Let's talk about the concept of 'Name Brand'
as it applies to laptop computers.
<<<...These contracts can be won or lost based on pricing differences of less than a dollar per unit. However that less than a dollar per unit difference can be HUGE. For example, 56 cents times 1,000,000 units = $560,000.00. The sad thing is that as a result of this fierce competition, quality in MNB laptops is going down. The life cycle of the "Channel" custom built laptop is quite different.
The Channel includes the true OEM custom builders like Sager and PowerNotebooks.com. While we still buy our shells from ODMs like Compal, Clevo, ASUS and MSI, we don't buy the stripped down models that the MNBs do. We buy what is sometimes referred to as the "ODM's Pride". These are the fully featured models with high resolution screens, powerful video cards (even dual cards in SLi), high end processors up to the Extreme, and up to 3 hard drives in RAID...try to find these specs in a MNB laptop at BestBuy!
We then custom build the laptop to our customer's specifications chosen from all of the different component options we offer, giving our customers the choice of which Operating system they want, including NO Operating System at all. We also offer Free 24/7/364 DOMESTIC Telephone Customer Support (over my dead body will it EVER go to a foreign company), and we do all of the warranty repairs in the same factory that BUILT the laptop using factory trained technicians, with factory replacement parts that are on our shelves (well, most of the time anyway...occasionally we have to order in parts from the ODM), and we pay for AIR shipping both ways.