Dell, which offers over 10, 000 computer configurations, is growing at five times the rate of its rivals.

ECONOMIST: Direct hit

The lower capacity products are intended for dual storage Ultrabook computer configurations where the mSATA SSD will be combined with a HDD in an Ultrabook with performance approaching that of a pure SSD laptop but with overall storage costs approaching those of a HDD.

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"It doesn't make our job any easier when computer manufacturers begin changing configurations, " said Eric Thomas, IT manager at Robertson Stephens Banc, in Boston.

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Computer makers, for example, often sell many different models, in countless configurations, in part so that it is hard to compare their machines with those of rivals.

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Alienware's Area-51 7500 series of desktops can reach some pretty lofty prices, but the folks at Computer Shopper recently got their hands on one of the company's recent, more modestly-priced configurations, and they've awarded it some considerably higher marks than its pricer predecessors.

ENGADGET: Alienware's more modestly-priced Area-51 7500 gets reviewed