Update: Geforce GTX Lag Problem

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Alienware is one of those choices that seems great for those who don't buy comps and stuff regularly, but ultimately costs usually double what it would normally cost for the same specs on any other comp. Still though, I know the whole "gotta have it" feeling as I've done the same sort of thing before.

That having been said here's pretty much the only green mouse I tend to see, but it's laughably expensive:
http://www.google.com/products?q=RAZER+ ... hl=en&aq=f

I say just go by goodwill, grab a good looking regular LED mouse and perform this mod or have a buddy who's decent at soldering do it:
http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/556 ... -led-mouse

It'll save you a ton of cash and look just as good.

[MrPopo]

I see the boutique builders as a great way to pick some awesome specs and then take the list to Newegg for much cheaper prices.

[Ack]

Man, that's a lot of distaste over Alienware. Have they always been so scorned, or is this a result of them being bought out a few years ago?

I gotta admit, I've never had any issues with them...but then again they used to sponsor a few gaming tournaments I helped with, so I suppose I'm biased in that respect.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

It's the whole paying $2K for something you can build for $300-$500 thing.

I'm not saying their hardware is bad or that they can't build a decent computer, just that I can make a equivalent/better one for a lot cheaper.

[Ack]

Ah, ok. See, I remember folks being interested in their towers, not the stuff they put in them.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Yeah, the whole look of Alienware's machines is technically what seems to be the main draw for the few PC gamers I know that have one as they all seem to have this thing for LED's and gloss I can't really understand.

I've always been the whole speak softly carry a big CPU kind of guy as referenced by my black "Space Odyssey Monolith" looking machine. It's an old Dell XPS M200S case from '96-'97 sprayed black with vinyl dye and has only the stock power and HDD led's on the power button & little HDD indicator below it.

I do like the way Alienware's ooze that whole spaceship look though with all the curves and organic looking features now if they made their cases in matte colors and sold them seperately I'd be very tempted to go for one.

[ProfessorK]

Thanks for all the tips and such guys. Honestly though, some of you turned my excitement into sadness and worry

Well, at first. But I've looked at the benchmark tests and it can play everything I want to at Ultra and, as said earlier, will be able to handle StarCraft 2. Not to mention the fact that I'm upgrading from a low end P4 Dell. A huge step up!

I've never played Deus Ex, either. I'll have to look into it. I have always been a console guy, never a PC guy. For the longest time the only PC games I had were StarCraft, WarCraft 3, Sonic and Knuckles Collection and Sonic R.

Finally, thanks for pointing out the fact that I can change the LED color. I didn't realize that! I mean, I know I wouldn't see the color of my LED on the mouse anyway. It's just the type of thing that bothers me haha.

[J T]

Welcome to the wonderful world of PC gaming. If you want to get games for cheap, make sure you follow my threads for digital distribution deals and free games:

Free PC games
Good Old Games (GOG) Deals
Steam Deals
D2D Deals

If you ever want a quick and easy test to see if your computer can run a game, I recommend this website:
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri



For games to try out, well there are a lot. There are certain genres of games that are generally better played with a keyboard and mouse. Those are first person shooters, real time strategy, point & click adventures, strategy games, and complex simulators. Of course, you can buy a USB gamepad as well for any games that are better played with a controller.

The other major benefit to PC gaming is that you now have easy access to free updates and mods for your games. The modding community can add extra lifespan to your games by completely overhauling the game, or they can provide patches that fix the things that the originally developers didn't quite get right. Your major source for that is Mod DB:
http://www.moddb.com/

Also, get used to having people tell you your PC sucks (no matter how good your machine is). That's part of PC gaming culture. Everyone tells you your rig sucks and they could have built it for half the price using some McGuyver'd mix of coathangers and chewing gum. You'll know how well it runs once you start playing and that all that matters. And as far as I'm concerned, playing the game on medium or low settings is still playing the game.

[Riqz85]

Nice pc but did you really need an Alienware to play WoW and Starcraft 2? I can play those on my 4 year old PC

[Octopod]

I always thought the Alienware PC towers were tacky as hell. I think that about all the fancy, fancy PC cases with the LEDs and plexiglass windows and stuff though.