Basically none of the “Name Brand” manufacture their own laptops. The few notable exceptions are Sony, Acer and Apple. Yet, they even do not manufacture all of their own laptops. All of the so called manufacturers buy their laptops from what is called an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM).

ODM – Original Design Manufacturers

ODMs are the true manufacturers who actually design, cast, and assemble the main unit which includes the motherboard, outside casing, and display. A few examples of ODMs are Quanta, Compal, Clevo, Mitac, Asus, Acer, Arima, Uniwill (now ECS/Uniwill) — perhaps you have never heard of these companies before. But you have definitely seen their systems under other well known brand names. ODMs are usually located somewhere in Asia, and may have distribution centers in the US. ODMs distribute their product to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Each ODM sells its computers to many different OEMs.

OEM’s – Original Equipment Manufacturers

OEMs add the Memory, Processor, Hard Drive, Optical Drives and software to the systems. The OEMs perform final assembly and stick their label (Brand) to it, and call themselves manufacturers. Their products are then sold directly to dealers/resellers or directly to the public (i.e. DELL). However most companies such as Dell and HP etc. have their laptops assembled in Asia. Our OEMs are in the USA, assembled in the USA and our 24 hour 7 days a week Toll Free Tech Support is 100% USA. Once these companies add in these components, they have a complete laptop. They then put their label on it and market it.

For example:

Clevo makes the Sager NP9262, the Alienware Area 51, the Voodoo Envy, the Hypersonic Aero …they are all the same computer. An ODM named Compal makes some of the the DELL, Hewlett Packard and Compal.

Quanta makes many of the Dell Latitude, Lenovo (IBM), and Sony Vaio laptops. Clevo is usually first and on the cutting edge when it comes to gaming laptops. So, what does this mean to you? It means don’t get hung up on the brand name when looking to buy, because the company who owns that name probably didn’t build your dream-machine laptop. Instead, focus on these three things: The Warranty: Compare warranties among different vendors. Definitely get a 3 year warranty if your budget allows it. Also be wary of those that offer too much. For example most of the OEM builders offer free shipping to and from on all repairs during the initial warranty. Features: Does it do all you need? Don’t go overboard, but don’t sacrifice. Price: Are you paying for a name, or for features and warranty? Remember, the name does not differentiate the machine from any other.