Alienware to launch low-cost, AMD-based gaming rig

Hot on the heels of the news that Dell is axing its XPS gaming line to focus attention on Alienware, we've got word that Alienware will intro a new, low-end model soon. Clearly aiming for a bigger chunk of the market, the eyeball-shattering-system makers will offer a $1,699, AMD-powered desktop, featuring 4GB of RAM, a 2.2GHz quad-core 9550 Phenom X4 CPU, and an ATI HD 3870 X2 graphics card. The system will be based around the AMD 790FX chipset, which will be served up on an ASUS motherboard. In a feat of absurd cliché, Alienware spokesman Marc Diana claimed, "It's not your granddaddy's AMD system. We're talking top-of-the-line quad core." The PC will be available sometime in the next two weeks, so stay alert.

[IT-Accountant @ May 13th 2008 9:00AM]

wow... quad core processor and quad GPUs for under $2000? I'll take one!

[Pochi @ May 13th 2008 9:16AM]

I have a feeling you're not going to squeeze the performance out of this you may think. If you're dropping a big chunk of cash for a gaming rig, you may as well hold off and save up a few hundred bucks more for an Intel/Nvidia rig.

[TSM @ May 13th 2008 9:00AM]

I am sure the 2 - 3 minute battery life will be very nice.

[robfuchs @ May 13th 2008 9:03AM]

Why does battery life matter on a desktop?

[syadasti @ May 13th 2008 9:03AM]

What does that have to do with desktops other than you've sized your UPS incorrectly if you have 2-3 minute run time.

[Rynth @ May 13th 2008 11:11AM]

He's sized his UPS correctly if he gets 2-3 mins runtime, a UPS is there to let you safely shut the box down, not carry on using it you twit.

[Paris @ May 13th 2008 12:46PM]

And there I thought I was the only one running by desktop on a battery.

[conor @ May 13th 2008 3:09PM]

my new rig is going to get dual (or quad) 15,000 watt UPS so i can keep at it.

[trackmania 1 @ May 13th 2008 9:03AM]

its a desktop stupid!

[tom @ May 13th 2008 9:13AM]

+1 i know eh.

9550 Phenom X4 ....pleeeeeease, it is not even close to C2D Q6600
"We're talking top-of-the-line quad core" -Can't stop laughing

[digitallysick @ May 13th 2008 9:15AM]

tom @

I know i lol'd several times myself

[insider @ May 13th 2008 5:03PM]

Whoa, Easy tiger,

It's a desktop. Read it again - this time with your eyes open.

[Iamsars @ May 14th 2008 3:13AM]

Hey it's not his fault if he's chinese and can't open his eyes.
No pun intended just a joke =P (im chinese so ya)

[Ethan @ May 13th 2008 9:10AM]

I'm very glad that they won't be delivering Charles Babbage's gaming rig to us.

I think the alienware brand is much more valuable as a vehicle to fleece people for whom it will probably be more than worth the extra cost for the placebo effect, than this.

[j_g_puff @ May 13th 2008 10:45AM]

I think that's one of the most confusing sentences I've ever read.

[redbellyman @ May 13th 2008 9:12AM]

Wow, a $2G gaming rig, and they cant even give you the $40 more 9850 black edition prosc! Lol I hate pre built machines! I will spend the money myself and buy all components for 2/3 the price! Alienware = Suck Dell = Suck! Build your own people, all components come with 3 year warrenty!@

[w00t @ May 13th 2008 9:30AM]

From personal experience you'd be better off with a dual core 3Ghz chip than a quad core 2.2Ghz chip (especially an AMD one!) since most games don't take advantage of the extra cores all that well, or even at all.

It might not sound as fancy as a quad core but the dual core E8500 (3.16Ghz) from intel will run circles around this for gaming, and the price/performance ratio is fantastic.

[Podaman @ May 13th 2008 10:04AM]

a lot of people refuse to accept this.

[CosterMonger @ May 13th 2008 11:57AM]

i know,
the E8400 is way better for gaming, is cheaper, and is more efficient: then the Q6600 or the X4 9850

the E8500 over the Q9300 as well

unless your mega tasking {converting, compressing, rendering: all at once} chances are you don't need quad core.

[mattclarkie @ May 13th 2008 9:35AM]

Where does all this AMD hate come from, a few years ago it was Intel suck, but now it is AMD suck. I know AMD has blown it with the latest Quad processors, but still the company deserves a little more respect, for starters if they didn't exist your Intel processor would be half as powerful and twice as expensive.

[CrackedButter @ May 13th 2008 9:57AM]

FIrst insightful post I've read on Engadget this week.

[kal326 @ May 13th 2008 10:09AM]

I think its the what have you done for me lately mentality. AMD use to have performance close to or better, in some cases, then Intel at a significant savings. Now AMD is way behind and Intel is killing them in performance price point to price point.

There just isn't a lot there to like about AMD right now other then the point that you made, that without them we would be paying even more for less from Intel.

[tiuk @ May 13th 2008 10:22AM]

I've built nothing but AMD rigs since 2001, but if I were building one today there is no way I'd go with AMD. They have a lot of catching up to do.

[The King of Poland @ May 13th 2008 12:20PM]

You know you're right. Couple of years ago "Wintel Sucks" was the fanboy mantra. Now, all of a sudden nobody likes AMD. I know some people have the attention span of a not too bright fruit fly but "those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it".

[Zorque @ May 13th 2008 6:00PM]

It's because the Pentium 4 was an abortion: poor speeds, poor power consumption, and you could fry an egg on it even with active cooling. AMD honestly did deliver a superior chip back then, but nobody really knows if it was on their own merits, or if it was just because the P4 was so awful. Now, however, the Core 2 Duo is an exceptionally well-designed architecture and has a lot of great features. It runs cool, can be easily overclocked, and its performance is great. Sadly AMD just doesn't stack up anymore in the performance department, despite their best efforts.

Overall, I'd say if you're just using your computer for the internet and the occasional Skype conversation or something, go ahead and use AMD (as long as you're actually getting a significant price drop on it). If you're planning on doing anything strenuous with your computer, don't waste your money.

[Mobius_1 @ May 13th 2008 9:46AM]

Finally, good value and Alienware no longer are oxymorons (at least in base form)

[gwlaw99 @ May 13th 2008 12:02PM]

Still seems overpriced for what you can get from other vendors.

[r3loaded @ May 13th 2008 12:19PM]

Yes, but remember, in that price, you're paying for the Alienware name and a fugly alien head proudly displayed all over your gear, in an effort to make your look "leet"

[voodoo @ May 13th 2008 10:04AM]

Err...AMD Quad Core, 3870 X2, 790FX motherboard...? Its the Aurora, has been on the site for some time with full options and prices and is shipping in June. Great scoop :/

[maxz @ May 13th 2008 10:15AM]

Why are they shipping this thing in June? By then the new radeon hd 4870 will have come out.

[Benji @ May 13th 2008 11:34AM]

Eh.. Think I'll stick to saving up for an Area-51 m17x... I mean, what can beat that SLI-enabled Dual 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX? With that, and an Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 2.8 GHz processor, I mean...seriously.

[d0n0van @ May 13th 2008 12:13PM]

Newegg and $1550 gets you the following:

1 @ Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
1 @ Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
1 @ DFI LANPARTY DK 790FX-M2RS AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
1 @ AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor
2 @ G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
2 @ SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4
1 @ Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
1 @ LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05
1 @ Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate

[Jeeves @ May 13th 2008 3:04PM]

Yes, but does that amount of cash get you "two ATI HD 3870 X2 graphics cards"? I daresay having two X2's ads quite a bit of cost over your system, so in reality, this is a pretty good deal.

(Though I think the choice of processor and graphics cards is retarted, I'd take a Q9300 or E8300 and Dual 8800 GT's over this rig any day. Cheaper, and the faster proc. will more than make up the difference from GPUs for almost any application / game)

[conor @ May 13th 2008 3:23PM]

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116215
$169.99

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145176
$102.00

WD VelociRaptor™ 300 GB, 3 Gb/s, 16 MB Cache, 10,000 RPM
www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=459
$300.00

PHILIPS Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 8X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827248012
$26.99

Microsoft N71-00007S Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Wheel Mouse - OEM
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105026
$9.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115043
$284.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128082
$149.99

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024
$129.95

WINTEC AMPX 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161182
$37.99

PNY Optima 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178163
$36.99

PNY VCG88512GXPB GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133205 $189.99

XFX PVT88PYHE4 GeForce 8800GT Extreme 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150273 $189.99

ASUS V-70 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835101021 $19.99

SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 DC 8000:1 - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268 $289.99

Thermaltake A2018 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999122 $13.49

Thermaltake A2018 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999122 $13.49

[conor @ May 13th 2008 3:27PM]

That is a list of my new rig i am building it might change as i finalize it some parts i am stiping from and older system (ie Ethernet card)and thus are not on it.

[conor @ May 13th 2008 3:30PM]

Key board and bluray drive i forgot to mention i have not picked the one yet :)

[Anton @ May 13th 2008 12:21PM]

Gaming Rig = Low-Cost

lol wut?

[Podaman @ May 13th 2008 12:33PM]

just yesterday saw a license plate "LOL WUT"

this big boned blond chick in a black bug at the car wash

[Paul @ May 13th 2008 12:35PM]

This is good news for AMD

[d0n0van @ May 13th 2008 3:14PM]

@Jeeves

Build a similar system (from above) @ Alienware and it will cost you over $2500...not a good deal. I was attempting to point out that if one was so inclined to build their own the could get much more for their hard earned dollar. As it is, your observation regarding choice of CPU/GPU being retard is spot on.

[shoman24v @ May 13th 2008 7:05PM]

Didn't expect to see the "I can build it cheaper posts"

A top of the line PC back in 2002 (of this stature) would have cost upwards of $4,000. It's refreshing to see now that high end doesn't mean thousands of dollars.

[giantenemycrab @ May 13th 2008 3:39PM]

Ugh... AMD? Really?

[Viakenny @ May 13th 2008 7:22PM]

compare that to some lame Celeron-based "gaming" PCs that computer stores here in Brazil build (they say it's a gaming PC just because it has a dedicated GPU, even if it's a low-end model from ages ago, and a steering wheel), and it will look like at least mid-range.

[Chaos @ May 14th 2008 3:31PM]

Did anyone laugh when they read "[AMD] quad-core 9550 Phenom X4 CPU" and "We're talking top-of-the-line quad core." in the same sentence?

[TJ @ May 14th 2008 10:58PM]

yeah, like 5 days ago (idiot).