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Alienware, Hypersonic, Sager, Clevo models???? What's the difference???

post #1 of 5
3/21/03 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry for the long post but I need some info.

I'm looking at purchasing a notebook but am a little confused about the following: What is the difference between Alienware 51m, Hypersonic, Sager, and Clevo. I heard that Clevo manufactures all these computers so in theory they are all the same. If this is so, what made those of you that have already purchased one of the above choose the brand that you did? Was it customer service, warranty, price, etc? To tell you the truth, I have only heard about Alienware and it wasn't until a few days ago that I found out about all these other brands so that's why I'm confused. I was going to go with Alienware, but they seem pricey and if the above brands are the same then I'll have to think twice and that's why I would appreciate if you guys out there can give me your 2 cents.
Also, I ran across a review on anandtech.com about the Hypersonic brand and they said that the CPU is upgradable. In other words, the author said that if your on a tight budget, you could opt for the cheaper processor and then later purchase a faster processor when prices have gone down. Is this true? I have never heard of you being able to upgrade a processor in a notebook. So if it is true, does that mean your could upgrade the processor on the Alienware, Sager, and Clevo models? Thanks in advance.


P.S. Here's the link about the Hypersonic review for those of you interested and I would appreciate any replies to not be biased towards Sager since I'm on the Sager forum. Thank you again.

http://anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1765&p=4
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post #2 of 5
3/21/03 at 10:31pm
The units are the same and made by Clevo. Basically the main difference is support and marketing. Hypersonic buys from Sager from what I know. Sager is the #1 Clevo reseller and has been doing it the longest I'm told. Most all of the systems have the same upgrade capibilities, except Sager offers a motherboard/video upgrade option for the 888X model and hopefully more of them soon. There are a few things customized by Sager and Alienware such as which hard drive and RAM is used. Sager uses the Toshiba and IBM drives which are the best from what I've seen.

We often sell accessories and upgrades to Alienware customers that don't want to pay what Alienware charges and wait a month to get their order.

Just because you don't see Sager banner ads every don't let it fool you on their volume, quality, and support.
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post #3 of 5
3/27/03 at 12:52pm
price is a big factor also....alienware seems to think it can charge $700 for a paint job....
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post #4 of 5
3/27/03 at 4:16pm

Re: Alienware, Hypersonic, Sager, Clevo models???? What's the difference???

Quote:
Originally posted by MothXz
Sorry for the long post but I need some info.

I'm looking at purchasing a notebook but am a little confused about the following: What is the difference between Alienware 51m, Hypersonic, Sager, and Clevo....
Usually, it is PRICE that drives people TO and AWAY from places like Alienware, VooDooPC, and Hypersonic. I was awfully close to getting a Hypersonic when I discovered these forums and lurked around.

Ultimately, I ordered from PC Torque, and could not have been more satisfied. I asked and asked, "what really is the difference?" and I think, from my experience, it boiled down to:

Alienware/Hypersonic/etc give you a custom printed binder w/ your system's info and things inside, plus they probably have a localized version of PowerStrip to clock the video up a bit.

They also set it up (read: install winXP) and add all the latest drivers, etc.

PC Torque, Powernotebooks, etc. they do the setup/driver thing, but do not have a custom printed binder with your specific system specs, nor do they include PowerStrip (shareware utility).

I didn't need the custom printed stuff, as I am not a novice user; nor did I need PowerStrip (I have a copy already), so I thought, "heck, I don't even need an OS" - but I did ultimately get mine with XP pre-installed (ironically, I later re-formatted and re-installed anyway, so there).

I liked Hypersonic's Aviator color (that brown/rust-ish) but they did an incomplete paintjob, IMHO. Alienware had WAY too many NEGATIVE posts (not only here, but everywhere I looked) and they do not have a good reputation for customer service.

VooDooPC was just so far out there in price, I think it only caters to rich, spoiled kids who have more money than brains.

I would have gone with ColorWare, but they did not have ANY options for customizing (still don't - I keep checking!) but I know they are working on it...

PC Torque and Powernotebooks was then the toss-up... and PC Torque won, mainly for the custom-coloring option.

-myrkat
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post #5 of 5
4/2/03 at 1:52am
Yes, I think price seems to be the best reason to go Sager. Why pay extra? If you can get the same product for two different prices, go with the cheaper one!

Prostar has similar prices to Sager, but I hear the support isn't as great.
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