Why ? because they can .... most laptops are chosen by looking a picture and 2 or 3 components ... the rest is a mystery until it arrives.
1. The majority of forum members here have custom built desktops where they selected each and every component. When buying a laptop, there's no reason not do to the same. You basically select a screen size, chassis and MoBo and then with that decision made, you move on to the rest. When doing a build list for one of our users for a 17" model....
MoBo / CPU ... choice is between mobile options and equivalent desktop options, some examples:
- 10875H w/ HM470 Chipset
- 10875H w/ HM470s Chipset
- 10900 K / w Z490 Chipset MoBo (10600k and 10700K also an option)
TIM:
Standard
IC Diamond
Thermal Grizzly
Screen:
- 17.3" Thin Bezel Full HD
120Hz, Wide View Angle, Matte Display
- 17.3” Full HD (1920×1080) 120Hz, Wide View Angle Display, Matte Finish
- 17.3” Full HD (1920×1080) 144Hz, Wide View Angle, 72% NTSC Display with G-Sync Technology, Matte Finished
- 17.3” 4K UHD (3840×2160) Display with G-Sync Technology, Matte Finished
- Options for screen calbration and no dead pixel warrantees
- OLED 240 / 360 Hz model in production
GFX:
Options for 2060S, 2070S, 2080S, 1650, 1660 Ti ... 3070, 3080 and 3090 coming
In thew past, we have purchased Lappies with Quadro card and even SLI
OS:
You pick Windoze version ... none is an option
Memory:
1 x 8 GB
2 x 8GB
1 x 16 GB
2 x 16GB
2 x 32GB
4 x 32GB
RAID:
0, 1, Both
SSDs:
NVME / SATA Options to 4 TB
Wireless:
Multiple Intel or Killer options
HD:
1 to 2 TB choices or none
Cooling:
All copper large heatsinks ...
2. Yes there are a lot of advantages to owning a laptop.... I could not be every productive w/o one
I can use it on the jobsite ... sometimes 3 different ones a day
I can take it on vacation
I can use it in the car while powered.
I can use it on planes and airports
I used it for driving directions ... back in the early 90s.
I can can use it for a time during a power outage
I can use it to to look for troubleshooting tips when desktop is down
I can take it to other locations to troubleshoot others PCs
I can take it on long term job assignments
I can go downstairs and sit in he lazy boy to watch movie or play a game when my butt is sore
I refuse to exhange e-mails and files via a smartphone, I am 3-4 times as productive on a 17" screen with (almost) full size keyboard
3. I am less concerned with upgrade ability as I am with having to spec out each and every part with what I want for my own use or our users in the 1st place. In 28 years of PC building ...
- Have upgraded RAM 4 times / 1 time on a lappie
- Have added storage maybe a dozen times / 3 times in a lappie
- Have upgraded GFX cards maybe a dozen times / never in a lappie
- Have upgraded CPUs 2 times both on Desktop MoBo failures
- Have upgraded OS's 0 times
- Have upgraded PSUs 0 times, replaced mayb 5 or 6 as warranty replacements
4. Cost wise, the difference is now marginal ... if you know where to buy ... custom laptops are no more than comparable equipped big brand names.
5. It's great entertainment reading forum arguments as to which brands are better ... other than MSI, no store brand you'd recognize actually "makes" a laptop. Often both brands are built on the same pro9duction lines from the same parts with the same labor.
Quanta sells to (among others) HP, Lenovo, Apple, Acer, Dell, NEC, and Fujitsu
Compal sells to (among others) Acer, Dell, Lenovo and HP
Wistron (former manufacturing & design division of Acer) sells to Dell, Acer, Lenovo and HP
Inventec sells to HP, Dell and Lenovo;
Pegatron (in 2010, Asus spun off Pegatron) sells to Asus, Apple, Dell, Acer and Microsoft
Foxconn sells to Asus, Dell, HP and Apple
Flextronics (former Arima Computer Corporation notebook division) sells to HP
6. For me the question is not "Why to laptop manufacturers do this ? The nswer is obvious ... more profit and they know that most purchases focus more on style over subsrance. And many of those as we see frequently here. want a "Thin and light laptop with great performance and 10 hour batter life". Thin and light and Great performance / cooling are mutually exclusive. For me, the question is
Why do laptop purchasers not research their purchasers ? Before Dell purchased it, Alienware was a Clevo distributor. Clevo has been ranked as fourth among Taiwanese exporters, marketing its products in over 50 countries. We have not purchased or recommended anything else in this millenium. The model I am currently using I have had since 2013 ... I use it at home, at the office, on the road, and it gets plenty of abuse on construction jobsites. No I don't attempt to play the latest games, but the MMO I have been playing since 2004 is > 60 fps.
As for costs .... I always check the major brands before procuring a new laptop, and we have never not been able to obtain a custom built lappie cheaper than a comparably equipped Dell, Asus or MSI model. Clevo resellers are not permitted to advertise prices below a set price, but they are free to negotiate any discount you can bargain for.... (usually $50 - $150) in past experience and it scales by price.
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In Argentina, they are sold here: (at least used to be)
Comprá tu Notebook en cuotas sin interés y con envío a todo el País. Encontrá las mejores ofertas en Notebook. Compará Precios de Notebook en Banghó.
www.bangho.com.ar
Not gonna say everyone should go this route as most US resellers don't much don't cater to the < $800 market ... but at lease worth taking a look if you have concerns about what you are getting