Modular, repairable, upgradeable laptops are awesome (and extremely rare), especially now that Rammageddon is making new machines so crazy expensive. But one question remains: What do you do with the leftover parts you end up with after a CPU, RAM, or storage upgrade? You could definitely donate them, but you could also turn them into a tiny desktop computer. MNT, makers of the cyberdeckian Reform modular laptop, just announced the $299 MNT Station Case, an aluminum box designed to house cast-off parts from its laptops. And back in 2023, Framework teamed up with computer case and peripheral maker Cooler Master to create the Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard Case, which does the same thing for around 40 bucks, and also includes VESA mounting points to bolt this to the back of your monitor. So, why the massive difference in price? Why aren’t there more products like this? And what’s the point? Who needs a tiny desktop machine anyway? ### Non-Mac mini Let’s address that last question first. If you want to know how useful a tiny, power-sipping, always-ready computer can be around the house, just ask anybody who bought a Mac mini. Those little boxes are popular in part because they are cheap (or at least they used to be), but also because they are so easy to set and forget, or to use a fully-featured desktop computer. MNT’s aluminum Station Case. Photo: MNT With Framework’s VESA-mountable case, for example, you can turn any display into a Linux- or Windows-running iMac equivalent. Other options are to hook up some old hard drives and run it as a network storage device, letting your other computers back up to it automatically. Or turn it into a home media server, filled with music and videos that you can stream to your laptop, tablet, phone, or TV. One other advantage is that this used to be a laptop, so it’s designed to be low powered. And any fans may already be mounted on the main board, so you don’t have to worry about cooling and/or the extra noise of a desktop PC fan. ### Too Niche So why isn’t this kind of thing more common? You can probably guess. The main reason is that almost no laptops are modular. The Framework is the only mainstream laptop I could find with an upgradeable CPU, and the MNT Reform is amazing, but hardly the kind of thing you’ll be issued at your corporate job. Even the very best of mass-market laptops, like Lenovo’s T14 (which scored 10/10 on iFixit’s repairability scale), don’t have swappable CPUs or main boards. At best, you might be able to swap out the RAM or storage, but that’s not enough to build a computer. And the current trend in laptop design is to cram more and more previously-separate components onto the mainboard, especially RAM. Apple’s self-developed chips go so far as to fully combine RAM and CPU into one system on chip. Even if more mainboards were replaceable, they would require custom cases to contain them. Unlike the standardized parts for hobbyist PC builders, laptop parts are custom-designed to squeeze into a tiny space. ### 3D Printing The answer to this is 3D-printed enclosures, which would frankly be a better alternative to MNT’s $300 aluminum case. But given that most people cannot upgrade their laptops, and therefore will not have a spare mainboard to use, this point is moot. That’s not to say that 3D printing has no place. You might, for example, print an enclosure that turns your old Framework parts into a (thick) tablet computer. But this remains the domain of hobbyists. In reality, most people who want to turn an old laptop into a desktop computer will be better off just keeping it as a laptop. Inside the Station Case. You could probably print one yourself. Photo: MNT Most laptops can be used in “clamshell” mode, which just means running it with the lid closed. You might need a software hack to do this without connecting an external display, or you can use a dummy HDMI plug that tricks the computer into thinking there’s a physical monitor attached. Running a laptop as a desktop like this offers many of the advantages of a regular desktop . You can leave it plugged into power, so an ailing battery is no longer a concern, and you can hook it up to a USB-C or Thunderbolt hub and connect all the peripherals and external drives you like. ### Mainstream Repairability What this story really highlights is how far repairability still needs to go. I spoke with some sustainability-minded, non-nerd friends while writing this article, and they don’t really ever think about the possibilities of reusing parts like this. My partner, who is of course fully aware of being able to repair computers and phones, said that they would still be scared of opening up any machine, even something as easy as the Framework or the Lenovo. I spent several days on the iFixit table at this year’s Mobile World congress in Barcelona, helping to demonstrate the repairability of Lenovo’s T14 laptop. The best part of this was encouraging folks to open it up, remove the parts, and then put it all back together again. ### ## Lenovo ThinkPad T14s/T490s/T495s Battery - L18M3PD1 Replace a L18M3PD1 model battery compatible with Lenovo ThinkPad T14s, T490s, and T495s laptops. 4830 mAh. 57 Watt Hours (Wh). 11.52 Volts (V). $79.99 On Sale $79.99 Shop Now People were amazed. Some didn’t even realize you _could_ open up a laptop like this. While it was very gratifying for us to open people’s eyes like this, it also shows how badly the system is broken. Repairable devices shouldn’t just be a nerdy luxury for those in the know. This kind of thing should be a) ubiquitous and b) common knowledge amongst regular users. People were never scared about swapping a battery in their old Nokia 3310s. We should be equally unconcerned about switching out the storage in our laptops.

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Omarchy should not matter. But sadly it does. As a power grab. If you don’t know what Omarchy is here’s the short summary. David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of RubyOnRails, owner of a software business and millionaire, decided a few months ago to go all in on Linux and – because that’s just his MO – […]