So, I’ve been messing around with this whole cyberpunk thing lately, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I finally decided to take the plunge and build my own cyberdeck, you know, like those cool hackers use in the movies. I picked up a copy of that Cyberpunk RED Easy Mode thing. It’s like a starter pack for this whole world. It really helped me understand what’s going on in Night City and the world, and I’m really digging it.
First thing I did was I grabbed a cheap, beat-up laptop from a pawn shop. I mean, it was practically begging to be turned into something cooler. Tore that thing apart, ripped out all the guts – keyboard, screen, everything. Felt pretty badass, not gonna lie.

Then came the fun part – piecing it all back together. I ordered a bunch of parts online. I spent hours soldering wires, connecting circuits, and trying to figure out which end of the LED strip was up. My workbench looked like a bomb went off in a tech store, but hey, that’s part of the process, right?
- The Case: Kept the bottom half of the laptop chassis. It was already sturdy and had that industrial vibe. I spray-painted it matte black because, obviously, it has to be black.
- The Guts: Replaced the motherboard with a single-board computer. Much smaller and more powerful than the original. I got one that had some decent processing power and a good amount of RAM. And it had to have built-in Wi-Fi, otherwise, what’s the point?
- The Display: Got a small, high-resolution touchscreen. It fit perfectly where the old screen used to be. I wanted it to be touch-sensitive so I could interact with my programs directly. This is where the content of Cyberpunk RED really helped me.
- The Keyboard: This was tricky. I ended up using a mini wireless keyboard. It’s compact and fits right in my bag. I might even customize it later with some glowing keycaps.
- The Power: Used a high-capacity portable battery pack. It can power the whole thing for hours. Plus, it’s rechargeable, so I’m not constantly buying batteries.
Here’s a breakdown of what I did:
After a few late nights and more than a few close calls with the soldering iron, I finally got it working. I loaded it up with some basic hacking software, some of them just for testing and showing off. And I can tell you, it’s pretty damn cool to see this thing in action. I can access networks, run simple programs, and even play some retro games. I learned that I can add one additional slot to upgrade my cyberdeck, so my poor quality one can get 6 slots while an excellent quality one can get 10. That’s amazing.
It’s not perfect, of course. There are still some bugs to work out, and I’m always looking for ways to improve it. It’s an ongoing project. But that’s the fun of it, right? You’re always learning, always tinkering, always making it better. And I’m already planning my next upgrade. Maybe I’ll add some more LEDs, or maybe I’ll try to build a custom interface. The possibilities are endless.
Anyway, that’s my cyberdeck story. It’s been a hell of a journey, and I’m excited to see where it takes me next. If you’re thinking about building your own, just go for it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s totally worth it. Maybe we can even form a team to play Cyberpunk RED together. That will be fantastic!