Alienware's MJ-12 systems are geared toward high-end business users, combining extreme power and stability in workstations that can handle complex tasks while keeping a manageable price tag. Their 7550 series offers dual processor and dual video card capabilities for excellent performance in computer-aided graphics design.

You can get a 7550 with either Intel or AMD inside, depending on your preference. The Intel models with Xeon processors start a bit cheaper, but the upgrade to a dual-processor Xeon system is more expensive than the dual-chip AMD 7550.

The baseline Intel system ships with a 2.8GHz Xeon processor, a 64-bit CPU ready for the next generation of operating systems. You can upgrade the power of that single processor all the way to a 3.8GHz Xeon for $765 or move over to twin 2.8GHz Xeons for $263.

If you choose the AMD, the 7550 starts out with an Opteron 242, another 64-bit processor running at 1.6GHz. You can upgrade to one of AMD's dual-core Opterons with two processors on a single chip starting at $630 for the 1.8GHz Opteron 265, or opt to pair two of the 1.6GHz Opteron 242 CPUs on the motherboard for $193.

The AMD systems ship with Windows XP Professional. Both versions of the 7550 ship with 1GB of 400MHz DDR2 memory, a good foundation for graphics design. Either system can be expanded to 2GB of RAM for much less of a cost ($210 for the AMD, $140 for the Intel).

Apart from the differences in processor, memory, and OS, the rest of the 7550 system features nearly identical components and options. Residing in the PCI-Express graphics slot is NVIDIA's Quadro FX 330 workstation-level graphics card with 64MB of dedicated video memory. The 7550 offers twin PCI-Express slots, however, so you can greatly improve graphics performance by doubling up the cards. The $827 starting dual-card configuration is twin Quadro FX 1400s, each with 128MB of DDR video memory. The maximum option is two Quadro FX 4500s, each with 512MB of DDR3 video memory and a monster price tag of $3,099.

If you're working with that kind of power, you'll need a large amount of storage space to hold your work. The default hard drive is a basic 7,200rpm 80GB drive--not bad for a consumer, but pretty skimpy for CAD. You can directly increase the size of the single drive to a maximum 500GB drive with a 16MB cache for $461,or continue the doubling theme and opt for twin drives in either a RAID or non-RAID configuration. The non-RAID option pairs two of those 500GB drives for a terabyte of storage space at $733. RAID configurations pair two 160GB drives. You can opt for RAID 0 for faster performance and 320GB of storage for $157 or RAID 1 for data mirroring with 160GB of backed-up storage for $137.

Alienware lets you add additional storage drives in RAID or non-RAID configurations, with an option for a $77 Serial ATA hot-swap bay for easily removing and replacing these drives.

The default optical drive is a basic 16X DVD-ROM drive, but Alienware offers rewriteable drive upgrades. You can move up to a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive for burning audio and data CDs for only $21. For video and larger data burns, there's a $67 16X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer drive with LightScribe technology. This drive can burn to 8.5GB Dual Layer media and also imprint professional monochrome labels on compatible LightScribe CDs and DVDs.

All of these components ship in the impressive black Alienware workstation chassis. It offers two USB 2.0 ports up front for hooking up peripherals and digital media devices, and the front- and rear-mounted fans keep the system well ventilated. But if you opt for some of the dual high-end processors and graphics cards, your system may heat up more than the average workstation. So Alienware offers chassis upgrades, including their $213 Acoustic Dampening Level II which should reduce system noise by up to 40 percent and features a closed-loop liquid cooling system to draw heat away from the processor and other core components.

Alienware doesn't include a display at the starting system price, but with dual graphics cards, the 7550 can output to four monitors. A single 19-inch LCD will set you back $335 with additional displays around $350 each

But the Alienware MJ-12 7550 systems start out quite reasonably priced and reasonably configured. Hard-core designers know where they need to make their upgrades, and the 7550 can handle all the high-end components you may want to include. If you're looking for a powerful graphics design workstation without a monster price tag, don't overlook Alienware.


Pro: Good starting price, dual processor and graphics card 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

Warranty
1-year limited