Bake Engadget a birthday cake, win an Intel Alienware gaming rig

It's officially too late to send a gift basket now, but to celebrate our 2nd anniversary we've been giving you the presents during seven days of giveaways. We did a Slingbox, RAZRwire, mPack P800, Squeezebox, MDA, and a SDA. Some pretty sweet prizes if you ask us (well, maybe not the RAZRwire), but today being our last day, well, we had to blow out the candles just right. So how would you like an Alienware Area-51 3550? We thought so. How do you win it? Bake us a cake! Yes, we're serious.

It's pretty simple. You bake us a gadget-shaped or Engadget-themed cake, send us a picture (or pictures), and the winner (as judged by the editors of Engadget) picks up an Alienware Area-51 3550, courtesy of Intel and Alienware. Here are the specs:

• Space Black chasis
• Intel dual core 940 CPU
• 2GB dual-channel RAM
• 500GB hard drive
• 256MB GeForce 6800GS video
• Dual NTSC Tuners
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 surround
  
• 16x Dual Layer DVD burner
• 10-in-1 card reader
  

One runner up will also receive a Squeezebox Wireless! Five more contestants will each win an Engadget t-shirt.

A few things:

1. No photoshops. Seriously, we shouldn't have to explain this one. Take lots of pictures -- be able to prove it's your cake, and that it's real!
2. Contests are open to anyone, anywhere. Unless you work for Engadget or Weblogs, Inc.
3. Enter by dropping your pictures of your cake in comments, or email your pictures in to engadget (at) gmail (dot) com, subject "Birthday cake" (no quotes).
   
4. Yes, even professional bakers are allowed to enter, so let's see some creativity! Best cake (as judged by Engadget) wins!
   
5. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals will not be included.
6. Please give Alienware a four week turnaround time to build your new Area-51 3550.
7. You've got until 11:59PM  EST Monday the 13th to enter your cake.

Best of luck to everyone and thanks for all of your support for these past two years!

P.S. If you want to mail us the cake when you're done, please ensure it's poison and razor-blade free first, ok? Thanks!

Yesterday's winner: Jason! Congratulations, Jason!

[Tonicboy @ Mar 9th 2006 4:14PM]

Is the winner picked randomly or judged on the creativity of the cake?

[solomon @ Mar 9th 2006 4:19PM]

do you pick the best cake or just a random cake ? because i know i can't make the best. but i can make a heck of a random cake.

[BklynKid @ Mar 9th 2006 4:20PM]

I may actually do this. :)

But if I'm going against professional bakers, I want to know... will the winner be picked on random, or will be the best cake win?

If bets cake wins, I have no chance! :p

[Jonathan Dolph @ Mar 9th 2006 4:23PM]

Time to bust ouf the homemaker skilllz! sunday night you'll have your winning email from me =)

[kidcodea @ Mar 9th 2006 4:23PM]

engadget readers AND baking cakes? i doubt 1% of them can bake a cake.
poor gfs and moms are gonna work it out...

[ezkiel @ Mar 9th 2006 4:23PM]

I will do this if the cake is based on criteria and not a fluke pick as well.

Cupcakes ok? because in tech smaller is better right?

[Robert @ Mar 9th 2006 4:24PM]

Will the winner be based on creativity or a randomly picked cake?

[Roo @ Mar 9th 2006 4:25PM]

Pick Me

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/02/slvrs-at-engadget-mobiles-30-days-of-cellphone-giveaways/

This gives me the opportunity to win the phone I really really want.

[Dave Nye The Science Guy @ Mar 9th 2006 4:30PM]

its on cakes aren't really my thing Im more of the cheese sculpture type but lets give this baking thing a whirl

[Ryan Block @ Mar 9th 2006 4:30PM]

The best cakes -- as judged by us -- win, though top cakes may be featured in a gallery as well. Cupcakes or other baked goods will be accepted, but we'll probably favor an extremely well crafted cake, to be honest!

Best, Ryan

[Neko Tsukimi @ Mar 9th 2006 4:36PM]

Oh wow, there are people who can't read.

Well, I'm a cake baker (well, at least I've been learning how to be one under my mother) and I have access to all type of decorating tools... And I have the weekend... I'll so do it!

[David @ Mar 9th 2006 4:36PM]

Wow I so want to do this, but what to make!

[Ryan @ Mar 9th 2006 4:38PM]

Some of you don't even actually read the posts do you?

This is about baking cakes people! Not sucking up to the bloggers by telling them your favorite post like the other contests.

[elliot @ Mar 9th 2006 4:39PM]

Oh man do I love cake @______@

[jedda @ Mar 9th 2006 4:39PM]

Does it have to be entirely edible?

[blahblah @ Mar 9th 2006 4:53PM]

It'd be so much easier to have a cake professionally done - and then stage pictures making it look as though you baked it - than it would be to actually make a cake (especiially considering that we're competing against pros, which is so unfair). I think I will do this, just for kicks. :p

[Carl (theWAREHOUSE) @ Mar 9th 2006 4:54PM]

How will you differentiate between the "professional baker" entries and the "i ordered it from a grocery store for $25" entries? Lots of grocery stores will do very classy very customized cakes.

My wife could really use this system.
I'm definitely going to be throwing my cake/hat in the ring.

[ezkiel @ Mar 9th 2006 4:54PM]

How come everyone is posting their fave article?

THE CONTEST IS BAKING A CAKE NOT SAYING WHAT UR FAVE POST WAS!!! RT(F)A!

[Knives @ Mar 9th 2006 5:09PM]

Is this a dumbass race? YOU BAKE A CAKE FOR THEM NOT SAY A POST!

[Jesse @ Mar 9th 2006 5:10PM]

This cake has two gammer loving hookers inside! Enjoy!

[John @ Mar 9th 2006 5:12PM]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c338/Flareofhell/Contest/Engadget2nd.jpg

one cake, made to order, Happy Birthday Engadget!!!!

[anthony @ Mar 9th 2006 5:13PM]

I give up, i never win.

[Bill Satterfield @ Mar 9th 2006 5:14PM]

Brokeback cake.

[Untold1 @ Mar 9th 2006 5:22PM]

Make sure you have a picture of the cake cut...before someone slaps frosting on something else and says its a cake....

[Iamvery @ Mar 9th 2006 5:30PM]

@ #41: Idiot. http://earth.geology.yale.edu/~jjpark/Pictures/n51.jpg
@ All who are posting links to articles: Idiots

[Matt Mose @ Mar 9th 2006 5:33PM]

i guess nobody reads what u guys write. READ PEOPLE READ!!!!! Bake a cake. not a post. CAKE!!!

I don't know how to bake a cake but i hope my love for u is enough : )


P.S. CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ryan Block @ Mar 9th 2006 5:41PM]

Carl, craft isn't everything, that's why I said you have to be creative! No grocery store baker can fake that...

Best, Ryan

[blahblah @ Mar 9th 2006 5:45PM]

Ryan: I'm about to find-out what a little money, some photos and sketches, and a little creative direction can buy from a baker...

If you don't believe you can buy creativity, than you must never have gotten a tatoo. :P

[Dave @ Mar 9th 2006 5:50PM]

I like the retards that are on autopilot responding to this thread.

[Romeriaux @ Mar 9th 2006 6:01PM]

A cake??? Where??/ I want a piece of that :)

[Mo @ Mar 9th 2006 6:03PM]

I canNOT bake, so not fair

[HyperHacker @ Mar 9th 2006 6:11PM]

I was interested (even though I could never actually bake a cake) right up until I saw the Intel VIIV (or whatever the hell it says) logo. :-/

[Travis Loker @ Mar 9th 2006 6:12PM]

I made some cup cakes....here is one with a candle! (I do not have any frosting so I hope this is a random drawing not based on quality lol)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/loker435/cupcake.jpg

[Richard @ Mar 9th 2006 6:13PM]

Oh yeah, I just talked to the wife. It's on!

[czechm8 @ Mar 9th 2006 6:30PM]

An Xbox 360 would be nice, this rigs specs are kinda lacking for a "gaming rig" don't you think?

and how are you gonna know its not just a shoebox covering in delicious frosting???

[czechm8 @ Mar 9th 2006 6:32PM]

er, *covered* in frosting...like my braincell. yeah, just the one.

[JavaDog @ Mar 9th 2006 7:02PM]

All of you saying you are going to have a Bakery do it for you, did you read rule #1?

"be able to prove it's your cake"

[wuzzlewozzle @ Mar 9th 2006 7:24PM]

JavaDog (#68): If you are smart enough to post that on Engadget, you can probably figure-out how it would be easy to fake pics that make it look like you made the cake (at least I hope you can comprehend....)

[Spooky @ Mar 9th 2006 7:26PM]

Just buy some foam and cut it out to how you like it then put frosting all over it and voila your all set to win this thing! LOL, you all know I am just kidding, hard workers deserved to win the prize not lazy people like me.

[Sam @ Mar 9th 2006 7:30PM]

c'mon guys. just make a cool cake. this is what i cant stand about tech geeks.
"im going to fake a cake, just like i did that iGame yesterday."
Actually do something for once. Get outta that chair!

[Mark Wang @ Mar 9th 2006 8:13PM]

What is inside the Alienware gaming rig? Will it be the bare minimum with integrated graphics card, 512 ram... Or will it be the top of the line stuff inside the computer?

[Gaurav @ Mar 9th 2006 8:22PM]

Can you give some true specs of the fully configured computer that your going to give us because i checked it out....and its not seeming that good

it has integrated everything, 2.8ghz 256mb memory and its ddr not ddr2 and lastly it doesnt even come with a WMC tv tuner...

total is like 1200 barebone.....please reply back or soemthing with an update because i had a really elaborated cake planned and it seems like a waste of time for this...and i could really use a new graphics card since i already have an integrated and it sucks...sadly my specs are better then that one too

[iggimarco @ Mar 9th 2006 8:24PM]

far, seriously. the post about the remote controllable sharks was the
best post i have ever read, anywehre, ever. why?, jaja come on...
news like that here in Argentina never come through, I live by the
coast in a shark zone and fish all the time. I just can't wait to get
a hold of one of these chips and mess around.

[Tedi @ Mar 9th 2006 8:29PM]

Pink Martini and cake...Great combo!

[funnelbc @ Mar 9th 2006 9:39PM]

Would the potential winner be able to pay to upgrade the specs from the baseline?

[Richard @ Mar 9th 2006 10:05PM]

What are the specs, if you don't mind. I'm all over this regardless, just curious.

[Alan @ Mar 9th 2006 11:09PM]

Does this count? I re-arranged the letters/numbers of Happy 20th Birthday.

http://ucf.edu/~al817867/DSC_0027.JPG

[Donna NH @ Mar 9th 2006 11:37PM]

Cake! I love cake, My favorite kind is engadget with high tech frosting, can't be beat! How are you going to taste this confection from my winning oven?

[Paul @ Mar 10th 2006 12:16AM]

I spent $20 on cake materials tonight for this contest. Its too late to start tonight but tomorrow I will begin on my entry. It's going to be great, let me tell you. Or, it will be a humongous failure, but I'll still submit the photos anyway.

To the rest of you - no fair recuiting your wives / significant others to help :D

[Bigsby @ Mar 10th 2006 1:40AM]

I'm making a cake this weekend. Lucky I'm in a chef training program, lol. I already have the layout planned out and everything. just one question, can we submit multiple cakes for more chances to win?