Supported device repairs

Although we have years of experience and the vast majority of devices can be repaired, some devices are unfortunately not designed to be repaired or upgraded. As such, these devices will be partially or completely unserviceable.  Below is a non-exhaustive list of most devices that apply:

Laptops

Desktops

Phones

Consoles

Terminology

CPU: Stands for Central Processing Unit, essentially the brains of a computer. It handles general-purpose operations like web browsing, Google Docs, etc. Some models come with an integrated graphics processor, although these are weaker compared to discrete GPUs. CPUs consist of a small number of large cores (little processing units) (2-16 usually, up to 64 and up for HEDT/workstation systems) clocked at a high frequency (up to, and exceeding 5 GHz). 

GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, which handles 3D and compute workloads like gaming, compute, etc. Integrated GPUs (iGPUs) can be included in the CPU. These are fine for low-power workloads but they generally aren't very powerful. Discrete GPUs (dGPUs) consume far more power, but they can also be much faster than an iGPU. GPUs consist of many small cores that may number in the thousands, at a lower frequency (usually under 3 GHz).

RAM: Stands for Random-Access Memory, and is completely different from storage. This stores short-term data that can be accessed quickly. When you turn the computer off, the RAM contents also disappear. RAM can come soldered to the board, or upgradeable as SODIMMs (laptops) or DIMMs (desktops).  Adding more RAM will allow the computer to handle more things at once (like opening more browser tabs). Notably, a higher RAM frequency will improve the performance of the CPU and any iGPU.

Storage: This is where all your important files are, including the OS (Windows, MacOS, etc.). It is much slower than RAM, but it is fine for its purpose. The two types of storage are HDD and SSD. SSDs are significantly faster than HDDs, while HDDs provide much more cost-efficient storage. However, SSDs can only be written to a finite amount of times since NAND flash tends to wear out as it's written to.

Thermal paste: An often-white or gray toothpaste-like substance that fills out surface imperfections between two surfaces to improve thermal transfer. Laptops and desktops will overheat without thermal paste! The default paste that comes out of the factory with the device is usually hard, dry, and much worse than aftermarket alternatives, like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, Noctua NT-H2, and Arctic MX-5. It is sold by the gram or milliliter, and even a small tube should be enough for most devices. Replacing the thermal paste can greatly improve temperatures and extend the lifespan of a device.

Overheating: Also referred to as "thermal throttling", this is when a chip lowers its frequency (and therefore its performance) to reduce its heat output when it reaches a critical temperature. For most processors, this occurs at 100 C or lower. Every 10 C reduction in processor temperatures doubles the lifespan. Frequent overheating can lead to the early failure of a component. (Looking at you, Apple.) Furthermore, overheating can make it that a laptop with faster parts on paper is outperformed by a non-overheating laptop with slower parts.

Heatsink: A piece of copper and aluminum that increases the surface area for heat dissipation. Without one, many components like the CPU and GPU would overheat. 


Guides, tools, and parts

iFixit is a great electronics repair company the provides repair guides, replacement parts, and toolkits (which we use). If you want to try a simple repair yourself, try taking a look at their site.