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Building a Custom Laptop to Your Specifications?
swordsaintzero asks: "I am not happy with the options presented to me in the laptop market. The system that comes closest, Alienware, costs more than my last car, and still doesn't have exactly what I need! Even Google didn't seem to come across any sites detailing anyone who had built a laptop from scratch. Does someone out there know of such a site? If not, does anyone know the motherboard brand being used in the Alienware Exteme series? If I can get some decent leads, I will post the ensuing mayhem, as I attempt to build my own."
Custom laptops? Can't help there.
It should be noted, however, that Alienware actually buys their laptops from a company called Clevo, paints 'em green, and resells them for $600 more. You can buy identical laptops for much cheaper from other Clevo resellers, like Sager. Check pctorque.com and powernotebooks.com for "Alienware" laptops without the expensive paint. Of course, they're still ridiculously expensive.
Scratched Emulsion
alienware sales sager notebooks at a 90% markup. A lot of other peolpe sell them. powernotebooks for example . Just google them.
Oh really?
I think the Alienware laptops are mostly built by Clevo (story here, brochure or press release here). I had someone come in with a Clevo quote recently. They look like capable machines.
Intel Pentium(R) M, 1.4GHz,14.1 SXGA+
1GB,DDR,266MHz 2DIMM
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
2x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R)
Intel Pro 2100 Wireless Card
Now that's a fine system, even considering the obligatory Microsoft tax and WinXp Home pre-installed. Check place like SlickDeals.net for Dell coupons and you should be able to get your system within $2,000-$2,500.
There are places you can go to get CUSTOM BUILT laptops, they are just not online stores or common chains. You need a plane ticked to Taiwan, or somewhere else in SE Asia.
A friend of mine picked up a custom laptop in Malaysia with 3GHz P4, with DVD burner, 1Gig Ram, and a slew of other features he wanted... for under $2500 Australian (that's ~$1700 US!!!)... The kicker is that this was back in February!
So it can be done... You just need to be holidaying in the area at the time...
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
Excellent collection of info, btw.
Regarding newer laptops and CPU sockets:
I upgraded my Sony GRX570 (1.6Ghz) to a 2.0Ghz because it's a socketed P4-M platform.
Before CPU removal.
After CPU removal.
The entire post is at Vaio Village for those curious. (Yes, same username)
-- I'd say your post was about 3 monkeys, 18 minutes.
Cheers,
Bill
bamph
Dell laptops are typically some of the most upgradable PC-based laptops out there. (Although it's an increasing trend in upgradability in general.)
The Dell Inspiron 8000 series allowed upgrades to:
CPU (socketed)
Video card (Socketed in a special package)
RAM (SODIMMS like everyone else)
HD
Optical drives
They had multiple display options, but that was something you could only choose at purchase time.
Compatible laptops in the C-series 8000s were the 8000, the 8100, and 8200. A very common upgrade (which made Slashdot) was to upgrade an I8000's GeForce 2 Go to the GeForce 4 440 Go (GF4 440MX) from the 8200. You could also buy socketed P4-M processors to upgrade the 8200. I've heard rumors that the "Precision" variant of the I8000 had a Quadro option that was the equivalent of a GeForce 4 4200 Go (i.e. a Ti4200), so the 8x00s might be upgradable to GF4Ti specs.
The new 8500 is not socket-compatible with the previous 8000s, neither is it media-bay compatible. The CPU socket might be the same, the video cards are a new form factor though. It will probably be upgradable with parts from one or two successor generations, like the 8000 could accept many parts designed for the 8100 and 8200.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?