Alienware relaunches Area-51 ALX desktop with overclocked 4GHz QX9770

Hold onto your frame rates folks, as Alienware has just relaunched its more-potent-than-ever Area-51 ALX desktop. The bona fide gaming rig packs a 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9770, but rather than being satisfied with Intel's work, this thing comes overclocked to 4GHz -- it's "maximum stable output." As expected, you'll find the outfit's own High-Performance Liquid Cooling solution to keep things from turning into molten hot lava, and you'll also have your choice of twin NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GPUs or an ATI CrossFireX configuration with dual ATI Radeon 3870 X2 cards. Furthermore, you'll notice 4GB of DDR3 RAM, dual Ethernet ports, an optional Blu-ray burner, oodles of hard drive space and all the other high-end niceties you've come to expect from the company. Only problem? The $5,549 starting price that comes along with the 4GHz CPU and required 1,200-watt PSU.

[Tarnation @ May 22nd 2008 11:45AM]

HAWTNESS

[Flashpoint @ May 22nd 2008 12:03PM]

AS LONG AS IT CAN PLAY CRYSIS.

[Esat Dedezade @ May 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

Flashpoint.

Why?

You are an Engadget regular and a familiar face.

I thought you were better than that man...

[Gorillamonk @ May 22nd 2008 2:11PM]

It's hard to resist saying things like that. This thing is a beast! probably heavy as a box of bricks and hopefully when it ships, it isn't a box of bricks. I wonder how much shipping is for it.!?

[OneLove @ May 22nd 2008 4:28PM]

down with censorship!

[DiscoCat5 @ May 23rd 2008 1:40AM]

@Esat Dedezade
i diasagre, i think this IS one of the very few times where it is entirely appropriate to need/want/demand it to play crysis, since it is a gaming computer,

so rather than flashpoint being the loser who just follows the crowd and says "will it play crysis" to every post about anything, YOU are the one being the dimwitted follower, bagging him out, why? because everyone bags out the guy who says "will it play crysis", you are just proving that you dont/cant think for yourself.

flashpoint rank:↑
Esat Dedezade rank:↓

[Geir E @ May 23rd 2008 6:05AM]

with a 1200w psu, it should provide your room with a certain degree of 'hotness'.

[Eric Tousignant @ May 22nd 2008 11:45AM]

Really interesting :D

[Russ @ May 22nd 2008 11:47AM]

i would let alienware probe me just so i could have one of these.. for serious.. true story..

[MeatyPi @ May 22nd 2008 12:44PM]

is there also a true story about how you were probed but did not receive any compensation except a lousy t-shirt?

[JJV @ May 22nd 2008 1:17PM]

Don't you mean the story about how he was probed and he paid Alienware for it. AND Still didnt get anything??

[Russ @ May 22nd 2008 1:54PM]

you mean this shirt?
http://api.photoshop.com/home_5addd276c5334bf08e6aa510d60af3ae/adobe-px-assets/ed8c1112bfe44f0c8fc237ea81023763

[lawyer bird @ May 22nd 2008 2:07PM]

uh....

[MeatyPi @ May 22nd 2008 2:09PM]

Wow, that shirt is rather ridiculous, thanks for spending all of your free time( I know it's all free to you) to do that.

[Russ @ May 22nd 2008 2:46PM]

yup, sure thing! being behind a desk.. pushing pixels all day.. you find time for a mini-project.. hahahah.. :P

[Bachus @ May 22nd 2008 11:51AM]

who buys these things? wouldn't anyone willing to drop 5 grand on a gaming rig care enough about it to know they could build it themselves for way less? not to mention you can get better-than-360 graphics from just a pair of $300 8800s...

[Esat Dedezade @ May 22nd 2008 11:54AM]

I don't have the ability or skills or time required to build a computer.

Hence my only option is

purchasing a ready made one.

[maty @ May 22nd 2008 12:03PM]

That computer gives you the biggest e-penis on the market. Why wouldn't you buy it?!

[Tarnation @ May 22nd 2008 12:07PM]

Your right I do like building my own machines. In fact my primary gaming machine for almost a decade has been built by me. I just happen to like it when Alienware builds a great looking new machine.

[alexmueller @ May 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

you really don't need much time/ability to build a computer it's easier than you think if you give it a try, at the very least you can get a barebone and add the rest in

[Shinigami @ May 22nd 2008 12:14PM]

There is a simple rule.
If you can make more money during the time needed to build a PC for yourself than you need to spend as a premium for it to be built for you, go ahead and make the money, so you can spend it.

If you can't make more money than half of the PC price you're offered during the time needed to build such a PC (usually 48 hours includes picking required parts, ordering them and assembling the final product, might take twice as long if its your first time), look for better options.

If you have friends, I'm certain one of your friends (or one of your friend's friends) knows a person who can build a better gaming PC at a lower price in a quieter case. And won't even ask money for it. You just need to ask around.

[Mark @ May 22nd 2008 12:30PM]

@Shinigami

You have a valid point. If you can make more money in the time it takes you to build a computer than you would have spent to just buy one, you might as well just buy one.

However, I am to the point where I can generally research, find, and buy all the components in a couple hours, then add in another hour to put them all together after receiving the parts.

In fact it seems as though the majority of my time building a new pc is spent waiting while the latest flavor of Windows is installing...

[jhaks @ May 23rd 2008 2:12AM]

@ Shinigami

I don't get paid by the hour and I wouldn't be building this or shopping for parts during work. If you don't find building computers an enjoyable hobby no one is telling you to do it, but for those who do find it enjoyable it is a win win situation since you get a powerful machine for less money and which usually has longer warranties on parts.

[Michael @ May 22nd 2008 11:59AM]

Wow that's pretty inside. Too bad they have to give it such a stupid exterior.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ May 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

That is black inside. Now a Mac Pro is pretty inside.

• http://www.veganmomma.com/blog%20pictures/Technology/Mac/04.05.07.macpro.1.gif

[Shinigami @ May 22nd 2008 12:16PM]

How is mac pro pretty? Its the SAME thing, just covered in metal, possibly for better cooling, possibly for you to be unable to upgrade it.

[Splunkster @ Jun 11th 2008 4:37PM]

But the Mac Pro doesn't come with a 4Ghz overclocked C2D, and you can't get SLI/Crossfire video cards in it, much less 9800 series cards.

I'd still go with the Mac Pro, though. I don't play games very often!

[roach @ May 22nd 2008 12:31PM]

Apple likes to cover stuff. Just like when my itouch crashed due to a movie a bad segment (same segment my PC is able to play...just all pixelated). A fancy graphical logo comes on to cover crash process and before you know it, my itouch rebooted. None of that scary BSOD stuff.

[papu @ May 22nd 2008 12:46PM]

MP are loud and ugly end of

[Alex @ May 22nd 2008 12:58PM]

@papu

MP are not loud... they are pretty quiet actually.. i don't think you have ever used one

[CraigJ @ May 22nd 2008 2:03PM]

Who cares what the computer looks like? I shove mine in the closet anyway.

It's what's on the inside of the box and on the monitor that matters, as long as the machine doesn't sound like a freaking 747 taking off I'm fine with a beige box...

[Reid @ May 22nd 2008 3:41PM]

papu:

wrong-o. Mac Pro is dead silent, I've got one in my room and can't tell by sound whether it's on or off, even in the middle of the night. Fans never ramp up significantly even under very heavy load. Supposedly the Power Mac G5's were louder, but I can't hear the one at work either.

I think some of the G4 towers were very loud, but I don't have any firsthand experience with them.

Taste is, of course, subjective. I think they look good enough, but I can't say I've ever really worried about what my computer looked like.

[Splunkster @ May 22nd 2008 12:08PM]

From the side, it reminds me of a Cylon Raider, or the alien from Alien.

[Ytril @ May 22nd 2008 12:32PM]

Bonus points for the Alien reference. It was by far the best alien 'villan' in sci-fi movie history.

[bigdoggie @ May 22nd 2008 12:16PM]

Where the hell's my money gone!?

..Oh wait.

[Frankenstein Black @ May 22nd 2008 12:18PM]

Those innards with this case (in a colorware red and gold IronMan makeover) cause alienware cases are fugly:
http://www.acer.com/predator/
plus keep it under 4.5k and soooooold American, (era Euro) $$$'ers!
(you know, cause the dollar wont be worth squat until 2010/11 and a new regime!).

[Michael @ May 22nd 2008 12:49PM]

Now that's a sweet looking case. The Alienware case above was cool back in 2001 but now they just look... well... not so cool.

That predator case is what Alienware systems should have evolved to look like by now.

[crsh @ May 22nd 2008 12:30PM]

Why would anyone shell out this much money on a top-of-the-line rig when new there are new Intel CPU/architecture *and* new Nvidia cards coming out in less than 3 months?

Oh right, if you can shell out $5.5k on a PC, you'll just buy another one in 6 months.. Silly me.

[mattclarkie @ May 22nd 2008 12:31PM]

I wish the inside of my case looked that neat.

I have cables all over the place, in the end I just find a gap and shove them all in there, I know I shouldn't but I can't figure out how to do it otherwise.

[nanobis @ May 22nd 2008 12:32PM]

Thats fair sweet. But the lack of being able to see inside is a downer. But thats easy sorted. tho be a waste of time.

[who? @ May 22nd 2008 1:17PM]

Lets break that down if you were to build this yourself.

High end ATX full tower that looks better than this one $150

Core 2 Extreme QX9770 $1500

4GB DDR3 $250

Two 9800GX2 cards $1050

790i Ultra tri SLI $350

DVD-RW drive $25

Media readers $7

Extra crap $10

Liquid cooling to achieve 4Ghz $250

2 terrabyte hard drive space $400


Considering this PC when built probebly wouldn't draw more than 650 watts, I highly doubt you need a 1200w psu. But, non-the-less 1000w PSU ~ $200


Total, I would say you can build this exact same computer , or possibly even faster, with $4042

On Alienware's site when you configure this PC from them with these exact specs, it's over $7600 Count in that they get massive discounts , they're probebly netting a damn near %60-70 profit on every pc sold.

[Greg @ May 22nd 2008 1:49PM]

Don't forget, the person that would buy this doesn't know how to put a computer together...hense the market for HIGH end gaming boxes.

[phanbouy @ May 22nd 2008 4:51PM]

uh... "hense" what? you mean they're too high to put a PC together?

[Dualboot @ May 22nd 2008 7:08PM]

I agree that you can put this together for less money, but this build includes two items that are not on your list and quite precious for me:

-Time: Time to find all the components, make sure they work well together, install them, test them and make sure there's no problems off the bat.
-Support: If and when something breaks, I would much rather call some Dell guy (even in India) and explain my problem, rather than have to go to 20 different sites and ask 10 of my friends to find out that firmware X has a problem with chipset Z when run at configuration Y and BIOS setting Q...

Please note that I mentioned Dell, not Alienware. I will not buy one of these things until I know 100% that I'm calling Dell and not Alienware... Before you tell me about Dell's support, I'll just note that I am an academic customer with dedicated support contracts, so I may have a different experience than yours.

[madeforidiots @ May 22nd 2008 4:51PM]

That PC looks *so* tidier than mine inside.

[Ayman @ May 23rd 2008 4:10AM]

i have dust bunnies in mine
i was going to clean then i saw them starting a family so i gave away my PC for charity called SAVE THE DUST BUNNIES

[Jon Doe. @ May 22nd 2008 5:03PM]

Nice internal design. Get rid of the fracking gills.

[computer.dude.28 @ May 22nd 2008 6:43PM]

I still don't understand why you'd need TWO ethernet ports..

[Dualboot @ May 22nd 2008 7:11PM]

You have two BSODs in your avatar, why can't I have two Ethernet ports?

You can use one for the external network and one for your NAT, therefore keeping things nice and tidy. if you're also running a server, it helps if you have two of everything just in case something fries. This machine does have only one PSU, so your point of failure is probably there...

[computer.dude.28 @ May 22nd 2008 7:18PM]

Dualboot

lol

I thought of server applications but decided that if you wanted a server you wouldn't buy a gaming rig. NAT's a good point though.