Barebone notebooks

Does anyone have any recommendations on which barebone system to buy? I haven't completely decided to buy one instead of a Sager but currently I think it'd be somewhat fun and maybe cheaper to build the notebook myself instead of buy it.

I want the end product to be a laptop with a single 8800M GTX soo I guess that means it has to be 17". However, I'm not exactly sure where I can even buy a mobile processor and GPU. I'm going to see how much it costs and then decide whether to build it or not.

 

Im not sure anyone makes "barebone" laptops anymore..
Last ones I saw mass-produced had no battery were huge and used desktop components.

You more than likely will be much better off buying a prebuilt system with the GPU and cpu you want and then upgrade the hd/ram etc at a later date

 

Off the top of my head, RJTech comes to mind ( www.rjtech.com ). They have two basic shipping alternatives: (i) they put everything together for you and install the software, or (ii) they ship all the bits to you and you put it together and install the software. In addition, you can purchase a barebones from them without a cpu installed.

 

Fun . . . yes; cheaper . . . probably not.

 

i think its more expensive making your own laptop... its not a desktop... its more like a TV or a microwave... you buy like it is and cant really change it.

Mmmm a overclocked microwave!

 

What you are looking for is a Whitebook notebook. I’ve heard of MSI and ASUS selling them openly. You might also be able to contact one of the other retailers and get an empty system (Case/Screen/Mobo) and get the parts yourself.

Here’s a link to a Asus C90S review: http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/ASUS_C90S_Whitebook/

You may have challenges getting a high end graphics part depending on where you get your whitebook and what the state-of-the-art is at the time you buy-in. You might have read how some people will need motherboard work to upgrade to the 8800M. Laptops are just not as flexible in terms of upgrade path.

 

Then again, if it's cheap, is it really any fun?:laugh:

 

why wouldn't it be cheaper? I mean it's cheaper to upgrade RaM and stuff so I dont see why it wouldn't be.

However, it seems it'll be too hard to find sellers for both the barebone thing and video cards etc. so I guess I'll have to just buy one

 

It's cheaper, but it's only for people knowing what they're doing. You don't gain much money out of it.

 

Barebones / Whitebooks are pretty common if you know where to look. Check out these guys first:

btotech.com
powernotebooks.com
xoticpc.com
gentech.com

All of these guys will build you a custom system that gets you what you want while saving you money and providing you with excellent customer service. Others tend to overcharge I've found.

I can personally vouch for powernotebooks.com as I own their in-house version of the Compal IFL90 which is the same as the SAGER NP2090. Gentech is a reputable ASUS dealer and they are currently offering many nice options.

 

I saved lots of money ordering the Clevo barebone and buying myself the hardware in Germany. If I had bought the same notebook with the same hardware by the cheapest reseller in Germany I would have spent 1000 € more...

 

Where did you buy it from then? The barebone I mean.

 

I bought it by rjtech (dollar was really cheap for european), for the hardware I saved lots of money buying it very, very cheap in Germany (to minimize the risk of hardware failure... If I buy most of the hardware in Germany, I can give it back without problems)... Example: 4GB RAM 800 MHz 79 €!

 

Good idea. It's kind of cheaper this way, since you'll have to pay less VAT at once.
I have doubts about the pricing though. I can't get a T7700 for lower than 400 and some (Euro) here.

 

No doubt that the cheapest places to buy Clevo based laptops are in the US. Done a helluva lot researching before I`ve bought my M570RU from XoticPc, with all pricematching and such.

 

Yes, but there is also another problem here and that is paying VAT.