Do any laptop manufacturers let you custom build your computer?

And I mean besides Clevo or Alienware. I used to buy lots of laptops from Dell, which stopped about three years ago, but at the time they had really great options for choosing components. That seems to have gone by the wayside as now very few options are available and you are forced to choose one of their prebuilds and can only select maybe a different hard drive as far as hardware is concerned. I just remember that you used to be able to choose any options available on any of their laptops, which was great because I would order them in bulk, upgrade them myself, and resell them.

Anyway, I have no intention of getting back into reselling laptops, but for helping me and my friends purchasing new computers I find it really annoying having to pay large sums of money for stuff you don't want or need just to get one certain upgrade, or not having certain upgrades even available anymore. Any time friends and family want to get a new computer, I try to help them get what they need for as low as possible, and I figure we are paying at least $100 extra on each laptop for stuff that doesn't matter but we have no choice on.

Does anybody know of any manufacturers that allow a lot more customization on low and mid end laptops? I'm talking anything below gaming laptops and never over $1000.

 

Well, some of the resellers I know offer a Sager that starts at $640 or so. But if you don't want resellers, I really don't know any other manufacturers (or sellers) that offer customization, sorry.

Mr. Mysterious

 

The way the market is now, there IS no customization on cheap laptops, and that's exactly the point. Customers want a cheap laptop, so they see oh 500 bucks and pull the trigger. I can surmise only Clevo/Clevo resellers for their low end (which is what 650+) allows for "customization". And given no Taiwanese manufacturer directly sells to customers, that's half the market right there.

 

Clevo and some MSI barebones start at like, 500$. Check rjtech.

You can buy older barebones sometimes for even cheaper. If this was sandy bridge I'd be all over it:
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=jH3AT4SlOpOy8ATf1aGqCw&ved=0CFkQ8wIwAA

Its mxm 3.0 A possibly fitting type B cards.

 

Lol thanks, I didn't even REALIZE that the OP was talking about barebones.

That being said, how is $500 barebones different than a fully outfitted $640 laptop?

Mr. Mysterious

 

Well, the OP was not talking about gaming laptops, but I think barebones fit what he is looking for.

That is a 300$ MXM upgradeable barebones which comes with a 5730 GPU.

MSI sells non gaming barebones, but TBH I don't think they are good products.