Best Custom Laptop Builders?

[Hack&Lube]

I'm looking for a custom/boutique laptop builder with good prices. Are there any in Canada? Most are in the U.S.

Years ago, I built a custom laptop from a barebones Compal chassis from Taiwan and it was hellish to source the individual mobile parts from wholesalers so I guess it'd be better to go with a builder/reseller even though it's slightly more expensive. It will be used for gaming, 3D modelling, programming, IT work, multiple OSes, running virtualizations, music production, etc.

I am looking specifically at the high end Clevo/Sager chassis based models such as:

http://www.avadirect.com/gaming-note...ID=19611#build

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8150-...wconfigure=yes

Etc. These are pretty powerful laptops that can house the latest i7's, Sandy Bridge, GTX485 mobile graphics, some have dual HDD bays and you can even add a third in the optical drive bay, have up to 16GB of ram, etc. and you can even choose your own LCD panel. Will absolutely destroy a high end Macbook for the 2/3 of the price.

I'd love to buy a laptop in a store here but the options are just not there for customization like I want a specific processor, don't want HDD or Optical drives. I only want a preinstalled SATA as primary, will add storage on my own, etc. I don't want a preinstalled OS, etc. and I can do those things from those stores listed above but most are in the US. Does anybody know of any cheaper sources or Canadian companies?

[dissentowner]

Go Alienware, they are powerful and they have to be the coolest looking PC's ever!
http://www.dell.com/ca/p/alienware-m17x/pd

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Go Alienware, they are powerful and they have to be the coolest looking PC's ever!
http://www.dell.com/ca/p/alienware-m17x/pd

I want a professional looking/clean/business computer for work/training that also has load of secret power. None of this gamer stuff with computers that look like the plastic is on steroids.



versus



Both laptops pictured are made by the same Taiwanese company. Guess which one is more powerful but costs the same? It's not the Alienware one.

Alienware is the Monster Cable of computers. Wait, no it's more like the Pontiac Grand Am of computers. It's nothing but molded plastic body cladding. Former Calgary based VoodooPC used to run a close-second but thankfully HP seems to have kept the Envy portion and dropped the Voodoo tribal nonsense.

[dissentowner]

So you hate Mac, you hate Alienware, and you hated Voodoo PC. So what you want is something severely boring looking with loads of power? Not sure where you get that.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

So you hate Mac, you hate Alienware, and you hated Voodoo PC. So what you want is something severely boring looking with loads of power? Not sure where you get that.

The first laptop picture that I posted is a Clevo that is about twice as powerful in terms of 3D performance as the most powerful Alienware you can currently buy from Dell. I'm looking for the cheapest custom configurator of Clevo/Sager chassis, and maybe one from Canada. I would prefer to build my own and I could buy the barebones unit from Asia or wholesalers without the GPU myself but those are a hassle to get otherwise.

Alienware is manufactured by Clevo in the first place. Why not goto the source? Buying the Clevo is like buying a high end BMW M3 from the factory. Buying the Alienware is like buying a lesser BMW that has been imported to the US, gone through more middlemen, then and sent through the "Pimp My Ride" garage.

If you pay for a branded Dell, Alienware, Apple, etc. product, you will always be paying a premium for the brand and the style (whether you love or hate it - I hate it). I think this is foolish and I'd rather have a clean and minimalist system rather than be a an Apple/Dell sheep in the flock of everybody who pays too much for what they are getting for something that looks the same as what everyone else has. It's not neccessary when all laptops are made by a handful of manufacturers in Taiwan and China. There are plenty of custom builders that handle the Compals/Clevos that are out there (the actual OEMs that build those Dells, etc.).

[Hack&Lube]

I found this website with the models I want. It has a 403 area code in their phone number but the website is very incomplete. Has anybody heard of them before?

http://www.fortnax.com/

[Diemenz]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I want a professional looking/clean/business computer for work/training that also has load of secret power. None of this gamer stuff with computers that look like the plastic is on steroids.

Alienware is the Monster Cable of computers. Wait, no it's more like the Pontiac Grand Am of computers. It's nothing but molded plastic body cladding. Former Calgary based VoodooPC used to run a close-second but thankfully HP seems to have kept the Envy portion and dropped the Voodoo tribal nonsense.

I own 2 Alienware laptops a m17xR2 and a m17xR3.

The gody lights turn off making the laptop look like almost any other laptop.

I notice most people who trash on Alienware have never owned one just like people who bash on BMW, Apple, etc.

Just as a comparison I have new a M17x that has a i7 2720, 2 HDD's in Raid, ATI 6970 and 8gigs of ram at a cost to me of $1980 with a 3 year in home warranty. I bought another Alienware because my last one was unbelievably powered and reliable for the last year and a half. Part of the reason I went Alienware originally was the ease of Cpu, HDD, RAM and GPU upgrades.

I also owned a Sager but ran into heat issues so I moved on. This is not common however and I was very happy when I used it for small time frames. I probably would have gone Sager again if they offered an ATI option.

As to Fortnax I have not heard of them but they seem to carry decent brands in Sager and Clevo.