Alienware X51- Any Opinions on this PC Gaming System

[QUOTE=magic chiongson]
get an i5 3570k, gtx 670, 8gb ram & hard drive & your good to go for around $1k. easily half the price of boutique-built PCs[/QUOTE]

Not really. The op problem is he's paying full price and not waiting for the X51 go on sale. Give me a month and I can find that identical spec from the Dell outlet for under $600. Upgrade the the graphics on my own and I'm good to go. You no longer save money with custom build like 10 years ago.

I custom my first two rig in 2002 and 2006, since then the price has actually shifted toward prebuild. Got my my Dell 435MT i-7 for $500 in 2009 and the i-7 xps 8500 in 2012 for the same price, upgraded the GPU afterwards.

There's definitely still a market for custom build for people trying to get every possible inch of performance, sli/oc but saving money and budget builds? Those days are long over. Factor in the time it takes to put together and diagnosing when something goes wrong, it's pretty much a no brainer.

[QUOTE=IGOTGAME]Personally I was only considering it because I think I could get the form factor of a console on my entertainment system. I can't play video games at a computer desk. I need to chill out on a couch with people and play.

Don't think a tower will work for that.[/QUOTE]
how about an actual console

[QUOTE=blablabla]how about an actual console[/QUOTE]

have them all. bored with them for the time being. However, I do use them for Netflix, Hulu and Cruncyroll(only reason I use my PS3).

But, If I can find this for 600 bucks I would definitely buy. That would be crazy. PC gaming does seem time intensive the more I read about it though.

what kind of games do you want to play on your pc

[QUOTE=blablabla]what kind of games do you want to play on your pc[/QUOTE]

Skyrim - with mods
Battlefield 3
Left 4 Dead
Mass Effect 2 and 3(never got to these)

I was also wondering if their were good mods for sports games like NBA2k13 and Fifa

[quote=bigkingsfan]Not really. The op problem is he's paying full price and not waiting for the X51 go on sale. Give me a month and I can find that identical spec from the Dell outlet for under $600. [B]Upgrade the the graphics on my own and I'm good to go.[/B] You no longer save money with custom build like 10 years ago.
[/quote]

based on the 240w power supply..the stock settings is pretty much maxed out

[quote=IGOTGAME]Skyrim - with mods
[B]Battlefield 3 [/B]
Left 4 Dead
Mass Effect 2 and 3(never got to these)

I was also wondering if their were good mods for sports games like NBA2k13 and Fifa[/quote]

you will need more than what the x51's graphics can provide if you want to play bf3 with max settings, and given that it has a very limited power supply, you wont be able to upgrade it. unless you play on a 720p display or less

[QUOTE=magic chiongson]based on the 240w power supply..the stock settings is pretty much maxed out

[/QUOTE]
You can get the version with a higher psu. It will have no problem running cards like the 660ti.

Not the greatest deal by any means, but op can pick up the config with the regular 660. $999 today, much better than that bestbuy deal.

[url]http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dpcwxv3&model_id=alienware-x51&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19[/url]
Get 10% off if you spend 1099$ or more. So upgrade the HD to 2TB for 50$, check the boxes to get free keyboard and mouse.

[IMG]http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/4/352300/original/BF3%20HIGH.png[/IMG]
BF3 on max settings, he just need to turn down some settings if he wants to play at 60 FPS.

[quote=bigkingsfan]You can get the version with a higher psu. It will have no problem running cards like the 660ti.

Not the greatest deal by any means, but op can pick up the config with the regular 660. $999 today, much better than that bestbuy deal.

[URL="http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dpcwxv3&model_id=alienware-x51&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19"]http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dpcwxv3&model_id=alienware-x51&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19[/URL]
Get 10% off if you spend 1099$ or more. So upgrade the HD to 2TB for 50$, check the boxes to get free keyboard and mouse.

[IMG]http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/4/352300/original/BF3%20HIGH.png[/IMG]
BF3 on max settings, he just need to turn down some settings if he wants to play at 60 FPS.[/quote]

if you can upgrade it to at least 300w then 660/660ti would be fine, you would be limited in graphics options with the maximum length of the card anyways. that $999 deal with the 660 makes more sense, the gt640/555 just won't cut it

i'm gonna have to upgrade my graphics card soon..i'm still on a gtx 470 :(