Laptop upgrade what. Modernization of old components
Today, for every person, a laptop is not a luxury, but a completely ordinary device. Modern laptops have a lot of advantages over a regular desktop: portability, aesthetic appearance, a wide selection and a certain plus general level of coolness and a decent performance reserve. Where a laptop really loses to a desktop PC is the ability to choose a configuration, so to speak, “for yourself” and ease of upgrade. In this article we will try to figure out whether everything is so bad in laptops with an upgrade.
And so, let's imagine the situation that you have a laptop that has served you faithfully for several years, and a certain amount of money. It is also necessary to have “straight hands”, because without them your entire upgrade may turn into the purchase of a new laptop and at least minimal knowledge of the structure of a computer. If you have all this in stock, then let's get started.
Before you start upgrading your electronic assistant, you need to clearly determine which components are suitable for us. To do this, go to the Internet, look for your laptop model and select the option with the maximum configuration. Why bother so much? The results of such a search will give us the answer to what maximum amount of RAM can “fit” into our laptop, as well as which processor is best for us. So, if you have successfully completed this step, then move on.
As you already understand, the main components in a laptop that can be upgraded are RAM, processor and hard drive. It is absolutely not advisable to change everything else, and the price will be somewhere around the same as a new laptop.
Replacing RAM in a laptop
Let's start with the simplest thing - upgrading RAM. Indeed, replacing RAM is very simple even for the most ordinary user with minimal training. If you are not sure that you can successfully disassemble your laptop, then you can check out our instructions. All you need to do is disassemble the laptop, insert a new bracket, put it back together, making sure that there are no extra bolts left, and voila, everything works. Note that, depending on the laptop model, the RAM can be expanded by adding a second stick, or replaced with a larger stick. Increasing the amount of RAM will undoubtedly affect the performance of your device. This will be especially noticeable when working with heavy software packages such as Photoshop, CorelDraw, Matlab and browsers, which have recently become distinguished by their exorbitant appetite.
A small nuance: before choosing and purchasing a RAM stick, you need to carefully ensure that the standards of the original stick and the new one match. For example, if you have DDR2 memory, then buying DDR3 RAM does not make sense. Also, in recent years, DDR3 RAM with a reduced supply voltage of 1.3 V has appeared on the market. Typically, such strips are marked with the letter L at the end. When purchasing such memory, make sure that your motherboard supports this type of RAM.
Installing in a laptopSSDinstead of a hard drive
If replacing RAM is not enough for you to work comfortably, then you can start looking askance at the hard drive. Performance tests show that hard drives are the bottleneck in the performance of modern computers. Fortunately, today there is a very fast alternative to classic hard drives - solid-state drives (SSD). To make things easier to understand, an SSD disk is a kind of large flash drive that is several times faster than a regular hard drive.
Replacing a hard drive with an SSD is not much more difficult than replacing RAM. The truth here is that you should understand that when replacing a drive, you need to spend time transferring information and installing the operating system. But believe me, the game is worth the candle. When using a solid-state drive as the main one, your laptop will simply come to life: the system will boot much faster, programs will become much more responsive. True, buying an SSD today can hit your wallet quite hard. In addition, most likely, you will have to sacrifice volume. True, thanks to high-speed Internet access, few people today store gigabytes of movies and music on their laptop.
Just like with RAM, the memory capacity of a laptop can be upgraded by installing a hard drive in place of the optical drive. Fortunately, the Chinese now offer various options for pockets for installing a hard drive in place of the drive. True, here you may encounter the problem of low bandwidth of the bus through which the optical drive is connected. But if you use the hard drive as additional storage space, then no problems should arise.
Upgrade your laptop processor
Now let’s move on to the most difficult option for upgrading a laptop – replacing the processor. Why is this option the most difficult? Because there are a lot of pitfalls that can affect the final success. Firstly, it’s not enough to simply choose the processor that is installed in the maximum configuration of your device model. The thing is that sneaky manufacturers can, for example, install different chipsets in different configurations of the same model. And if you miss this moment, then in the worst case, the laptop with the new processor will not start. It is also possible that the laptop starts, but will reboot cyclically after a certain time. A problem may also arise when the chipset and processor become friends, but the BIOS can interfere with this idyll. It may happen that the motherboard BIOS version does not support the selected processor model. There is a clear solution - either go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest version of the BIOS firmware. But it may also happen that the manufacturer did not consider it necessary to update the BIOS firmware for your model with support for the selected processor. So what should we do? Well, here everyone decides for himself: you can take a risk and spend money on a new processor at your own peril and risk, or plunge headlong into the problem and study specialized forums. But remember that incorrect installation of the processor is fraught with very sad consequences. Therefore, weigh the pros and cons very well and consciously approach the processor upgrade, because instead of an increase in performance, you may get an increase in headaches.
You can, of course, also recall such laptop upgrade options as using an external video card. Yes, this way you can get a good boost in performance and the opportunity to play relatively power-hungry games. But here you will have to deal with an even larger set of nuances than when replacing the processor. In addition, with such an upgrade we remain tied to the desk and, in fact, turn our laptop into some kind of personal computer.
Results
And so, as you already understand, it is possible and even necessary to give a new breath to your relatively old laptop. The simplest and most effective way to revive your device is to increase the amount of RAM. If you want to increase the overall responsiveness of the system, then feel free to replace your old and slow hard drive with a new and fast solid-state drive. Well, if you want to get everything you can out of your laptop, then change the processor. However, remember that if you upgrade your laptop yourself, there is a risk of damaging it. And finally, the simplest advice for preserving the performance of your laptop: periodically clean the cooling system from dust and monitor what is installed in your operating system. Good luck with your upgrades.
Instead of buying a new laptop, you can upgrade your old one: a competent upgrade will save money and make your laptop almost as fast as the latest generation laptops.
After removing the bottom cover of the laptop, all its components become accessible. In some models there are several small covers with icons that will help you understand which device you will have access to.
Large amount of memory, high performance, fast work in wireless networks - to get all this, you don’t have to buy a new laptop. Replacing several laptop components will help you avoid buying a new and expensive one. Serious laptop upgrade, especially relatively older models, are produced without problems, since almost all the main components for them (processor, hard drive, RAM, wireless communication module) are commercially available. The motherboard specification imposes certain restrictions. The processor can only be selected from the socket that your motherboard belongs to. The main requirement for RAM modules and hard drive is compatibility with the motherboard, so before you start choosing components for your laptop, find the technical specifications of your model on the Internet (for example, on the manufacturer’s website or Yandex.Market), or install the FinalWire program on your laptop, which will help get information about laptop hardware. In the vast majority of cases, the video card cannot be updated, since it is integrated into the motherboard.
Before disassemble laptop, you should understand which components of the laptop cause its poor performance.
RAM
If your laptop slows down Only in cases where many programs are running at the same time, or when opening large files, does it clearly lack RAM. As a result, the operating system is forced to continuously save data on the hard drive, which is subsequently read from it. All this greatly slows down the computer. It is recommended to increase the amount of memory if your Windows XP laptop has less than 1 GB of RAM installed. If we are talking about Vista or “Seven” OS, it would be wiser to install at least 2-3 GB. Using 4 GB or more makes sense only in cases where you have a 64-bit version of the OS installed.
Today on sale you can find RAM modules of DDR1, DDR2 and DDR3 standards (although the first type is much less common), operating at different clock frequencies. The CPU-Z utility will help you determine the type and characteristics of the installed RAM, and will also tell you how many modules are located under the case cover. You will get maximum performance if you have two identical RAM modules installed with the same timings (CAS Latency), now in stores it is easy to find such kits, 2 modules of 1 GB or 2 modules of 2 GB.
HDD
If your laptop takes more than two to three minutes to boot into the OS, first you should review the installed programs and remove unnecessary ones from the startup list, which the free program Ccleaner or the free PC Decrapifier utility will help you with. If this doesn't help, the problem may be with the hard drive itself. Budget laptops for the mass market are often equipped with rather slow HDDs. The maximum increase in operating speed - even greater than when replacing the central processor or RAM - can be achieved by installing a solid-state drive. True, buying an SSD cannot yet be called a budget solution, but now you can already find quite affordable models costing about 3,000 rubles. (for example, OCZ company), but when using an SDD disk, do not forget to optimize the OS: disable or transfer swap files to another disk, turn off defragmentation, indexing and other services (for this you can use the SSD Tweaker program).
A compromise between the high speed of an SSD drive and the large capacity of a classic HDD is the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive. However, if your laptop was manufactured in 2006–2007 or even earlier, then most likely it is equipped with an IDE interface for connecting a hard drive, which can be precisely determined using the same Everest utility. Hard drives with an IDE interface are quite rare on sale today, and their maximum capacity is 320 GB. In addition, their cost per gigabyte is almost twice as much as that of models with a SATA interface.
CPU
The fact that the laptop processor is outdated is indicated to the user by delays during system operation and when playing high-definition video files. Before deciding on replacing the processor in a laptop, You should find out on the official website of Intel or AMD the type of socket (processor socket), as well as the maximum power consumption level of your CPU. These parameters of the new processor must be identical to those of the old component.
Also note that if we are only talking about slow HD video playback on an old laptop, then a simpler alternative would be to equip it with a Broadcom Crystal HD hardware decoder, which is installed in a free Mini PCI Express slot and deals exclusively with hardware acceleration of high-definition video playback. You can purchase it on the eBay online auction for prices starting from $40 (1,120 rubles), but this method is not suitable for owners of laptops produced before 2008.
Wi-Fi module
If you are tired of the slowness of your laptop on a wireless network, you should replace Wi-fi module. It is also recommended to replace this component for security reasons, since the chip released a long time ago, instead of the current WPA2 encryption algorithm, only supports WPA or outdated WEP. The maximum increase in connection speed and communication range will be ensured by installing a WLAN module of the modern 802.11n standard. As a rule, for a mobile computer manufactured in 2006–2007 and older, you will need a Mini PCI module, and for newer laptops, a Mini PCI Express module. In the latter case, I recommend the Intel 6200 or the three-antenna version of the Intel 6300.
Blu-ray drive
To install a Blu-ray drive, your laptop must have a fairly powerful processor, at least Core 2 Duo. This is the main, but not the only condition - the screen resolution must be at least 1280x720 pixels. It makes sense to install this type of drive also if the laptop is equipped with an HDMI connector for connecting to a TV. The cost of a Bluray drive in the Slim Line form factor today is about 4,000 rubles, but this will be of interest to enthusiasts who want to save money on buying a Bluray player for their LCD or plasma TV.
Battery
Replacing the battery in a laptop It’s not difficult, just type your laptop model and the word “battery” into a search engine and you will find in stores both an analogue of the original battery and a high-capacity battery. Over time, laptop batteries inevitably lose their capacity, reducing battery life. A new battery can cost 3,500 rubles. and higher, especially for older models.
Selecting components for upgrading a laptop
RAM, hard drives and Blu-ray drives for laptops are standard hardware that can be purchased at almost any computer store. However, keep in mind that components of outdated standards are much more expensive than modern components. Therefore, it hardly makes sense to purchase a new hard drive if your laptop is equipped with an IDE interface. Today, a 320GB model with this legacy connector costs more than a 750GB SATA drive.
The same can be said about RAM modules: 1 GB of DDR1 standard today is more expensive than 4 GB of memory of the current DDR3 standard. The situation is more complicated with the possibility of purchasing a central processor: in stores, as a rule, you can only find modern models. Nevertheless, you can still find processors from previous years on the Internet and in markets, for example Core 2 Duo/Quad. Products of even more advanced age (meaning WLAN modules and single-core processors) will have to be purchased second-hand, but their price, as a rule, turns out to be quite affordable.
Replacing components of an old laptop
To work, you will need a Phillips screwdriver, thermal paste and some alcohol. The location of the components using the example of a Samsung P10 laptop is shown in the photograph. The simplest upgrade procedure is to replace RAM modules: unscrew the bottom cover of the laptop and pull the module out of the slot, pressing the latches on both sides and sliding the component to the side opposite the slot. Installing a new memory module is quite simple: you need to insert it into the slot, press it against the laptop body and secure the latches.
If you bought a new hard drive or SSD drive, you should immediately purchase a separate case for it with a USB connector. Install the new drive into this case and connect it to the laptop. Using an imaging program such as Acronis True Image, Paragon Drive Copy, or any other data archiving program, transfer the contents of the old drive to the new one. After this, you can replace the drive and start the laptop with your operating system and a full package of installed programs.
Before you begin replacing the processor, you should update the BIOS to the latest firmware version, which is available for download on the manufacturer's website. Otherwise, if the motherboard cannot recognize the new CPU, the computer simply will not start. Don’t forget to buy another tube of thermal paste along with the processor (domestic, proven KPT-8). You can remove the processor itself by turning the fixing screw counterclockwise (see photo). Clean the layer of thermal conductive paste, removing any residue with alcohol or glass cleaner if necessary. Now you can install a new processor and, after applying new thermal paste to its surface, mount the cooler.
At replacing the WLAN module You should check how many antennas there are in the old component of your laptop. One antenna allows communication with a data transfer rate of no more than 150 Mbit/s, two - 300 Mbit/s. To operate at 450 Mbps, you need the latest wireless module connected to three antennas. To replace the old module, remove the antenna plugs from it, press both holders outward, then pull the module up and carefully remove it. When inserting a new module, align it with the guides and connect the antennas. The Blu-ray drive easily replaces your laptop's old optical drive. To do this, unscrew the screws securing the drive at the bottom of the housing and remove it. There is a holder at the back of the drive that must be removed from the old component and screwed onto the new one. In most cases, by first pulling out the tray, you can detach the front panel from the old optical device and move it to the new drive. Then slide it into place, tighten the screws, and you're done.
Installing RAM
Small RAM slots. RAM modules for laptops have the SO-DIMM form factor - they are half the size of conventional modules for desktop PCs.
The procedure for replacing modules: to remove the old memory module, you must press the latches on both sides. The new one must be inserted into the slot and pressed until it clicks.
Installing a Hard Drive
Recommended capacity up to 750 GB or fast SSD as an alternative. 
Extraction. When the bottom cover is open, unscrew the screws securing the hard drive chassis and disconnect the cable (most often, a plastic clip is used to secure the cable, which must be lifted up).
Install the new drive in the chassis of the old one and mount it in the old location.
CPU replacement
The processor is secured with a screw. The CPU in a laptop is mounted differently than the same component in a desktop computer. Here, to dismantle it, you will need to unscrew a special screw.
Replacing thermal paste. It is necessary to evenly distribute a thin layer of thermal paste over the entire surface of the chip for better heat transfer between the processor and the radiator of its cooler.
Replacing an old Wi-Fi module with a WLAN
WLAN module. A Mini PCI Express expansion card with an 802.11n WLAN module can have three connectors for connecting antennas (on the left).
Installing a Wi-Fi module. Like the RAM stick, the WLAN module must first be inserted into the guides and then a downward force must be applied.
Blu-ray drive
Removing the old DVD drive. After unscrewing the fastening screw, the optical drive is easily removed from the laptop case.
You need to install the holder and front panel on the new drive before you begin mounting the DVD or Blu-Ray drive into the mobile computer case.
In some cases, the user has to deal with a situation where the laptop is running slowly, but this problem can be easily fixed if you put in a little effort and spend some extra money to speed up the work. Information on how to install a USB 3.0 controller. Provide CHIP, where you can also find out possible ways to increase RAM, install a solid-state drive, replace a too slow WLAN with a more productive one, and install an HD video accelerator.
A laptop made a couple of years ago is suitable for solving a large list of problems, if it has a quad-core processor and a discrete graphics card, it is ideal in most cases. However, sometimes you have to face a situation when a powerful laptop designed for gaming begins to slowly process information and respond to user commands. Most often this is copying files from external media, using a wireless network to transfer data, downloading an OS or applications.
The main assistant in this case will be a detailed manual, which contains all the necessary information on upgrading your computer. From it you can learn how to install a solid-state drive, WLAN module, USB 3.0 controller and memory module. You can buy all these components by going to the website of the online store it-tehnika.ru
It is not so easy to disassemble a laptop and replace elements that have expired; the situation is simpler with a desktop computer. This is one of the reasons why most people simply buy a new laptop rather than try to upgrade the one they already have. In fact, you can save impressively if you replace the storage device, change the WLAN module and work on the RAM.
As practice shows, replacing a USB 3.0 controller with ports, which is done in the ExpressCard format, is quite simple, such work can be compared with the ease of using a memory card. Replacing a hard drive that does not differ in data processing speed with a faster solid-state drive is done by unscrewing several screws. Similar manipulations can increase the size of RAM. It will be a little more difficult to find a mini PCI Express connector in the design in order to install a WLAN adapter and a solid-state drive into it, but with such a detailed guide, the user will be able to do this. Here you will learn that a specific expansion board is also installed in this connector, which in the world of specialists is known as an HD decoder.
Patience is the main thing that will come in handy for a user who decides to install an additional WLAN antenna. Care and caution must be used when dismantling the frame around the display. This is where the wireless antennas are located, which you need to get close to.
Installing a USB 3.0 controller
It will not be a secret for a professional that the interface that the USB 2.0 controller has is outdated. The first reason why the information transfer speed is limited when using an external drive. If the laptop has an ExpressCard slot, the user can easily cope with the problem. A USB 3.0 controller with ExpressCard format and a width of 3.4 centimeters fits perfectly into a connector of the same size or 5.4 centimeters. It is offered for sale by many manufacturers for 500 rubles. The included adapter supplies power to the ports from the USB connector. You will also need to install a licensed driver from the manufacturer.
Increasing the amount of RAM
On laptops with less than 4 GB of RAM, it is worth working hard to increase this figure by installing an additional module. After such transformations, the speed of data processing will increase significantly. Before you buy a new chip, which must be SO-DIMM format, you need to run CPU-Z. The “memory” tab contains data on the parameters of the installed module. You can see the availability of a free slot on another “SPD” tab. If such a slot is available, it will be necessary to place a chip with similar technical characteristics in it. To do this, you need to unscrew the screws located on the cover covering the RAM compartment and remove it. You should look for it on the bottom surface of the computer; there may even be markings in the form of a RAM module. By moving the clamps away, the connector can be safely pulled. A new memory module is inserted there and the module is closed in reverse order.
Installing an SSD with a SATA connector
If the computer you are using has a hard drive with a SATA interface, improving its performance is possible by replacing the hard drive with a solid-state drive. In most cases, you can find the drive on the side or bottom of the case. The cover can only be removed by unscrewing a few bolts. The hard drive is removed with a metal frame, only after this it is separated from it using the same method. The user is required to remember what position the disk was in, so that later they can install a solid-state disk in its place. When choosing a model, you should pay attention to faster and more capacious solutions offered by manufacturers. Such a device can then be used on another laptop. Finally, the frame with the solid-state drive is installed in its original place, and power is connected to it. In the future, you will need to reinstall the operating system on your computer.
Installing an SSD with an mSATA connector
On some laptops, the manufacturer has provided two slots for mini PCI Express expansion. One has a WLAN communication module, the other can be used. As a rule, a wireless modem or any other extensions are installed in it. Almost every modern laptop has such slots compatible with solid-state drives, but the user will have to try hard to get to the element. For this work, you will need a screwdriver, which can be used to remove the keyboard and the top cover of the computer case. Depending on the computer, the parsing process may differ; a more detailed guide is available online in the public domain. After disassembling the laptop, the drive is placed in a free slot and screwed with bolts to ensure reliable fixation.
Connecting an HD video accelerator
Additional equipment of the computer with an HD video accelerator helps in situations where, when playing video, the screen appears to underload or the computer makes a lot of noise and heats up. An excellent model for installation would be the DCM-70015 from Broadcom. The average cost of a part is 1 thousand rubles. Installation is carried out in the same sequence as with a solid-state drive. Afterwards you will have to work hard and install the necessary drivers; they are available on the manufacturer’s official website. Lastly, the flash player is reinstalled and the Broadcom decoder is activated through the settings.
Replacing the WLAN adapter
Users who are faced with the problem of slow data transfer over an external network should consider replacing the outdated WLAN module. As a replacement, it is recommended to choose the Intel AC7260, costing 800 rubles. Before removing the old adapter, it is important to remember where each of its antennas was installed. After replacing the module, they will need to be put back in place.
WLAN Antenna Installation
Only one WLAN antenna can be installed on a computer. Or they may be faulty, in which case it is recommended to replace them. It is important when ordering a part to ensure that it is suitable for use at 2.4 and 5 GHz. They should be installed between the two halves of the display frame. To open access you will need to unscrew several bolts around the body and move the latches. One antenna is installed vertically, the other horizontally, then the cables are connected to the wireless module, and the laptop is put back together.
Laptops are not as easy to upgrade as desktop PCs. The matter is aggravated by the fact that modern laptops are becoming increasingly difficult to upgrade - the user is only able to update the RAM and solid-state drive in the laptop.
In general, it is a bad idea to buy a laptop with plans for its further modernization.
PCs vs Laptops
If you had to, or just open the case, then you know just a few screws and get easy access to all the hardware. The installed components are located on connectors and can be easily replaced. Even if you buy an assembled system unit, you can always replace everything that is installed there. Some manufacturers may try to make upgrading system units more difficult, but even so, upgrading it is easier than an average laptop.
. You can't build your own laptop - i.e. you don't decide what configuration is needed, you buy a laptop from the manufacturer, and choose only those configurations that the company provides. And modern ultrabooks or Apple MacBooks are becoming thinner and lighter, and in principle they are not intended to be upgraded by the user.
Difficulties in upgrading a laptop
The main difficulties of upgrading a laptop:
- Case: Many laptops come from the factory with non-disassembled cases. Glue is used instead of screws
- Even if your laptop is disassembled, it is not so easy to get to the processor, for example. You may need to remove the keyboard, unscrew quite a few screws, etc.
- Components are soldered: Most devices come with components soldered. You can’t just replace it; this requires at least special equipment, and preferably also a lot of experience. You can accidentally kill someone with completely unskilled actions. And the update will turn into a tragic repair
- Warranty: Even if you can open your laptop and replace some of the components, most laptop manufacturers claim that doing so will void the warranty. Then, if a malfunction is discovered, even not related to the upgrade, the seller will see that you were hiding the case, most likely will refuse warranty service, and you will have to pay for repairs.
Possible upgrade
Many laptops allow you to upgrade the following items. It is especially easy to replace on older laptops (approximately 4 years or more ago)
- RAM: If your laptop motherboard has free RAM slots, you can easily buy another stick. If there are no slots, you can remove the old strips and insert more capacious ones. The main thing is to know exactly what type of RAM you have ()
- Replacing HDD with SSD: If your laptop has a mechanical hard drive, you can try upgrading it to a solid-state one
- Replace the optical drive with an SSD: Another option is to replace the laptop's CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive with a solid-state drive. In this case, you need to select a disk enclosure to fit into the drive bay
It is possible to replace the CPU and GPU on some laptops, but it will be expensive and difficult (I would download it in a tedious way). Compatibility needs to be taken into account here. Also, different processors and graphics cards generate different amounts of heat, so your new components may generate too much heat and the cooling system may not be able to cope.
Conclusion
Don't buy a laptop with plans to upgrade. Like “Well, the RAM is a little low, but I can always add more” or “I’ll install a solid state drive to speed it up.” Check in advance and you can replace anything without the help of specialists.
One of these laptops is 8 years old, but it doesn't look old at all
There is no need to fear that a new laptop from a previous manufacturer will be less convenient than the old one - in all models, except for acrobatic “transformers”, the design and basic controls have not changed for a good ten years. And technical progress in laptops has slowed down, especially over the past 4 years, when manufacturers of mobile processors kindly abandoned mutual competition, after which the increase in power in computers began to come “by the teaspoon” once every year or two. Progress as such cannot be denied - a lot of water has passed under the bridge since 2011, and an outdated model will not be able to compete with a comparable-priced new product on an equal footing. Therefore, replacing a three or four year old computer with a current one with a similar design will most often give the owner the same feeling of quality that has disappeared over time from the previous laptop.
It is also possible that the devastation is not in the “body”, but in the “head” of the device - before you start opening your mobile computer, we advise you to make sure that the reason for the slowness does not lie in the software.
Risk group: laptops that are not suitable for upgrading
Almost every laptop has a so-called “Service Manual” - repair instructions in which the manufacturer explains how to disassemble the model (in English, however). Before you “dive headlong into the pool” and try to disassemble your pet yourself, it would be useful to evaluate the experience of other users and the manufacturer’s advice: there may be much more “messages” in the design of a laptop than it seems at first glance.
Little by little, whole classes of devices are being formed that are unsuitable or extremely troublesome for upgrading at home. First of all, these are “laptop-tablets” with a detachable keyboard, hybrid “flip-flop” laptops with a display that can rotate 360 degrees, and simply extremely thin and light Ultrabook class computers: in the latter case, the RAM is almost always soldered on the motherboard, graphics integrated into the processor, and the drive is a capacious SSD, which is extremely difficult to access.