With a starting price well under $1,500, the Alienware Area 51 5500 series desktop computer has some impressive specs at baseline. The default processor is a 3.4GHz Intel Pentium 4 550 with Hyper-Threading technology, and RAM starts out at 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory. You can double up to 2GB of memory for $410 or max the system out at 4GB of RAM for $999.

If that's not enough processing power for your gaming needs, you can step up to a 3.6GHz P4 560J CPU for $167, a 3.8GHz P4 570J for $438, or a Dual-Core Extreme Edition which adds a hefty $854 to the overall price.

The 5500 series desktop comes packaged in Alienware's full-tower chassis, available in a range of excellent colors from Space Black to Cyborg Green to Saucer Silver. Whatever color you choose, the computer will definitely earn some jealous stares from your friends and family.

The tall, sleek tower is unmarred save for four USB 2.0 ports at the bottom and the side vents (which can be lit up in Astral Blue with the AlienIce Video Cooling System at an upgrade price of $46). You can add acoustic dampening for $107 to cut down on the noise that escapes the system. Both of these upgrades are available at a tandem price of $137.

Returning to the inside of the desktop, the PCI Express-5500 series ships with a respectable NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT graphics board with 128MB of DDR3 video memory. Hard-core gamers may want to step up to the 256MB 6800 GT for $232 or try out the new 512MB GeForce 6800 Ultra for serious performance and an equally serious price of $611. You could turn on all the special effects bells and whistles in today's--and tomorrow's--high-end games with this card.

Alienware starts the 5500 computer out with an excellent amount of storage space in the form of a 80GB 7,200 rpm serial ATA hard drive. This will give you lots of room for game installs and storage of video and audio files.

If you need more room, you can beef it up to a 250GB drive for $135 or a monstrous 400GB drive for $317. Or, if you don't need as much room, but want a faster drive for better performance, you can move to a 74GB 10,000rpm drive for $150. Alienware offers a RAID 0 option, providing twin 160GB drives for a reasonable price of $135 over baseline.

The optical drive starts out a bit paler in comparison. The low-end drive is merely a 16X DVD-ROM drive that will let you play DVD movies but isn't able to burn to any media. You can make it a combination DVD-ROM drive and high-speed 52X/36X/52X CD-RW drive that can play movies and burn to CD media at the fastest speeds on the market for only $13.

Or, if you want to author your own DVDs, you can step up to a Dual Layer 16X DVD+/-RW drive for $70. This drive lets you burn to DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and Dual Layer media with 8.5GB capacity per disk.

Alienware doesn't include a monitor at the desktop's baseline price, but there are some beautiful displays to choose from. You can add a basic black 15-inch CRT to the computer for only $127, but gaming on a 15-inch CRT seems a bit of a travesty with this system. If you want to go flat, the 17-inch LCD from NEC is a reasonable $345.

The Intel high-definition audio is integrated, but provides high-end sound output with support for 7.1 channels. If you need a dedicated sound card, you can upgrade to the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS that adds a Firewire port to the system for $68. No speakers come with the desktop, but Alienware provides a variety of sets from Klipsch for you to choose from.

The built-in gigabit Ethernet port lets you connect your computer to a high-speed network or a broadband modem easily. There's no modem by default-- if you need one, it will add an additional $67 to the price tag.

Input devices include a basic black Microsoft keyboard for and optical mouse. More advanced options are available, including the Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard in Space Black for $29 and the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer (in Space Black or Saucer Silver) for $40.

There's a one-year warranty on the Alienware 5500 series desktop computer that includes 24/7 toll-free telephone support and on-site service. You can increase the coverage to two years for $195 or three years for $265.

Alienware's Area 51 5500 series starts out at a great price, but the systems are designed to carry cutting-edge components. Budget-conscious gamers can get The Alienware 5500 desktop computer without pushing up the price too much while hard-core gamers can max out the components--and the price--and give themselves extreme performance machines.

Pro: Good starting price, excellent component support
Con: No monitor included

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Alienware
12400 Southwest 134th Court, Bay 8
Miami, Florida 33186
800-494-3382
http://www.alienware.com