Notebook Video Graphics Card Guide

[Jim]

Hi,

Alienware is/was my 1st choice...Making this bit of info VERY Interesting !!!

Let's talk about the concept of 'Name Brand' as it applies to laptop computers.

Virtually none of the "Name" brands manufacture their own laptops, with the about the only exception being Asus.

Instead they buy their laptops from what is called an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM). These ODMs sell their computers to several different OEMs (like DELL, Toshiba, IBM, HP, Compaq, Sager, PowerPro, Sony and many others) who then install the Hard Drive (usually a Seagate, Fujitsu, Hitachi or Toshiba), an Intel or AMD Processor, and System Memory. They then put their label on it and market it.

For example:

An ODM named Clevo makes the Sager NP9890 and the Alienware Area-51 m7700, the Voodoo Envy u:703, the Hypersonic Aviator EX7, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DR 6800, and they are all the same computer (although Sager usually has the more advanced and exotic technology).

Of course the Sager models have a much sweeter price tag!

An ODM named Compal makes some of the DELL, Hewlett Packard and Compaq line of laptops, among others, as well as the PowerPro M 5:6.

ASUS, famous worldwide for their top quality motherboards and other components makes their own laptops and call them their "Ensemble" line. They also sell their "Built-on-Asus" line to many different OEMs including PowerNotebooks.com. These models are the PowerNotebooks.com PowerPro A 2:21, the PowerPro R 6:15, the PowerPro C 2:20, and the PowerPro C 3:14.

The Dell Latitude and the Sony Vaio are made by Quanta, who also makes many of the IBM laptops, and the now-discontinued PowerPro C 3:16, and the new PowerPro G 3:8. Quanta is well known as the best and highest quality laptop ODM in the world.

Other ODM names are Mitac, FIC, AOpen, and Uniwill, among others. Not exactly what you would call "Name" brands, and yet it is their laptops that end up with the "Name" brands on them.

Well, you get the idea.

Some call this the "Dirty little secret of the Laptop Industry".

What is a "Name Brand" laptop?