Can't find a proper G751 Customizer....

I can't seem to find a good customizer for this laptop. I see NewEgg one with 4710HQ, GTX 980M, 256GB SATA RAID + 1TB HDD, whooping 24GB RAM, and Windows 8.1 - all for $2280. Yet, when I try to customize through XOTIC or similar places, I end up with a much higher price for lower specs. Ultimately, I want 4710HQ with GTX 980M, 16GB RAM, no SSD's, no HDD's, no OS, and an DVD-RW optical drive... That should cost less than $2280 because NewEgg lists much better specs for that price, but everywhere I look it costs more if I select those lower specs... I know that places like XOTIC allow for taking HDD's and SSD's out of the spec, but the price is still higher for some reason. NewEgg shows a discount... is that the reason? Is anyone aware of any good sales on this laptop with specs very similar to the ones I listed ?

Also, can parts like GTX 980M be upgraded later in 2-3 years in this laptop??

 

You can't customize this laptop. It isn't like a Clevo. They only sell certain models with certain configurations.

Both the CPU and graphics card are soldered, meaning they can't be upgraded later on.

 

Actually there are several custom retailers, all have options but the main thing with custom shops is/If they actually test drive the unit and make sure it working. Goggle custom Asus Gaming notebooks. You can buy them straight up from Amazon, New Egg or Best Buy but your getting there versions. Custom with custom pasted CPU And GPU and testing does cost more upfront. They put more labor into it. If you get unlucky and don't get a good one after about 2 RMA's the custom shops are cheaper over all. If noting else less stress dealing with Asus repair

 

Not to forget that the custom models actually have to be unpacked by somebody, dismantled and then repacked again. This all costs labor/money.

 

You probably will never be able to remove the OS on an Asus computer, that come preinstalled by Asus before it gets to any resellers.
Newegg often does have better prices on Asus models. This is because of the price they are getting. Newegg main goal is to move as much product as they can, and in turn they are probably buying hundreds of these at a time from Asus getting a better price, and then they can offer it lower. Sites that let you customize typically order much less, maybe 5-10-20 at at time, getting a different price from Asus. While many sites offer the same computer, customization sites, and "turn and burn" sites, do work differently.

 

Newegg also wont open and test the machines themselves before shipping most likely so there is no man hours from them in testing.