Happy times. Just celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary and the wife got me a "laptop." She suggested the Dell but said I should get what I want as this is a gift. So, set the budget at 4K and ordered an XPS M170 that night.

However, after 3 grueling days of second guessing my Dell XPS M170 purchase, hours and hours reading through forums and review sites, I cancelled it and ordered a new Aviator CX7. The sales guy was friendly and especially patient as I asked so many questions... I'll be going on the road on the 9th and wanted to get the laptop by the end of the week so I opted for a pre-built model. The sales guy says it’s going to happen. I've got my fingers crossed.

Here's the specs:
Aviator CX7 Turbo
* Aviator CX7 Turbo: High Performance 17" Centrino Gaming Notebook
* Aviator CX7 in Silver with Tinted Brushed Aluminum Cover
* 2.26GHz Intel® Pentium-M 780 Processor w/ 2MB Cache (Sonoma)
* Intel® Alviso 915PM+ICH6-M Mobile Motherboard (CX7)
* 1024MB PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM
* 1024MB PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM
* Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX PCI-Express 256MB
* Built-in TV Tuner with Remote Control for CX7
* 100GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Hard Drive with NCQ & 8MB Cache
* 8X DVD ± R/W Drive Dual Layer w/ DVD Recording Software (Pioneer)
* 17" WUXGA 1920x1200 VividViewT Display w/ Super Clear Glossy Surface
* Built-in High Definition 3D Sound System for CX7
* Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
* Internal 802.11-Super A/G 108Mbps Wireless Network Adapter
* Internal BluetoothT Module for CX7
* Integrated V.92 56K Fax/Data Modem
* MS Windows XP Professional CD & Manual SP2 Pre-Installed & Configured
* Additional 8-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery for Aviator CX7 (Spare)
* Additional 110V/220V Autoswitch AC Adapter for CX7
* 3 Year Accidental Damage Protection (System and LCD)
* 3 Year Platinum Warranty with 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support

Hypersonic's got one of the best dead-pixel policies so I skipped it but after reading k|LL3rCr0w's post, I called them to tack it on... they said it won't affect my delivery...

I'll update as my order proceeds.

Cynical Bastard

Checked the web site - my order has been accepted and it says estimated ship date Jan 4. At this rate, I should have by thursday or Friday.

Good deal and congrats on the order. I am sure you will be very happy with it, as it has been a very enjoyable system for me. Even loaded up Quake 4 and BF2 on it last week (Christmas gifts). The machine is very stable and performs very well.

As for the dead pixel insurance, some think it is a waste of money, but in my eyes, if it prevents a flawed system arriving at my door requiring me to send it back, then I am all for it. And it worked quite well since they found dead pixels on the original screen that I was going to get. Good call on having it added.

In any case, keep us posted and looking forward to seeing your review of it when it comes in!

Take care!

Nice!

Definitely worth it to purchase the dead pixel policy. I received my new Aviator EX6 (Fire Mist Pearl) just before Christmas with a display that ended up having a stuck pixel. HyperSonic picked it back up overnight, and they then replaced it with a second display that also ended up having a stuck pixel which they caught before shipping it back out to me. They finally received new displays today so hopefully it will ship back out again real soon.

The Blue Python Aviator EX7 arrived flawless with no dead pixels so I am not sure if the policy worked on that machine, but I still find it well worth it especially at $100-$120.

Congrats on your purchase. You will find that your new machne will be hands down the best laptop you have ever owned. I LOVE MINE. The screen is absolutely stunning and I get compliments all the time at the coffee shop where I hang out on the lappies sleek clean lines and pretty screen that I enhanced with the help of some nice native resolution wallpaper images from over at the deviant art website. Also this baby is a beast on games and plays everything out now without a flaw. I am having one minor issue with sound but that is only with the audigy 2 zs pcmcia sound card I added and even then only with battlefield 2. Nothing major and it will get resolved I am sure so not sweating that too much. This laptop will do you proud.

Placed the order at 11:36am on the 2nd. My order shipped today. With overnight, it might be in my grubby hands by tomorrow. I've read alot about performance and will review the laptop fully in another post, however, I don't know of any other company that can get this type of laptop turned around that quickly. good job, Hypersonic.

I got my laptop on the 5th of January and am in the process of putting together a full review of my experience since reception. I'll post the full review as a new post.