This part can be tricky as you attempt to line everything up. Don’t try to force the heatsink and fan assembly in, but wiggle it in instead. There may be also some mounting bolts to place. If your case includes a bay to place fan dust filter, place a dust filter to prevent dust from clogging the heatsink. Keep the heatsink angled until you find the right position. This will help keep the thermal paste from getting all over your components. Attach the fan’s power cable to the motherboard once the fan is installed. If you don’t connect the fan, the laptop will overheat and turn off after a few minutes of use.

You can also check that the memory you installed is recognized by using the BIOS. Find the Hardware or Monitor section to see if your memory appears.

There are many versions of Linux to choose from, but some of the more popular include Ubuntu, Mint, and Debian. It is recommended that you install the latest version of Windows released, as older versions lose support after enough time has passed. If you don’t have an optical drive installed, you will need to create a bootable USB drive with your operating system files.

Most components will come with their drivers on a disc. Use the disc if your operating system cannot find the correct drivers.