as a former Dell Phone Tech, i would like to shed light on this...
1. Dell, as with most computer manufacturers [i.e HP, Compaq et. al.], do not build their own parts to create the entire system... these parts come from various companies across Asia, and are only being shipped to the Dell warehouse in different regions of the US. these items may or may not have the Dell's [or any of the rival computer companies'] brand on the items... only external [read: computer/laptop chassis] parts are either internally manufactured, or built for them by a specific manufacture to exact specs. to cite an example of this, i have recently come across with an AC adapter for a Dell Inspiron 1701, which also happens to have a counterpart item for an Acer... both of which could power up the systems without a hitch, and are detected properly by the laptops as the correct AC adapter...
2. while it is true that Dell has acquired licenses for several items that they sell, they also have their own Dell Branded parts... these are the ones that i was stating as parts or items that are manufactured by certain companies according to Dell's exact specs. it's like Gibson guitar creating Epiphones...
3. technical, sales support and customer care varies from region to region... if you happen to come across a representative who's quite the a**hole, regardless of location, your RMA might not push through... especially if your system was kinda purchased from one region and you called in from another [ex: system bought from US, call made while system was being used and broke down in the Philippines.]
in lieu of these facts, you might want to consider a cheaper alternative since you may already know who built the innards of these computers...
while there are no ways for you to build your own laptop, if you're considering to get one, try getting a cost effective one with almost the same specs for a much lower price... may i suggest that you try looking into Asus, Acer or any asian-made systems as these would run at par with a Dell or an HP or even an Alienware anytime... you even end up saving big bucks... and the bottomline is that it will perform according to
YOUR demands...
in my own personal opinion, you should not fall for the image that these companies create... these would only mask your better judgement when it comes to choosing the right system... you, the buyer, should be the one in power to choose what's best for you...
sensya na kung masyadong seryoso ang sagot ko... pera kasi ang nakasalalay jan e... hehe
Dell and number 1 sa US in terms of sales ngayon. Pero what most people dont know eh most products of Dell ay manufactured by other companies tapos binibili lang nila yung license para magkaroon ng karapatan na pangalang DELL yung product na yun (Same as CDRKing 
)
Sa service wala kang masasabi sa DELL kung me problema ipa RMA mo lang yung product papalitan nila agad yun ng buo. (Kasi nga di naman sila ang gumawa nun)
Kung DELL vs HP lang, ill go with HP. Pero parehas lang sila halos (hindi din naman sila nagmamanufacture ng lahat ng laman ng products nila). This being the case, mas maganda at praktikal kung mag MSI o mag NEO ka na lang.
Personally, ASUS ako o kaya TOSHIBA. Simple lang pero panalo.
Good luck na lang sa pagpili, lahat naman yan gagana based sa pangako ng manufacturer.
