I'm now buying a new laptop and have to decide between either:

Alienware 51M 7700
Sager 9880
Hypersonic Aviator EX7

I was originally set on the AW because I'd heard they were one of the best. I'd never even heard of Sager or Hypersonic, but these forums have changed that (thanks to all those who know more than me and have taken the time to post!). I've always bought Dells and I want to venture out and do what I consider an "upgrade" from Dell. I need true desktop replacement and am set on one of these models for several reasons.

I know everybody has a brand preference, but other than cosmetics, I see no big difference in the above machines, when configuring them apples to apples. All three of my choices are Clevo D900T (again something I learned from these forums; again, thanks), all with changes that appear to be cosmetic only. Am I missing something? Also, it seems to me that ordering a Sager through PC Torque offers the best deal deal in terms of $$.

I realize there are differences among these three companies in terms of service, but I'm speaking strictly of hardware. Personally I couldn't care less about the "cool factor" or how the machine looks, so I'm talking technical specs only.

Beyond the AW glowing eyes on the cover, and the spectrum of paint choices offered through Hypersonic, are these three machines really all the same on the inside?

The hardware is ruffly the same... they buy white box laptop froma company called clevo. then they do their own tweaks. I think that alienware spends more time tweaking then the others and are getting more out of the "same" product.

Also since they are white box they put in their own choice of CPU, video card (from clevo), ram, hard drive, and such. So you have some that have better equipment in them then others.

which is better to buy... can't say... me personally I would by from PCtorque.com and then just DL the alienware drivers and see if they work... that kind of thing... keep bench marking everything. once you get something that rock format and get those again. you have a nice clean rocking laptop.

y0shi

Its pretty well known that they have very limited choices in motherboards, video cards, and hard drives. So for all practical purposes the hardware inside all of them is identical. Aesthetics however is left to the wind

Not sure where you got that Alienware tweaks theirs more. Brand name perhaps? Inflated price? Actually aside from customer support and chassis, there is no difference between any of them.

Pretty sure you got your answers. I was in the same boat as you about a year ago. I heard a lot about the Alienware systems and then came across NotebookForums and found out that there was a lot more to the gaming notebook life. Add to your list Falcon Northwest and Voodoo. There are so many other companies as well. So when it comes to the basics, they are the same.

Unrelated to the paint jobs, special add-ons and the extra tweaking, it is also important for you to ensure you check out some of the important add-ons. One in particular is the warranty. On desktops - I could care less. If something messes up, I can take care of that myself. But on a laptop - I don't take that risk. Shop around and look at what the warranty coverage is like across the board.

You will also notice that it is becoming more common to see dead pixel insurance on systems. This is something I look at because I don't want to get my system and then have to turn around and ship it back. There are those who think it is as waste of money, and it may be. But just like my home insurance, health insurance, etc, it’s a peace of mind that what I am getting is what I expect to get. I have purchased two systems from Hypersonic with the dead pixel and not a single problem. I am looking at the CR7 right now (since I still haven't been reimbursed from the "misplacement" of my EX7) and when I purchase it - it will include the dead pixel insurance.

Good luck on your purchase!