Customizable Laptop Websites?

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Hey yall! I know that its not possible (for a cheap price) to build your own laptop including the GPU like you would with a computer. Buuuuuut I found some websites like xoticpc and sager and they offer you to sorts create the laptop on the website then you get it (no shit).

Here are my questions:

Is this build a bear, build a laptop stuff legit or total bs?

Should we all just get OEM laptops or is there an advantage to building em?

If this is 100% legit, what are some good websites that create laptops?
 
Solution


"1) i7-4710MQ vs i7-4810MQ"
The difference isn't really that much noticeable, atleast not in games. I guess when encoding movies it should save you...

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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This is totally legit depending on the website you're seeing.

http://www.xoticpc.com/ this is a very good website and so is this one http://www.sagernotebook.com/

If you want some help I'd like to know your budget and what specs you are looking for
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Yes, help would be great haha :)

Budget: Definately under 3k. I would say around 2.2, 2.4k including tax (13%) and shipping MAX :p

Specs: As far as CPUs go, the "base" Intel Core i7-4700MQ/HQ or something better.
I don't think I will need an SSD but if it's good for the price, then why not.
1 TB of HDD.
RAM: nothing lower than 8 gb. 12/16 would be great :D
Display: Nothing lower than 1920x1080 but I don't need a 4k display like in the Lenovo Y50 UHD lmao (http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50-uhd/) Also, it should be good quality (of course) and its refresh rate MUST not be any lower than 60hz!

GPU: Now, this is the "main" exciting part. I've done some research and I have come to the conclusion of buying a laptop with either the 880M, 780M, or 870M in chronological order (NO SLI, NO AMD please haha).

Is my budget reasonable for the specs? Would this make a good gaming/work/multimedia laptop?

Also what would the battery life on these custom built laptops be?

Thanks again for the help, Bolin.

Other replies would also most definitely be appreciated! :D

UPDATE: I definitely wouldn't want an AMD GPU in a laptop (I have a AMD GPU for my PC) because of previous experiences, but I'm not sure if SLI is good in notebooks or not, please let me know about that too, thanks!
 
I would say the best laptop that I would get is the asus 750 jz. It has good cooling and is more than powerful enough to handle any game. I don't know much about customized laptops as I have never used one so some else maybe able to give you a better picture.
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Great suggestion, velo3100. I have seen this laptop and as much as I really like it, that price tag scares me haha. That is one of my main reason to buy a customized laptop :)
 

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8278s-clevo-p170sma-eta-march-p-6985.html?wconfigure=yes
2119$ after upgrading to 980m, i7 4810MQ, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD as OS drive, 1TB @ 7200rpm

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9377s-clevo-p377sma-eta-april-p-6981.html?wconfigure=yes
base configuration already meets (and exceeds) the specs we're looking for.1819$ SLI 860m; 2769$ 980m SLI

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268s-clevo-p150sma-eta-march-p-6987.html?wconfigure=yes
1909$ after configurations (980m)
1409$ (870m)
1609$ (970m)
 

orlbuckeye

Distinguished


Most OEM's have websites that you can customize you own laptop. Acer is about the only one that doesn't do customizeable pc'sin the USA. Dell, Acer, Apple, Toshiba and Lenovo are the OEM's basically they design Laptops and the ODM's in China or Taiwan area's manufacturer the laptops for the OEM's. Sager is a companies that been making laptop since before 1990 and they specialize in gaming system but they are a bit different then the Dell's and HP's. They get the Clevo and Compal (ODM's) designed by Clevo and Compal which are basically barebones. Some model allow configuring of multiple graphics cards and some don't. Sager get the laptop with a case and a motherboard and you can configure memory and hard or SSD's. Those cases are branded with the Sager name. Exotic pc sells MSI, ASUS, Alienware, Sager and even some Clevo's which are all configureable.
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Hey Bestmak!

iBuypowere Here. :) We offer customizable laptops and our new MSI GT72 Dominator Pro's just came in with the new GTX 980M GPU's. It fits perfectly in your price range and it has everything you asked for.

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/MSI-GT72-Dominator-Pro-Gaming-Laptop

With those specs, it costs $2,149 + free shipping. Also, use BOXBOX5 in our coupon code section for 5% off. Bringing the total down to $2,045.55.

You can add an SSD with your savings from the coupon code and it should only be $100-200 more depending on the capacity.

Let me know if you any questions! :) This new arrival is such a beast...
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Woah! I didn't know that it would be possible to include a 980M for under 2k!

I feel that Sager PCs are the most reasonable since their prices are super low! :D

Here are some'ore questions:
1) i7-4710MQ vs i7-4810MQ
2) Are the thermal compound, copper cooling upgrade magooglies benifitial? Or are they just advertising bs?
3) SLI vs non-SLI? Example: 860 SLI vs 980M or 780 SLI vs 980M? Are there problems with SLI in laptops?
4) What are Xoticpc's warranty and return policies and stuff? Example: My laptop doesn't power on on day one, or I drop water on my laptop and it stops working.
 

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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"1) i7-4710MQ vs i7-4810MQ"
The difference isn't really that much noticeable, atleast not in games. I guess when encoding movies it should save you a few minutes

"2) Are the thermal compound, copper cooling upgrade magooglies benifitial? Or are they just advertising bs?"
You can buy the diamond thermal compound in amazon for less than 10$ if you want to save money and apply yourself. Sager/xoticpc will charge you ~30$ or 40$. The copper cooling upgrade shouldn't make a thing as sager already does a good work with cooling, my 870m hasn't run any higher than 60C even after playing watch dogs at ultra, the 980m is maxwell (maxwell runs cooler than kepler but the 980m is more powerful, so it might balance itself). However, I suggest the thermal compound just in case, and/or the copper upgrade if you feel like it.

"3) SLI vs non-SLI? Example: 860 SLI vs 980M or 780 SLI vs 980M? Are there problems with SLI in laptops?"

860M SLI vs 980m Single : The 860m SLI should provide about 880m power when games fully support SLI, which means an 880m single is better. An 980m should beat the 860m SLI easily.
780M SLI vs 980M Single: 780M SLI should beat 980M when games fully support SLI, but the 980M will beat the 780M when games don't fully take advantage of the SLI power.
Problems? well, as many as there are in desktop systems, I would honestly take a single powerful GPU instead of two powerful (yet weaker) GPUs unless I had a lot of money to spend :p

"4) What are Xoticpc's warranty and return policies and stuff? Example: My laptop doesn't power on on day one, or I drop water on my laptop and it stops working.[/quotemsg]"

I think you can read that on their website, they have a good reputation around the internet. I ordered my laptop from sagernotebooks directly but I agree with their support being hella good. I remember I sent them (sager and xoticpc) an e-mail (each one) asking about some technical details and I got a reply like 5 minutes from xoticpc after I had sent the email (and sager's response was late by 3 days), they also have a live chat in their website. (I can't say anything about warranty as I've had no experiences)
 
Solution

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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S actually means "Saving". the 8268 and 8268-s are the exact same machine, however, you may have realised the 8268-S is 1369$ (base model) vs 1149$ (base model) at xoticpc. That's because the 8268-s is the same 8268 with added components: GPU/CPU diamond thermal compound, i7 4810mq (vs i7 4710mq), 870m (6GB) vs 860m (4GB) both kepler, 120GB SSD, 1TB 7200rpm (vs 750GB 7200rpm this upgrade is free though), blu ray reader, intel dual band ac. Final price is 1369$ vs 1464$ same configurations.

I guess if some things are added and you don't need them you can just ignore them.
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Oh ok I get it, so in the s model one basically saves money (as a total) because the default features in the s version would have to be added in the regular version which would end up just costing more than the s version :p lol

So thanks to all the replies that I got, I have sorta finalized (this can change) two laptops that I'm considering buying.
These are the Sager np8268-s and the Sager np8278-s

I know that the 68-s has a 15.6' screen, the 78-s has a 17.3' screen, the 78-s is a bit heavier but has two mSATA and HDD slots, has a "more powerful" charging brick....aaaaannd looks like it has some sort of brushed metal surface whereas I've heard that the 68-s has plastic on the front.

1) Please correct me if I'm worng about any of those ^
2) What other differences are there in the laptop? Example: Will the placement of the tiny subwoofer in both laptops alter the sound since they are placed in different positions? Also I think that the 78-s is thick across the bottom whereas the 68-s is thinner in one spot and thick in another spot on the bottom...could that alter anything like the temps of components, the sound or performance?

3) 1TB 7200RPM SATA ll vs 1TB 5400RPM SATA lll. I wish there was an option for 1TB 7200RPM HDD on these laptops. the only 1TB SATA lll configuration I found was an SSD, and obviously a lot more expensive.
4) If I install windows 8 (for an example) on a SSD, first of all how much will be necessary, and secondly how much free space will I have for programs? Is 120GB enoguh? Do I need 256GB?
5) When will the 970m/980m be ready to ship in laptops? I'm asking because on the SAGER website, in the customize section, it says that these GPUs will ship near the end of October...Xotic PC had no message regarding this :p
 

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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"1) Please correct me if I'm worng about any of those ^"
You're right. The 8278 is quite heavy, I am happy with it as I don't really travel with it everyday and It's cool to be able to move it around your house and the occasional movement and still get a lot of power.

"2) What other differences are there in the laptop? "
8.6 LBs with Battery Pack
16.22" (w) x 10.87" (d) x 1.65~1.79" (h)
vs
6.83 LBs with Battery Pack
14.80" (w) x 10.08" (d) x 1.38"~1.69" (h)

Some metal where your hands rest vs plastic
Look at the pictures in sagernotebook's gallery and you should spot some differences
2 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives + Coexisting 2 x mSATA SSDs
Raid 0/1 Supported
vs
1 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drive + Coexisting 2 x mSATA SSDs

"3) 1TB 7200RPM SATA ll vs 1TB 5400RPM SATA lll"
If I am not wrong SATA is an interface and rpm are the revolutions per minute (the time the disk spins in a second) a.k.a the frequency. If Sata 2 is an interface that caps at 3GB/s and Sata 3 caps at 6GB/s and neither 7200rpm or 5400rpm break the 3GB/s limit There should be no difference in their perfomance wether they are connected through sata 2 or 3. However, the rpm and the disk's density is what comes into play here, usually, they should be of about the same density (the amount of data that goes in every spin) so more spins/time means more data/time

"4) If I install windows 8 (for an example) on a SSD, first of all how much will be necessary, and secondly how much free space will I have for programs? Is 120GB enoguh? Do I need 256GB?"
I don't remember the exact number but I guess it must've had like 85GB free before I got to use it. After a while (after some windows superfetching and caching :p), installing chrome, some programs into the HDD (some files will still be installed into the HDD, like save games in the docs folder), hibernating, sleeping, etc you should still have like 70GB.

"5) When will the 970m/980m be ready to ship in laptops? I'm asking because on the SAGER website, in the customize section, it says that these GPUs will ship near the end of October...Xotic PC had no message regarding this "

That's preordering, you can buy the 980m/970m system and it'll arrive to you in end of october/ beggining of november instead of the usual 3-5 days without back orders
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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""4) If I install windows 8 (for an example) on a SSD, first of all how much will be necessary, and secondly how much free space will I have for programs? Is 120GB enoguh? Do I need 256GB?"
I don't remember the exact number but I guess it must've had like 85GB free before I got to use it. After a while (after some windows superfetching and caching :p ), installing chrome, some programs into the HDD (some files will still be installed into the HDD, like save games in the docs folder), hibernating, sleeping, etc you should still have like 70GB."

So would I have around 70GB free after installing Windows and programs on a 120 or 256GB SSD?

Also, I'm a bit confused about the HDD question. In the real word, would a SATA ll 7.2k RPM HDD be better than a SATA lll 5.4k RPM HDD? :p
 

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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Sata II 7200rpm if other specs are equal which is the most likely case

"So would I have around 70GB free after installing Windows and programs on a 120 or 256GB SSD?"

120GB (it's actually 111GB though, and 1TB HDD is 931GB)
 

bestmak

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Dec 27, 2013
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Ahhh, I see :p

I'm coming back to the questions about the customization of the laptop haha

1) What is "72% NTSC Color Gamut"? I read it on the customize laptop screen section and it costs $150...
2) It costs $50 to get a monitor color calibration...is it worth it? Can I do it myself using a program?
3) Coming back to the "copper cooling upgrade"...I just wanna know what they do...like do they add additional heatsinks? Do they change the OEM heatpipes? Is it worth it?
4) If you choose to get the "Laptop Personalization Text Etching", where on the bottom does the text go and what font/size/format (bold/italic/underline) would it be in? Do they have like a custom text editor? Will it engrave the text in the laptop's body?
 

Bolin

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Sep 8, 2014
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1 and 2. It's kind of hard to answer. I wouldn't pay for them unless I were a designer and needed to get the more accurate colors I could get

3. they just add copper heatsinks to the pipes http://www.amazon.com/Enzotech-MOS-C10-Forged-Copper-Heatsinks/dp/B004CL89D8/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1342053473&sr=8-10&keywords=small+copper+heatsink they are said to conduct heat very fast

4. Oh, that, is that a xoticpc's or sager's service? I don't know :p http://www.xoticpc.com/customization_services.php You can always go to the live chat/email them and I am pretty sure you'll have an answer, they reply very fast (xoticpc replies fast, sager is slow though)

edit: Realised it's likely an xoticpc service, I don't know why I linked them and doubted if it was their service in the same sentence :p