Today it has become far easier than ever before to find laptops from off-brand companies that actually rival the Big Three for quality. The best of these put together sound engineering, the very best parts from Toshiba, TEAC and others, and software packages that tie the entire machine into a cohesive whole. Instead of paying for marketing and brand identity, however, you are paying for nothing but outstanding design and customer service.

Personal computers are on the move. For the first time, in 2005 laptop sales grew as desktop sales declined. The market for notebook doubled in the three years prior to that, and many experts believe the exponential growth will continue well into the next decade. With so much demand, it is difficult to imagine a market in which a few players are the only contenders in the arena.

Sager and Others

Some of the brightest stars in this exploding market are already asserting their power. Sager laptops are well-regarded, well-made and some of the least expensive machines you can get for the quality. The problem is that you practically have to be a computer expert to know these smaller builders by name.

That's all changing thanks to effective word-of-mouth campaigns and the persistent skyrocketing prices at major companies. Instead of buying advertising time, smaller companies like Sager can focus their energies into the products themselves. In the estimation of most industry watchers, this singular focus has resulted in some of the finest laptops on the market today.