If you're looking to get dual-GPU gaming performance in an Alienware PC without shelling out several grand for your system, the Aurora 7500 series is the place to begin.

This line of gaming PCs starts out at $2,116 with rebate and provides the high-end performance that gamers are used to getting from Alienware.

The 7500 ships in the Alienware tower chassis, available in a range of colors from Plasma Purple to Conspiracy Blue. You can opt for the $46 AlienIce video cooling system that maximizes the airflow through the chassis and also illuminates the tower vents with blue lighting. You can also customize the tower with acoustic dampening for $99, cutting down on any noise that your system will make. A combination of these additions is available for $129.

The baseline processor is the more-than-capable AMD Athlon 64 3000+ running at 1.8GHz. If you need more CPU power, you can step up to the 2.0GHz Athlon 64 3200+ for only $39 or make even more incremental climbs (in terms of price and performance) that culminate in the 2.6GHz Athlon FX-55 for $804 over the starting price.

Memory starts out at a respectable 1GB of 400MHz PC-3200 DDR memory. If you want some of the best memory that money can buy, $94 over baseline gives you 1GB of Corsair XMS Extra Low Latency DDR RAM.

The default graphics card isn't actually a dual-GPU option. While the Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT board isn't top of the line, it's still a fast PCI Express option with 128MB of dedicated video memory. The starting SLI option combines two of these graphics chips with Nvidia's Scalable Link Interface technology at a price at $306 over baseline. The cards work together, scaling the graphics processing and essentially giving you 60 times the bandwidth of a typical PCI architecture and awesome performance on today's high-end games. The maximum option is twin GeForce 6800 GT boards with 256MB of video memory each--and a price increase of more than $1000.

The 7500's hard drive at the starting price is a fast 7,200 rpm 80GB drive from Seagate. This offers plenty of swift storage for most users, but if you need more room for game installs and multimedia files, you can double it to a 160GB drive for only $54. Other options include a monstrous 400GB Hitachi drive for $322, a faster 10,000 rpm SCSI 74GB drive for $151, or two of the SCSI drives in a RAID configuration for $168.

Concerning optical drives, the Aurora 7500 starts out with only a 16X DVD-ROM drive. It'll play DVD movies, but it's not capable of any media creation. On the other hand, for only a $23 upgrade you can make it a combination DVD-ROM drive and 52X/32X/52X CD-RW drive that can burn audio and data CDs at top speed. An upgrade to a DVD+/-RW drive is only $49 over base and lets you create your own DVDs that you can play back in your home theater DVD player.

The 7500's modest price tag doesn't include a display, but Alienware has a nice selection of monitors to choose from. You can get a basic black 15-inch ViewSonic CRT for $127, probably more than you should pay for a 15-inch display. Or you can opt for the excellent NEC 22-inch black CRT that will add $555 to the price tag. On the LCD front, the 17-inch BenQ black flat panel looks great and isn't overpriced at $281. For the ultimate in flat panel viewing, there's the new Alienware 20.1-inch LCD that does add a hefty $749 to your overall price.

If you decide on the SLI twin graphics cards, you can add a second monitor to your system for a dual-display desktop. It's great for multitasking and games that support two monitors for wider vantage points.

Sound is handled via a 7.1-channel Creative Labs SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card complete with a Firewire port and digital output. Other options include Integrated High-Performance 7.1 Surround Sound with S/PDIF and Coaxial Digital Outputs, which will knock $68 off the price, or Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro High Definition 7.1 Surround Sound with Dual Firewire for an additional &219.

There aren't any speakers included with the 7500. If you need some from Alienware, you can add on a decent set of Logitech Z-5300e 5.1s for $160, the booming Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 500-watt speakers for $342, or the ultimate 7.1 speaker 700-watt Creative GigaWorks S750 for $436.

There's no modem by default (installing one will run you $67), but the integrated gigabit Ethernet network interface means you can connect to a high-speed network or broadband at a fast clip.

The input devices are the excellent Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard and IntelliMouse Explorer that have been personally tailored to match your Alienware system. You can also add on game controllers or Creative media players to make your Alienware system more robust from the get-go.

But if you hold your desires in check, you can end up with a gaming system from one of the best vendors on the market for a fairly reasonable price. The Alienware Aurora 7500 is one of the best ways to get an SLI system on your desktop without killing your bank account.

Pros: Good starting price, great performance
Cons: Monitor not included at baseline