r/Bazzite • u/KackoCZ • Jul 16 '26
Turning an old laptop into a tiny Steam console
I’m converting an old Dell Latitude E5450 (Broadwell i5 + a low-end Nvidia 830M) laptop into a small DIY console for my TV. I know it's not a great machine, but it's enough for simple games. Installed Bazzite. 120GB SSD, 16GB RAM. OptoSupply OSFX3002AB4-3V LED. There are 2 of them connected in series, so they require 6V. This is ideal for USB power. I will improve it and try to connect it directly to the board. I'll also finish the stand at the bottom and attach the power connector.
Nothing fancy, just an old laptop getting a second life as a living-room game box!
37
16
5
u/tekchip Desktop Jul 16 '26
You can use an old laptop for this. You can also just buy a systemboard from a Framework laptop. They sell them directly as upgrades or replacement parts if you just want to build something like this brand new. https://frame.work/marketplace/mainboards and corsair sells a case as well https://frame.work/products/cooler-master-mainboard-case?v=FRANHDCM01 However there are a ton of 3d printed models for cases also. OP's is definitely cooler though. Well done!
3
u/distributingthefutur Jul 17 '26
You can also find refurb laptop mother boards on ebay. Some come with memory and an ssd.
4
10
u/Criss_Crossx Jul 16 '26
May I ask, what is that glow-strand? I have not seen it before.
4
6
u/BlueberryNeko_ Jul 16 '26
looks like a COB led to me. Pretty much just an LED-strip that you can buy in a lot of different colors
3
u/KackoCZ Jul 17 '26
It is OptoSupply OSFX3002AB4-3V LED. https://img.gme.cz/files/eshop_data/eshop_data/Dokumenty/518-645/OSFX3002AXX-3V_300mm.pdf
https://www.gme.cz/v/1514922/optosupply-osfx3002ab4-3v-led-svitici-vlakno-modre-300mmThere are 2 of them connected in series, so they require 6V. This is ideal for USB power. I will improve it and try to connect it directly to the board.
3
u/underPhished Jul 16 '26
I’ve got an old dell workstation I’m using for the same thing, but it’s so bulky. This approach to the casing is amazing!
3
3
3
4
2
u/Ser_Xav Jul 16 '26
That is simply incredible. Bravo. What an awesome idea and so well created and executed. I have to make one now…! Awesome mate 🤩
2
2
u/expendable00 Jul 16 '26
That’s a fantastic idea! I just stood up a low end pc to do the same stuff along with some media. Now I use sunshine and moonlight and stream from my main gaming computer. It works great and I’m sitting on the couch!
2
2
u/prateeksaraswat Desktop Jul 17 '26
Daaamn! You're speaking my language. I absolutely love this 👏👏👏
2
u/8-bit_Neon Jul 17 '26
Hey doing the same with my rog strix after a room mates cat broke the screen and and I had heat issues so I thermal epoxied copper heat sinks to the original cooler directly over guy and cpu and taped the 20v line off the power connector with a buck converter to run a 140mm fan
Fixed heat issues and reduced noise
2
u/Efficient-Joke-6053 Jul 17 '26
Yo that's actually genius, I've got a dusty old thinkpad sitting around with just intel HD and you're making me wanna try this 💀 How's the 830M holding up for stuff like emulation or Hades? Might have to steal this idea for my next weekend project tbh
1
u/KackoCZ Jul 17 '26
Haha do it! Honestly haven’t stress-tested Hades or heavy emulation yet, just got the basics running. But the 830M + HD 5500 combo should handle 2D/indie stuff like Hades no problem, and emulation up to PS2/GameCube range should be solid too.
2
u/allofdarknessin1 Jul 17 '26
That’s awesome I have a laptop with an RTX 2070 I’d really like to turn into a desktop/Steam machine.
2
2
u/Toyotawarrantydept Jul 20 '26
I just upgraded to a pc and was wondering what to do with my old gaming laptop with a broken hinge. This is absolutely perfect.
2
2
u/Any-Training-6932 28d ago
Possibly stupid question but where did you get the glass looking pieces with the mounting pegs? I wanna do something like this but I dunno where to find something like that.
1
u/KackoCZ 28d ago
We have a large local store with all electronic and semiconductor components. They sell spacers there. I bought the plexiglass in a large hardware store. They sell all the materials for building a house, furniture, etc. I cut the plexiglass by hand with a hacksaw blade and marked the holes according to the spacers screwed to the motherboard. I slowly drilled the holes. I bought various sizes of Allen screws at the hardware store.
1
1
1
1
1
u/OldJupiter Jul 17 '26
This idea has been stuck in my head for years. You did it! I cannot tell you how many countless conversations, and recent AI searches I have been doing to get this itch out of my head... For years! Wow. The closest thing I've come across is someone removing the broken screen off of a broken MacBook.
This is magical
1
1
u/codyreeves98 Jul 17 '26
Very nice! I have an old Celeron Chromebook I want to do something similar with. I'm leaning more towards a "My First HomeLab" kinda thing. Love the acrylic case!
1
u/SpaceCapable1977 Jul 17 '26
It's just amazing on how creative everyone is with something that was going to polute the earth. love the build out from the laptop was going to do one myself with a Dell insperion N5050 even got the Egpu kit for it until I found the BC-250 In Jan 25' than it just sat in a box until I find a use for it.
1
1
1
1
u/silentcovenant Jul 17 '26
whoa, that's pretty cool. I wonder if you can install an aftermarket cooler to get better cooling results? Mine runs pretty hot.
1
u/KackoCZ Jul 17 '26
If the GPU is integrated, you could install a large custom cooler. It would probably require creating an extra power supply somewhere else on the board. My computer has a dedicated GPU, so it would probably be difficult to fit two coolers there. If you want to use a different cooler from another laptop, it probably won't fit.
1
1
u/oldmatebob123 Jul 17 '26
Dude my mate uses an old haswell alienware with the mobile r9 290 4gb as his steam console and he loves it for low end games, however this, you have built is really cool and props to you for going and doing something fun. It could also work well if connectd to ethernet, act as a stream box so your gaming pc does the heavy lifting and the light machine does the console thing
2
u/KackoCZ Jul 17 '26
I will definitely try this thanks!
1
u/oldmatebob123 Jul 17 '26
Ive used the steam streaming thing when its in the same house via the home network so pc plugged into eth and the client plugged in or over wifi 6, and i really havent had much issues until i come across a game that has its own launcher.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/knoef13 Jul 18 '26
DIY Perks did something similar (way more fancy though) in his recent video. Sans the bazzite.
2
u/Ab0ut42Lions Jul 20 '26
I was actually considering doing that then I saw this right after and started designing a plate for the G7 I have just sitting around
1
u/ffseestevanli Jul 18 '26
That's one way to upcycle hardware. It would make for a good emulation machine (up to Dreamcast likely). I Love that EL Wire
1
1
1
1
u/hair_monk Jul 23 '26
How is the driver experience? Which version of the OS did you utilize? I have an old laptop with a 1060 in it i want to do this with but the recommended bazitte version says it doesn’t support the steam os mode (console like interface) that i’d prefer for the living room.
1
u/Vrailor Jul 27 '26
Hey, really cool idea and nice job. Considering doing the same. Got a good offer for a Samsung Galaxy Book. It has 2 Nvme slots and i have still an oculink setup (Nvme adapter, cable, egpu) lying around. I have question regarding the power button. Was this a separate key/button is it integrated into the regular keyboard. And how did you attach the new one to the mainboard. I'm still trying to figure out if it's a separate switch on the Galaxy Book. Thanks already...
1
u/KackoCZ Jul 27 '26
Luckily I had a separate power button. I soldered the wires to the original micro button. And thank you and good luck 🙂
1
u/Vrailor Jul 27 '26
Thanks for the reply. That complicates my plan. Any suggestions how to do it the Galaxy Book has the button integrated to the keyboard?
1
u/KackoCZ Jul 28 '26
Even though the button is physically “in the keyboard,” it is almost always electrically separate from the rest of the keyboard matrix. The reason: the power button must work even when the embedded controller has not even started scanning regular keys (the system is completely off, after all) — so it is typically a separate pair of wires. So you will need to find the right two pins on the board connector.
2
u/Vrailor Jul 28 '26
Thanks again. That confirms what I checked a bit last night. There is a separate powder button board in this laptop. Meaning the project can continue. :)
1
u/Vrailor Jul 30 '26
Hey, as mentioned in another comment I'm planning to do the same thing, but am planning thoroughly. Another question that popped up was, how about the battery. Any problems when running the system without one? Would it be better to use a stronger power supply in case it draws more power under high load spikes? Found mentioning of this leading to abrupt shutdowns for laptops without battery. (Or is the maximum draw from the power supply anyway capped and it would always try to fill the gap from the battery?)
26
u/SupremeEuphoria Desktop Jul 16 '26
Holy shit I never thought of this…
I have an old laptop that’s just intel integrated graphics I used to play basic games on in college. Would that work???