Gaming Desktop

Okay, I've been thinking I should probably upgrade from my current laptop (far from a gaming laptop). In all honesty, I don't want to deal with the hassle of building one myself as I've never done it and I honestly would have no idea about processors, motherboards, GPU, etc. I was thinking about getting one from Alienware as I've been hearing they're good (link to what I'd want in my price range: http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-aurora-r3/pd.aspx ) I have $2000 but I don't want to spend a lot of it on a PC. The thing that especially intrigues me about the Alienware desktops is that I can pay for it monthly, and once I get a job (searching this weekend) I can do it no problem.

I just wanted to hear all of your opinions of Alienware and the PC I'd like to go for.

As you probably already know, Alienware/Dell is pretty popular with gamers, and although I've never owned one, I don't have a reason to doubt their quality any more than any other PC vendor.

The thing is, if money is an issue, Alienwares seem to have a lot more than what is actually necessary for gaming. The lowest, cheapest spec ($1199.00) of that model is more than enough for what you'll probably need. I'd prefer to go with a single video card than with SLI/Crossfire, though.

You might want to look around sites like Newegg.com for something cheaper, you can get a desktop sufficient for gaming for sub-$1000 prices.

After a sort search, I think this one looks alright: ($929.00)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227323
The CPU is better, but it doesn't have liquid cooling (which you probably won't need in the first place), and has an HD6850 vs. the Alienware's HD6870. The differences are marginal, IMO.

Don't skimp out on research, buyer's remorse is an awful feeling. As a side note, if you haven't really looked into assembling your own PC, you might want to consider it. No special skills required, mostly entails plugging things in and screwing in 6 or so screws.
This is a nice guide to give you a rough idea of what you want in your PC:
https://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png

If you find your price nearing $2000, think carefully about the alternatives, because in all likelyhood you're paying for more than you need.

I recently bought a Dell desktop in April, I decided not to go Alienware because it's more expensive although it is awesome powerful. I went with the Dell XPS 8300 with an i7-2600 quadcore with mid range ATI video card, 8gb memory and a 1TB HDD.

You'll see on this page the option to start a system in various different ways
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-8300/fs
I would try them all and see what options/prices you like. Of course you don't have to choose the XPS 8300 this is just an example. I used Dell's build it yourself option to build the system in 3 different ways with almost identical parts and had a price variation of about $400!

I'm not interested in assembling my own computer anymore although it really can be very fun. Newegg is an excellent place to buy equipment. Also make sure you read the description carefully, some computers don't include an operating system , video card or a hard drive. I purchased a Netbook from them for $300 and I love it. Newegg also has a good review system, I always read the reviews before I buy.

I like Dell because it was all assembled by someone else. The operating system was pre-installed and the power supply would have enough watts to cover what was inside. The warranty is also a nice thing if your system blows up for some reason although my past few Dells have worked without a single fault. ...really hope I didn't just jinx myself.

I spent months trying to decide on a laptop/ desktop that I designed myself online on many sites but it came down to me just going to Best Buy and getting an HP G62 and I love it. The Biggest tips are to figure out what you will be doing with it. Alienware is awesome but unless you work with Auto-CAD and/or 3D rendering it's just overkill for something that will be obselete in a year or two.
For a desktop you can customize everthing on Newegg and other sites that I am brain farting on but I'll find them and add links later. The main points on a laptop are the CPU and the video card, most everything else is customizable by peripherals and external drives. Dont get caught in dual core vs. quad core cause frankly programs and software are still catching up on optimizing the use of multiple cores and comps still tend to use a primary core for most processes and don't delegate as much as they should. Dual tend to be 2 slightly faster cores by .3-.5 GHz of the quad core so unless you know the CPU is going to delegate between proccessors equally go for whatever is faster or more cost effective. My only big tip for video drive is Don't Even THINK about the intel dedicated GPU/CPU combo if you want to do gaming. Hope I didn't go to wild here but I hope to build computers on a regular basis so I get a little talky when I know things.... : D

I decided to go with the Alienware Aurora as it was basically that or nothing. My only choice was a monthly payment or don't get one at all. I need to save the 2 grand I have now for a car as I don't have one yet. Thanks for the help though, guys.

Congratz! Let us know how she runs

Spend the 2K on dye amps! Don't need to drive yet do ya?

Shazir wrote:

Spend the 2K on dye amps! Don't need to drive yet do ya?

Seconding this, your all grey DC is kind of drab. Mixing in some hot pink and lime green would be a perfect way to make a statement.

Meiring wrote:

Shazir wrote:

Spend the 2K on dye amps! Don't need to drive yet do ya?

Seconding this, your all grey DC is kind of drab. Mixing in some hot pink and lime green would be a perfect way to make a statement.

My all gray DC is getting traded out for BH/Swift combo soon enough