Will there ever be a Build-Your-Own Laptop market?

[Phusius]

Retail wise, we have always been able to build a better PC on our own cheaper then retail junk offerings. If this also applied to laptops, we could be rocking a 7970m on the cheap... kind of... do you see my point though?

Will the same ever be true for laptops? Surely it can not be that hard, especially with companies like TPU posting how-to videos, etc. Plus, would be new market for all the major companies like Gigabyte, Msi, Asus, ASrock, etc.

Thoughts on this?

[FordGT90Concept]

If it hasn't happened by now (and it largely hasn't), it isn't going to happen. There's too many logistical issues (power and making everything fit).

[15th Warlock]

Although I would love to be able to costumize more components besides the usual HDD and RAM upgrades, I don't think it'll ever happen due to the limited room inside laptops, and highly costumized thermal solutions necessary to fit in such confined spaces, it's a shame

[kiddagoat]

They are called Clevos.... they have alot customization options for them. I have made several upgrades to my own including CPU, GPU, PSU.

Some ASUS allow for this as well. Most people do not want to pay for the components later to upgrade their laptops and most laptops do not take different components.

I know first hand. My laptop was around $1500 new. A year later I dropped about $400 for a new GPU and about $300 for a new CPU.

I have seen shells marketed from OCZ but then you have to get all the other parts elsewhere.

Also to a certain price point, it is better to buy something off the shelf. BYO is not always a cheaper better option. Especially around the $600 and under option when you need to buy the OS as well.

[lyndonguitar]

Before doin that, they need to standardize the sizes of laptops,, just like in PCs. atx, matx, itx, etc.

1. How big your laptop case is determines the size of your screen, Mobo and the number of hdd/ssd/rams you can put.

2. There are lots of different 'displays' available to compliment with the case. Touchscreen, LED, 3D, each with different resolutions, etc

3. They need to make different standardized GPUs and CPUs designed for these so called standardized laptops,

4. Low to mid-end can fit on small laptop cases, and the higher/enthusiast end can only fit on bigger cases. etc.

just like how certain GPUs fit on certain towers. (in desktops a big gpu wont be able to fit on ITX case)

5. Then case design comes into place. just like all these awesome towers we have on our desktop. we can choose our laptop's appearance and design.

But I doubt it. due to some restrictions the Laptop might end up as big as a desktop computer, or slightly bigger than the average laptop. then those selling the original Laptops will still continue to sell their smaller limited designs.

It might end up as a different type of PC, a desktop-laptop hybrid.