Singapore’s favorite custom gaming laptops launch in Malaysia

Marketing director Joe Wee with resident cat Moonfang at the new Aftershock PC service and retail center.

It’s official – Singapore’s Aftershock PC, a custom gaming laptop hardware startup, has launched in Malaysia. It will be working with distributor Tech Armoury to sell and service their rigs in Malaysia.

Founded in 2011, Aftershock PC has gone from strength to strength. Beginning in a small shophouse, it has now moved into a larger premise that boasts both an assembly line and retail shopfront; it now has ten full-time staff and two part-time staff, a huge jump from the three founders it began with.

It’s been a little more than two years since Aftershock PC started up. We caught up with them in October last year, shortly after the brand’s first anniversary, but a lot has happened since then.

Aftershock S15 painted by Modbot.

Apart from its ever-growing lineup of customizable laptops – of which there are now nine – Aftershock PC has added two desktop computer models as well as an option for users to get their machines spray-painted with automotive paint. This is the same paint that goes onto luxury cars like BMWs and Lamborghinis.

“I guess we’re doing great,” marketing director Joe Wee says. “The views on our website are through the roof and our web traffic and enquiries have grown threefold.” He says that Aftershock will start bringing in peripherals as well as monitors via partners, and expand its product lines as it grows.

How it all started

Offices for Joe and Marcus Wee at their new place.

Aftershock PC was founded by Joe Wee, his twin brother Marcus Wee, and partner Lam Ziyuan. They wanted to build gaming laptops because Joe and Marcus studied in boarding schools growing up, and laptops were the best way for them to get their PC gaming fix, as it was easy to carry them to-and-from different countries.

One day, Marcus bought a custom laptop from the US and was impressed with the service and the product. “He’s always been obsessed with tech stuff,” Joe says.

At that time, Joe was in New Zealand on a working holiday. He had spent two years prior to that in the corporate world, and decided that the culture there really wasn’t his thing. Marcus asked him to come back and help with marketing the brand, and he did.