New gaming rig - best value for money recommendations???

[pkroks]

i am probably going to purchase a system from Alienware, mainly for gaming, but obviously to watch dvd's and listen to music etc. i was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the best system i could get for about US$2500.00. at the moment i am looking at

90-Day AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 ( i already have xp pro with sp1 and 2)
Alienware® Full-Tower Chassis - Space Black [+$0]
Alienware® Cable Management System
PC Power & Cooling 510 Express 650 Watt peak power
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 4400+ Processor with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology
Alienware® nForce™4 SLI™ Chipset Motherboard PCI Express
1GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB
NVIDIA® GeForce™ 7800 GTX PCI Express 256MB DDR3 w/Dual Digital and TV Out
Extreme Performance - Serial ATA RAID 0*- 320GB (160GB x 2) Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/16MB Cache
NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround Firewire (IEEE® 1394)
Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
US Robotics® 56K V.92 Performance Pro
Microsoft ® Multimedia Keyboard - space black
Microsoft ® IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 - USB - Space Black
Corsair™ Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Flash Drive 512MB*- NEW!

as you can see i don't need a monitor. basically all i need is the hardware. but i was wondering if dual 6600GT graphics is better than a 7800GTX. also the above is (US$2655.00) just above what i would like to spend but i can make it. anything better for about 2500 or the same price would be great. and also any explainations at to why it is better would be great. another thing is i prob wont be upgrading for about 3 or 4 years so the best system for the money i got is what i am looking at. thanks a lot. the full list of alienware customisations is at this site...

http://www.alienware.com/Configurat...px?SysCode=PC-AURORA-7500&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

also if anyone thinks that a area 51 7500 would be better and the reasons please post. i just don't want to screw up a chance to get a cool system that will be around for a long time.. thanks


oh and i can't go to newegg or anything coz i have to buy the whole system built as my friend is going to bring it from the states ( i live in Africa) thanks

 

[ripken204]

a 7800 is suppose to be better than 6800ultras in sli

http://frontiernet.net/~unholyknights/computers/midrange.html
take that comp, get rid of monitor then get a 7800gtx and a 4400X2
im just adding in my head but it will prolly be around 2600, u can get a different case to cheapen it up

also if u dont need the speakers,mouse,keyboard then ull be set

this is only if ur friend can order the parts and build in the US tho, otherwise u will be ripped of on prices ALOT

 

[pkroks]

no my friend is not a computer genius and he can't build computers or anything like that. i just tell him what i want and he brings it from the states when he comes. thats why i figured Alienware coz i have heard they are like the best and they do all the buiulding and shipping and all. anyway thanks for the reply

any more replies about what components to select when buying an alienware system are extremely welcome and appreciated. thanks

 

[Midgetmax]

Try going to ibuypower.com to build a nice computer. for 2.5k you are goingto beable to get a hell of a nice system. My opinion is that alienware is ober rated, you are paying alot for a case that is $30....But ibuypower is an awsome site.

 

[Merc14]

Might be better off getting the FX55 or 57 as games don't take advantage of the dual processor technology at all. 55/57 would be a lot faster for gaming.

 

[scooter6139]

Might be better off getting the FX55 or 57 as games don't take advantage of the dual processor technology at all. 55/57 would be a lot faster for gaming.

totally agree. i only know of one or two games that utilize the duel cores and only a few more applications do.

for the price i would go with the fx-55 since the extra cost of the -57 chip doesn't offset the performance gap enough IMO

 

[pkroks]

well i sent away for the pc i posted coz i didn't have much time. it would only be shipped on the 25th of july and my friend is coming on the 1st of august. anyway I know the 4000+ is quite good, how does the dual core 4400+ compare to that one, oh and how about against a normal 3000+? thanks for the help

 

[Merc14]

It is a great CPU and you'll be really happy with it. We were just suggesting that for about the same price an FX 55 would be a better performer while playing games. Probably wouldn't even be a noticeable increase except in benchmarks.

You got a great processor and when programs start showing up in large numbers that take advantage of dual processors (which will happen soona as both Intel and AMD are committed to dual CPU's) you'll be glad you got it. Congrats and enjoy your new PC. Post back and let us know how it peforms.