› #22 of 30 · The Machine

Graphics card / GPU

The chip that made modern AI possible

Build the real thing

Teardown

Teardown of a used card

Take apart an old graphics card: the fan shroud, the heatsink, and the GPU chip in the middle, ringed by its own memory. A CPU has a few big, clever cores; a GPU has thousands of small ones working at the same time.

Cost: $$ · $25–$100
Time: One session
Screens: No screen needed

For the grown-up

Heatsink fins and the solder points on the back are sharp, and older boards use lead solder: wear gloves and wash hands after. A grown-up removes any coin-cell battery, which is dangerous if swallowed. Never salvage from a machine that is still plugged in, and leave its power supply closed.

Build it in bricks

Bricks readyTabletop

187 pieces · 17 steps · Medium · parts checked September 24, 2026

Booklet: Activities Pass members now · free for email subscribers from October 29, 2026

Members: download booklet

Where to buy the parts

The parts lists are free. Booklet: Activities Pass members now · free for email subscribers from October 29, 2026.

Do this on a computer: you save a file here, then upload it to the store.

BrickLink: Wanted List (XML)
Open the file in a text editor and copy all of it. On BrickLink, choose Want → Upload → BrickLink XML format, paste, verify the items, then add them to a Wanted List.
LEGO Pick a Brick: Parts upload (CSV)
A US & Canada beta, and some parts may not be stocked. On Pick a Brick, choose Upload list, add this file, then Upload.
BrickOwl: BrickLink XML
On BrickOwl, choose Wishlist → Import → Import BrickLink XML and upload this file.
Rebrickable: BrickLink XML
Make a Part List on Rebrickable, choose Import/Delete Parts, then upload this file on the BrickLink XML tab.

Full parts list with part numbers (CSV)

Parts data: Rebrickable, checked September 24, 2026.

The AI ideas it connects to

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