Was looking at a dedicated gaming PC and of course Alienware always comes to mind. I almost bought one about 5 years ago but had cold feet... but now the bug is back. Are they worth the price? This particular rig seems almost surreal... the tower alone weight 84 pounds! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp-m7y1R_F4

No. Overpriced for poor quality components. You could get a better system for cheaper by building

No. Overpriced for poor quality components. You could get a better system for cheaper by building

Building, yeah I tried that one once, wasted about a grand , ended up with a rather nice looking door stop... I'll leave that to the pros, its cheaper in the long run, less headaches... Any other websites you can recommend where I can get a good quality gaming system for a decent price?

Try cyberpower or ibuypower, kind of like Alienware but not as over priced. Also the will overclock the system if you are not comfortable with that. I got a PC from cyberpower once and after the motherboad caught on fire(seriously) they replaced it.

Try cyberpower or ibuypower, kind of like Alienware but not as over priced. Also the will overclock the system if you are not comfortable with that. I got a PC from cyberpower once and after the motherboad caught on fire(seriously) they replaced it.

YIKES! Thanks for the info, I'd much rather pay to have a pro build a system... Building is simply a bridge too far for me. If I were successful it'd probably end up being Skynet and destroying the world or some such nightmare.

Take a look at Cyber power: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

Take a look at Cyber power: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

I'm there now putting together a system... but I'd like some opinions please. Here is what I have now... I started with their CyberPower X58 Configurator Configuration

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
• HDD: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
• MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
• MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus Rampage III Formula Intel X58 SLI/CrossFireX Triple-Channel DDR3 ATX w/ 7.1 SupremeFX X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity/THX TruStudio Pro Audio, Intel GbLAN, IEEE 1394a, eSATA, USB 3.0, 2x SATA3, 3 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI [+132]
• SOUND: Creative Labs SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 24-BIT PCI Sound Card [+48]
• VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+156] (EVGA Superclocked)

I also went with a 27" Widescreen 1920x1080 Asus VE276Q LCD Display w/ Built-in Speaker, DVI, & HDMI-Input for the monitor. Whole thing is right at $2,000... Any changes ya'll might recommend?https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/intel_pc/

I would go with a 2500k or 2600k processor instead, and u prolly dont need a seperate sound card as most motherboards will handle that duty. U will have to change your memory for a 2500k or 2600k and I would add a second hard drive.

I forgot to mention u will need a z68 or p67 series mother board also. If this computer is mainly going to be used for just fsx go with the 2500k over the 2600k. FSX does not use hyperthreading so u will not see any gain with the 2600k. Also get a good cpu cooler to overclock.

Roger!

Put this one together and shaved about $400 off the price. Gamer Xtreme 2000

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
• HDD: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
• MEMORY: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Kingston HyperX [+53])
• MOTHERBOARD: * [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Technology & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
• SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
• VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+87] (EVGA Superclocked)

I'd get a second drive such as a 10,000RPM vrap or SSD for FSX. I'd reckon 120-150GB should be enough stick the OS on there as well for mega fast boot times. Graphics card is okay. Could you stretch for a 570?

What do u have for case, power supply, and cpu cooler?

Case: Azza Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 FansPS: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready CPU Cooler: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan and also a Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for the selected case.</pre> Also the GTX 570 is about $220 more... I could try.

Looks pretty good. Not sure about the power supply though. If it were me I would spend a little extra and go with a Corsair. Also the 2500k will overclock well on a good air cooler. I have mine at 4.7 on air and my temps are good. Not trying to talk u outta water cooling just some info for ya. 2nd hard drive?