Why aren't laptops modular and so upgradeable?

Notebooks are designed from the outside in - the mainboard fits the chassis.  They're not modular, and whether they may or may not become so doesn't change the fact that there's nothing you can do - short of buying a new system - that will allow you to use DDR-3 memory or a Core i CPU in your system.

The D-series had a very long model run - and while  it's somewhat modular (the batteries, drives, etc. interchange between many models), even it came to an end - the e-series is the current line, and nothing - with the exception of the  hard drives - is compatible with (some) of the older D-series.

Notebooks stand about as much chance of becoming modular (like desktops) as automobiles do.  Yes, the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra are all about the same size.  Good luck transplanting the engine, transmission, etc. from one to another.

1. The argument that notebooks being designed "from the outside in" has two flaws. First, the fact that it has been done so does not mean that it should be done so. It's like saying that because we've always walked we should never ride a horse; that because we've always ridden a horse we should never ride a carriage; that because we have always ridden carriages we should never get into a horseless carriage; and so on. Second, I see nothing so far in what you have said that suggests that a laptop could not be designed "from the outside" to accommodate successive generations of motherboards. In fact, I imagine that a modular system would absolutely depend on "outside-in" design: If you have a standard chassis design, you have to make motherboards that fit, as you do with ATX and mATX desktop motherboards.

2. Justifying the length of the D-series model run is irrelevant to the issue, which is not about the value any particular laptop but about the modularity of laptops.

3. Saying that "nothing...is compatible with...the older D-series" simply repeats my earlier assertion that "I understand that the battery form factor will be wrong; the ports will be in the wrong place; and so on." Again, try to think of this issue as a thought experiment.

4. You compare notebooks to automobiles without stating the basis for the comparison. For example, you could have said that, like the automobile, laptop parts are too heavy and unwieldy to work with. Of course, you couldn't say this because it is not true.

Though they are not really arguments and are unnecessarily defensive of Dell (I've owned Dells since Windows 95), ejn63's remarks have made me think about how to clarify what I'm asking for:

1. How would one hack a Latitude D830 to contain parts for the Latitude E5520?

2. What would a modular laptop system look like?

Can someone offer some serious and creative responses? I already know I can buy a new computer. That's not the question here.

1)Moot point because that is how they are constructed,the chasis is done before the MOBO,not MOBO then the chasis it's that simple.

2)If you want an upgradable system at anytime buy a barebones laptop,Clevo has them if i'm not mistaken.This is the ONLY way you will be able to add/upgrade at your convenience.And even then the parts would still be proprietary to the parts that are out at the time,you would not be able to upgrade to something 4 years down the road,unless you purchase the next barebones kit made for them.That's if they keep the  barebones kit.

3)There is NO thought here at all,one system line to the next in ALL laptops are not upgradable or swappable(except for the case of the D series which is posted above).And i mean laptops NOT desktops.Because each generation will have a different design and shape.If you made each generation to the next,the same way, what would be the point??Designs would never change.

4)He said you can't put an engine from one of the models into the next  just because they look alike,same for the laptop series you are talking about.You CAN NOT swap (except for the parts mentioned above) into a different series system.

It is NOTHING in defense of Dell,as these systems are made by the same vendors that each OEM sells and,consequently,put together and made the same way(outside in).If you can prove smart enough to make, and design, a MOBO pre(chasis build) and complete and fit it.Now make your chasis for the system(and complete the design),does the MOBO fit??NO!And don't say,i could go back and make changes to the MOBO to make the fit.Because now you are talking about the same as question #1>Back to making it from the outside in.

1)You can NOT hack the D series with the E series,not possible.MOBO's will NOT fit,so without this NEEDED and main part?....How would you go about the upgrade,you can't.

2)What it would look like is NOT the question.The question is,how many parts would you have to lugg around and fit back together when you want to boot up and use it???If it's a modular laptop you would not have to sell it as one whole system, you could sell it peice by peice,and it would have to be assembled each time.That,i would think,is how OEM's would make there $$ for the systems.

I think i used enough thought proccess in this,don't you???

Some people like to argue for the sake of argument.

If you want to turn a D-series Dell into an E-series for the purpose of upgrading to a Core i CPU, you will need:

The entire chassis (all the exterior plastics)

A new mainboard

A new CPU

All new RAM

A new LCD screen

A new keyboard, touchpad and palmrest.

You can re-use your hard drive - everything else needs to be replaced.

You'll also find out, very quickly, that even buying used parts, that the cost of the parts of a notebook will exceed the cost of buying a complete new unit.  Further, the parts will come with, at best, a 90-day warranty and no guarantee of compatibility, in exchange for your having paid somewhere between two and four times the cost of buying a new system outright.

So, if you want to build a new E-series notebook, you can get the parts -- parts-people.com or EBay will have most or all of them. 

As for "modularity" - even whitebook computers (the so-called "standard" ones sold by Clevo, ASUS and others) are just the same as all others - they simply come without CPUs, drives and memory - that's about all you get to add yourself.  They're no more upgradeable than any other notebooks - and in fact, the industry has gone to a less-upgradeable design than in the past.  With many older Dell notebooks, you could, at least in a limited way, upgrade the video card.  No longer - just about everything is integrated into the system board.

Why?  It's cheaper to make the notebook that way, and consumers aren't demanding upgradeability - they're demanding rock-bottom prices.

A. dgkpcon: "I think i used enough thought proccess in this,don't you???" I wouldn't actually know at this point. I find your writing grammatically opaque, so I'm not going to try to decode it. Do you understand that your writing makes you inaccessible to all but your friends and the people already inclined to agree with you?  I will give you a few examples and ask you to try again. Beginning at sentence one: independent clauses are generally separated by colons, semi-colons, or periods; thus, the comma between "constructed" and "the" is incorrect. A run-on sentence jams together two grammatically separate sentences, as you do beginning with the word "it's." Again, I'm eager to understand your points and to respond to your arguments; please revise and resubmit.

B. My friend ejn63:
1. "Some people...." An ad hominem argument is not really an argument. It does help to kill argument, which in turn kills thinking. Please don't do that again. Let me put this a different way: I'm pretty disappointed with the response to my question so far and am giving this forum another 24 hours. After that, you won't be further bothered by this someone who, indeed, really does enjoy argument for its own sake. (I don't generally care about these things, but I've got to ask: where are you from that a good argument is not a good thing?) Rather, you may simply enjoy the prose stylings of dgkpcon.
2. "If you want to turn...." Are there components out there that would allow me -- perhaps with the aid of a soldering or glue gun -- to get the E-series motherboard to meet the D-series ports? Try to use your imagination.
3. "You will find very quickly that the cost..." I am not worried about the cost at this stage; I am imagining an experiment.
4. The rest of your responses are just really repetitions of earlier points.

I do thank you both for the Clevo reference, which I did not know about. However, I still have to ask; can someone offer some serious and creative suggestions?

The answer to "2" is no.  If you don't believe that, the service manuals for both systems are freely available.

If you don't care about the cost, then you know what you need:  you can keep your hard drive, your power supply, and possibly (though not definitely) any of the internal cards (wireless, etc.) you now have.  Everything else - base and cover plastics, bezel, mainboard, RAM, touchpad-palmrest, keyboard, CPU, LCD display, internal cables, antenna wiring - needs to be replaced.

Dell buys CPUs in thousand-unit lots.  You'll buy just one - figure on at least $200 - probably more like $400+ depending on speed for the CPU;  another $300 for a mainboard, $200-300 for a display panel, $100-150 for chassis parts, $50 for a touchpad-palmrest, $30-40 for a keyboard, $75-150 for memory.  Then remember you will have no support, a 90-day parts warranty at best, etc.

Then compare the price of a complete, warranted replacement system.  Further, if environmentalism is your goal, someone can likely make several years' more good use of what you have - IF you sell or donate it whole.  If you break it down for parts, you either recycle them (adding to the waste stream) or you suffer the aggravation of selling them individually on EBay - your choice.

laptops arent modular because

1. OEM's dont want to build a standard system for connecting modules together
   they'd have to cooperate with their concurrents, would have to agree on somebody elses proposal etc. its just humans dont want to cooperate
   
   
2. the general amount of overhead is considered too high for the constrained space in laptops
   connectors, structural supports, spacings, module casings, etc. that all needs space inside the laptop, and its in general thought of that that extra volume needed is just not viable for constrained laptop interiors

i hope this answers your question :)

necro post is necro, i dont care