# How a build works

Six stages from a parts list to a laptop at your door, with the time each one takes.

## 1. Configure

Start from a [preset](/laptops) or an empty [builder](/build). Parts are chosen in dependency order: assembly, chassis, mainboard, memory, storage, display, keyboard, expansion cards, graphics module, charger, operating system. A choice can only be limited by the parts before it, so picking a larger SSD never greys out your chassis. When a later part stops fitting, the builder swaps in the closest match and tells you what changed.

Assembled or kit is the first decision. Assembly and testing cost $79. A DIY kit costs nothing extra and ships without an operating system.

## 2. Check out

Add a shipping address and pick one of 43 coins. The total is parts plus the flat rate for your zone, in US dollars, shown before anything is sent.

## 3. Pay

You get a deposit address of your own and an exact amount, held for 2 hours. The order page follows the transfer as the network sees it and confirms it: nothing to refresh, no account to make. Keep the order ID, because it is the only key to that page.

## 4. Sourcing

Once the payment confirms, we order any part that is not already on the bench. Nothing is stocked on speculation, which is why lead time is a range rather than a date.

## 5. Assembly and test, or packing

An assembled laptop is built by a person and burn-in tested. A kit is packed with every part checked against your order. Lead time is 6 to 10 business days assembled and 3 to 6 as a kit.

## 6. Shipping

Builds and kits travel in an unmarked outer carton: no store name, no description of what is inside, and a plain sender name on the label. The tracking number appears on the order page when the parcel leaves. Transit takes 2 to 4 business days within the US and 7 to 14 for the farthest zones. Rates per zone are on the [shipping page](/shipping).