ExtremeTech's Ultimate Gaming Machine shoot-out

ExtremeTech and Games for Windows magazine have combined their forces to take on a few of the ultimate gaming machines that are tearing up the scene these days. Over the last week, they rocked six, that's right, six full-on reviews of these rapacious rigs: the Dell XPS 710, Gateway FX530XT Gaming PC, CyberPower Gamer Infinity SLI KO, Alienware Area-51 ALX, Falcon Northwest Mach V, and VoodooPC Omen (pictured).

First up is the Dell XPS 710, which really didn't get high marks at all -- they dubbed it a "very average system." What made it deserve such a panning? Basically, the site found that it's overpriced ($5,314) for the performance you get (2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700) -- Dell seems to have spent the extra money on case design and not the actual components. When stacked up against a very close rival, the Gateway FX530XT, ExtremeTech found that the 530 edged out the Dell system, earning points for a faster chip (3.24GHz QX6700 quad-core), smaller case, lower price ($4,030), and quieter fan. Keep reading to check out the rest of the hardcore action...

For the second round of tête-à-têtes, the site pitted the CyberPower rig against the Alienware, with the former definitely holding its own against one of the giants of the computer gaming world: the SLI KO blazes with a 3.46GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme X6800 chip, 2GB of RAM, and a pair of NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards -- and weighs in at only $4,000. The Alienware, meanwhile, sports similar specs, but with a slightly faster schip (Core 2 Duo Extreme 3.63GHz), and double the RAM (4GB), although it's almost double the price, at $6,950 -- and it still had very similar benchmark scores. On the plus side, the Alienware setup has double liquid cooling and a pretty awesome case design, however ExtremeTech described the inner wiring as "a pretty big rat's nest" -- a very big no-no for something that's supposed to be meticulously crafted.

The final grudge match was between the Mach V and the Omen, which basically was a true fight for the crown of the Ultimate Game Machine title. The Northwest was a real contender, bringing the pain with a 3.51GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700, Sanyo-Denki Water Cooler, 2GB of RAM, a pair of 8800 GTX graphics cards and a pair of Western Digital Raptor 1500s in RAID 0, not to mention a 750GB Seagate drive, custom paint job, and a matching keyboard / mouse. Plus you get a free Falcon coffee mug and t-shirt, with the former probably ending up staining the latter during marathon fragging sessions. What's the downside? This'll set you back a serious eight grand, no joke. Still, all of that wasn't enough to steal the hearts of the reviewers, so the Voodoo was pronounced the winner.

What makes it so great? Well, it's got the fastest chip of the bunch -- a 3.8GHz Core 2 Duo QX6800 -- which helped it earn top scores in most benchmark categories, plus a lower price ($5,700); it also ships with espresso chocolate and temporary tattoos, which we're pretty sure was the deciding factor. After all, the fastest way to a gamer's heart isn't through his/her fingertips, it's through impermanent body art.

Read - VoodooPC Omen
Read - Falcon Northwest Mach V
Read - Alienware Area-51 ALX
Read - CyberPower Gamer Infinity SLI KO
Read - Gateway FX530XT Gaming PC
Read - Dell XPS 710

[Albahad @ Nov 17th 2006 4:24PM]

I'm a disgusting spammer: [e-mail]

[t.p. @ Nov 17th 2006 4:42PM]

i think real gamers build and overclock their own.

[jon a. @ Nov 17th 2006 5:04PM]

So why isn't Overdrive PC in that article?

[Brennan @ Nov 17th 2006 5:05PM]

omg, y Intel? they suck, AMD is better, so is ATI. Once the quad-core of AMD comes out n R600 DX10 card from ATI comes out, they will pwn Intel n Nvidia so hard.

this is not worth buying unless ur n idiot, OVERCLOCK UR CPU PPL!!!

[Billy Bob @ Nov 17th 2006 5:25PM]

right
because amd has how many quad core chips right now?

[disciple83 @ Nov 17th 2006 5:30PM]

Brennan, you're are most likely right. The new ATI setups are sure to be flippin' sweet. But would you please STFU and let them review computers CURRENTLY available? Because as of right now, Core 2 chips are really winning the multicore battle. I haven't seen an AMD chip beat the X6800 Core 2 yet, let alone the QX6700...

And as for ATI winning against nVidia, they don't have a card coming close to the 8800's right now, making nVidia, hmph, whaddya know, better for the job in a machine match-up where price is not an object.

[madgamer @ Nov 17th 2006 6:32PM]

The wiring job on the inside of the voodoo PC comp is one of the most immaculate wiring jobs I have ever seen in any computer, and thats including homebuilt stuff and not just retailers. I suggest you click through on that one just to take a gander.

[rems @ Nov 17th 2006 6:54PM]

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2059878,00.asp

Wow what's the difference out of the Total money you have to spend in the end ???
Some systems are nowadays COMPLETE RIP-OFF

[kittens19 @ Nov 17th 2006 10:02PM]

Wow. Some stupid people here. AMD is faster than Core 2 duo? Check your benchmarks again. It's not even a close race. If you want to talk about future tech that's not out yet, don't comment on a review about currently built PCs that are actually purchasable right now.

Yes. Making your own PC can be just as good. But count up the parts that they use even on a discount retailer like Newegg and it will still cost you a pretty penny. Not to mention the time and knowledge it takes to build them. And hope you have the machinery to build custom laser cut cases and do pro paint jobs. And good luck on your custom cut cables. Plus you can kiss your warranties goodbye the second you do your own overclocking. So hope that four thousand dollar self-built rig doesn't go out on you anytime soon.

You can build a Honda Civic that goes just as fast as a Ferrari. But *if* you had the money, which one would you choose? Are Ferrari owners not true car lovers since they don't build them themselves?

[a @ Nov 17th 2006 10:31PM]

i wonder what happens if they did a laptop competition.