Xbox Laptop - Using an old laptop half the work?

[SamS]

Hello this is my first post here. Im a big fan of Mr.Heck and finally decided to sign up on the forums here.

After admiring the Xbox360 laptop for months now I really want to make my own laptop out of a console.

Im not any way familiar with hardware or anything. I barely know what soldering is...

I have an Xbox though which I never use packed with a 400GB PATA HD and it would be really useful if made portable/laptop. I would also like to install Linux on it too to make it like a real PC.

I have an old Dell Inspiron 9200 lying around which could be put to more use also. I also have some spare laptop parts from an older laptop, 80GB laptop HD, 2x 512mb mini RAM sticks and a wifi mini pci stick. I have at least 4 unused AC's too.

Would it be easier to cut up this laptop and just wire the xbox hardware into it and make a new case if needed?

I am a complete newbie to all this but am really willing to learn. I have around €150 cash on my hands and willing to spend. Ive got lots of time too.

Located in Dublin, Ireland if it helps.

[bicostp]

Don't even bother trying to use that laptop. You can't use the laptop's screen, all the laptop parts besides the hard drive are useless to the Xbox motherboard, and the motherboard probably won't fit in the case anyway, since it needs active cooling. (Fans and heatsinks.)

You mentioned Xbox Linux? Well, the Inspiron 9200 is far more powerful than the original Xbox, which was basically a Pentium III with 64 MB of RAM and an Nvidia graphics card. Don't bother with that, just make it a game console.

If you're talking about the 360, forget about it. That sucker needs a beast of a cooling system and there's no way you're going to fit it into a laptop case without adding a bunch of height.

I'm not trying to turn you off building an Xbox portable, it's just that it will be easier in the long run to make your own case.

You might want to start off with something simpler, like a Super Nintendo or a NOAC, before diving into such an elaborate project.

[SamS]

Thank you for the reply mate.

1.) It is an original Xbox.

2.) I am more than willing to make my own case, a briefcase like the one I saw on here might be good to use.

3.) I dont want to start with anything else as I dont want to buy a console I dont have.

4.) Why wont the screen work?

5.) Could I follow the Xbox360 laptop tutorial for the original Xbox?

[CronoTriggerfan]

You're jumping into this project WAY premature, man. No doubt all of us here salivate over the 360 laptops, but you have to understand all that goes into them.

I respect the fact that you're articulating yourself well, but based on the kinds of questions you're asking and your admittance to not having much experience, my advice is to get some before you even contemplate attempting a project on this scale. I mean, I've seen some new people come here and do some pretty amazing projects, but all of them had a technical background or some know-how in the realm of these things. Besides, a number of these questions can be answered by simply looking www.portablesofdoom.org , the Benheck Wiki, and all of the stickies. So read up, analyze exactly what it is you're getting yourself into, and then make a decision.

Until then, locked.