Custom Laptop Companies?

[bojangles]

I'm in the search for a 13" laptop for school. I really don't want to carry a whole lot because my rig at home is what will be my main computer. I can't seem to find the right laptop though, either because they have something I don't want or they're not the right size.

Are there any companies out there that can build me one for a decent price? Here are the ones I know so far, and the most common obviously lol:

Dell, Alienware, Apple

That's about it! lol.

I want to use it for typing lab reports during my breaks and to be able to play Source games (aka DoDS and CSS).

The XPS M1330 from Dell seems like a good option, but the CPU is lacking. I'm in the mood for the T8300. Would the 8400M GPU be enough to run those games at 1280x800? I have my own custom config to run those games at uber low detail, so hopefully the card will suffice?

Any options out there? Anything 13" you could suggest would be great!

[Chos3n]

Pretty much every laptop companies give you choices for what component to put it in: Sony, IBM...etc.

A 14" from Sony, good price.

Notebook Computers - Custom Notebooks - Sony Style Canada

The one of the best lightweight laptop.
Lenovo - Notebook computers - ThinkPad X Series

You got to shop around, pretty much every company.

[bojangles]

Those are very classy notebooks, but they lack in graphics power. I kinda need a laptop that can play at least Source games fine...

I guess 14" would be okay too.

[encorp]

Wasn't OCZ doing something with mobile gaming laptops?

[Chos3n]

Well it's hard then, you want something for school, portable... but you wanna play games, it's either you sacrifice your portability for a bigger video card, or you something mobile with normal video card.

Hell I was running Steam with a Radeon IGP 9600 or something on board and no dx9 support! and still I was able to play counter strike, no full details, but playable. I'm sure current gen chipset are 10x better than my old video card.

Edit:

High End
Customize Your Area-51 m9750 Ultimate Gaming Notebook ? Alienware

Mid
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

[zer0.cool]

did you see the new Envy from VoodooPC?

[freakgeek1337]

The Envy from VoodooPC is pretty crazy.

[cyberspyder]

Falcon NW, Sager, ABS are the companies I can think of right now...but you'll be paying a pretty penny for all of them.

[Mr. Friendly]

there aren't much in the way of gaming class laptops in the screen size you're thinking about. there are quite a few with at least the 8400GS or HD3450 I believe. examine Asus as the primary supplier. LG has a few as well. Dell has a new Studio 13 that I bet will offer some dedicated GPU option(s), but it's not available in Canada last I looked.

on the other side of the spectrum, LondonDrugs has their own line of laptops under their house brand, which is basically just a rebranded MSI laptop and unfortunately, they're a bit behind the technology curve. that said, they do have a multitude of smaller laptops with reasonable graphics, tho not gamer class (x1250 anyone?).