Gene...
I'm going to speak from considerable experience here, rather
than attempt to find corroboration for everything I say via
citations researched from the internet. One of my main reasons
for doing so is that there are some time-limited discounts
available from the premiere manufacturer of gaming computers.
Additionally, I built my last PC from scratch, myself, so I
know a great deal about the components, and how they work
together. That, in addition to the rave reviews from innumerable
consumers and analysts with a focus on gaming, makes me more
than confident in recommending Alienware as the source for your
grandson's ultimate gaming PC.
What distinguishes a PC designed to accomodate the rigors of
gaming is essentially one word: speed. The newest games are
such that they continually challenge the manufacturers to
build machines capable of handling them. In fact, some games
have become the ultimate utilities for 'benchmarking' new
systems and their components.
The speed that is required necessitates the coordinated
performance of several components of the system, so the
ultimate gaming machine has to take each of these into
consideration, as well as their compatibility in working
together. The components are as follows:
CPU
The faster, the better. Speed is measured in Mhz.
Bus speed is another factor in CPU choice, as well
as the possible benefits of multi-threading.
RAM
Memory, and again, lots of it. Measured in MB (megabytes),
and lately, in GB (gigbytes).
Hard Drive
Factors here include RPM (revolutions per minute) which
affects access time - the quicker, the better.
Video Card
The best games are very graphics intensive, and the speed
and amount of cache memory built into the card itself are
both factors. The latest cards are so fast that they often
have their own cooling fan to offset the heat they generate.
This is something unheard of in the past.
Case
The heat generated by the CPU and Video Card of a top-end
gaming machine can be a serious concern. The case needs to
be well-designed for excellent ventilation, with often
involves a custom cooling fan for the CPU and other fans
to vent the inside of the case.
Power Supply
Should be able to handle the increased power consumption of
a high-end gaming machine with no strain and stable delivery.
Networking
Should have a network card designed to handle a cable connection
to the internet, or better, for the sake of playing interactively
online with other users across the globe, with as little lag, or
latency, as possible.
Monitor
Should be able to handle the power and speed available from a
high-end video card.
Audio
Not a matter of speed, but since sound is such a major part of the
multimedia experience, it should be inspiring in its capabilities.
If you go to Alienware's site, the homepage is:
http://www.alienware.com/
Click on Gaming, and you get to this page:
http://www.alienware.com/main_gaming.aspx
Scroll halfway down the page, and you'll see their top 3 gaming
machines:
1 - Area-51m 7700
2 - Area-51 5550
3 - Aurora 5500
[While you're in the vicinity, be sure to check out the testimonials
from ecstatic users, as well as the reviews by some of the top gaming
sites on the internet.]
The 7700 is a notebook, and, in general, these are too restrictive
in terms of component size, heat generation, and battery life to
satisfy a true gamer, though, if your grandson will be going to
college anytime soon, it might be a consideration.
The 7500 is a desktop, and features an Intel Pentium 4 CPU chip,
as well as an amazingly fast bus speed. Another consideration is
this chip's multithreading capabilities, which some believe make
it preferable to the AMD option coming up in the next product.
It's page is here:
http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pages/Area-51_5550/area-51_5550_features.aspx?SysCode=PC-AREA51-5550&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
You can order this in a standard setup, and no gamer on the planet
would complain, however, if you want to customize it, you can
scroll to the bottom of the page and click Configure. This will
take you to this page, where you can see what it comes with stock,
or upgrade components individually:
http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/area-51_5550.aspx?SysCode=PC-AREA51-5550&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
The Area-51 5500, stock, sells for $1799 with the $500 Instant
Savings that ends THURSDAY!!! That's tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken,
and why I raced to get this answer posted.
Next is the Aurora 5500. This is less expensive, due to the use
of the economical, but still very fast, AMD CPU.
It's description page is here:
http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pages/Aurora/aurora_features.aspx?SysCode=PC-AURORA-5500&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
And the customize page is here:
http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/aurora_5500.aspx?SysCode=PC-AURORA-5500&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
The Aurora is going for $1079 with the $500 Instant Savings,
available until THURSDAY!!!
Since both of these units come in considerably under your budget,
you have the option to upgrade some of the components. As I look
at the options, I would probably focus on the following:
WARRANTY
Alienware is very well-known for their excellent service.
An upgrade here won't hurt, if affordable.
Alien Respawn
Excellent recovery tool. Worth it.
Power Supply
Both a Power Supply and Cooling upgrade, this is worth
it for peace of mind with a high-end machine, but not
strictly necessary. Given the expense, it's up to you.
RAM
Both units come with 512MB. I would take it up a notch.
Video Card
The Area-51 comes with a better card, by default, with 256MB
DDR3 RAM cache. The Aurora comes with only a 128MB cache card,
and could use the upgrade.
Video Optimizer
Worth it!
Chassis Upgrades
Video cooling and acoustic dampening are worth it, if affordable.
System Drive (Hard Drive)
The Aurora could use an upgrade to 120GB.
Optical Drive Two
An extra here can come in handy, but isn't critical.
As you check the different options on the Configure pages,
you'll generate an ongoing total of the options you choose,
which should make the process of arriving at a bottom line
relatively simple.
Though I'm only providing you with one manufacturer here,
that's because, in the end, there really is only one when
it comes to proven reliability when it comes to building
gaming machines. Plus, I really wanted to get this to you
before the Thursday deadline is up.
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
A user's guide on this topic is on skermit-ga's site, here:
http://www.christopherwu.net/google_answers/answer_guide.html#how_clarify
sublime1-ga
Searches done, via Google:
Alienware
://www.google.com/search?q=alienware |
Clarification of Answer by
sublime1-ga
on
31 Mar 2005 17:06 PST
Gene...
The choice of PC gaming laptops is given on this page:
http://computergamingpc.com/gaming_pc_laptops.html
Laptops in general are more expensive than desktops due to
the cost of manufacturing customized smaller components in
smaller quantities than would be the case with desktops.
Therefore, to come even close to the speed and performance
of the desktops I recommended from Alienware, you're going
to have to spend more.
The only one on the page cited that even comes close is
their best model, the Sting 9096, which they call "The
Most Powerful Laptop in Existence". It's also got a 17"
screen, which is probably the most important factor for
keeping a gamer's interest. It's configuration page is here:
https://www.computergamingpc.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=B0009096&reference=/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3Dall%26searchstart%3D0%26template%3DPDGTemplates/Custom1/SearchResult.html%26category%3DB000
The standard configuration goes for $2695, with no Instant
Discounts or Free Shipping, and I'd have to recommend the
following upgrades to make it truly worth buying for a
gaming soul:
Hard Drive
Upgrade to 60 GB 7200 RPM ATA 100 - essential for storing
lots of games and media. You don't want the 80GB with the
slower RPM (5400). That brings you to $2760
CPU
Intel P4 550J 3.4Ghz LGA 775 1024KB L2 Cache with Hyper-Threading
That brings you to $2900.
It still won't be as fast as a comparably-priced desktop, but it
will be satisfactoy for most gamers.
Memory
Upgrade to 1GB DDR
This isn't absolutely necessary, but it will likely help.
Unfortunately, it will put you over-budget at $3020.
If you're determined to get closer to, or below $3000,
you could keep the standard 40GB drive, which would get
you down to $2955 + S&H.
Or, you could drop the memory upgrade and upgrade the
hard drive to 60 GB. This would bring you to $2900
before shipping, and is probably what I would do.
This isn't meant to be confusing, but to help you follow
my reasoning in choosing amongst the options.
Given this exploration, my personal choice for upgrades,
given your working budget, are:
CPU
Intel P4 550J 3.4Ghz LGA 775 1024KB L2 Cache with Hyper-Threading
Hard Drive
60 GB 7200 RPM ATA 100
Total: $2900
Or, if you can swing the extra $120, upgrade the memory to 1GB
and end up with a total of $3020.
If you want to stay below $3000, essentially you must choose
between the bigger hard drive and extra memory. Here's the
role those two will play:
If your grandson is going to boot up and do little besides run
a game, 512MB would probably be fine, especially if he is
willing to reboot after ending each game. The extra RAM would
allow for more programs to be open at the same time, all running
without creating a strain on the system. For multi-taskers, who
want to browse the internet and hold a chat session using the
built-in digital camera, all while keeping a game on 'pause',
additional RAM would be advisable. If he's only going to run
the game, 512MB should be fine.
The increased storage space of a 60GB hard drive would allow for
the storage of larger numbers of games and game demos, the latter
of which are freely downloadable over the internet, and would
allow him to try various games before investing in the full
versions. Both the demos and the full versions can take up a
LOT of space, especially if he is one of those gamers that likes
to do a "full install" which stores the entire CD (or two) of a
game on the hard drive, allowing him to play the game with a
faster response time than if he played it with the CD inserted
into the CD-ROM drive.
Obviously, both upgrades have their advantages and having both
would be ideal, but another factor to consider is that it should
theoretically be easier to install additional RAM at a later date
than it would be to switch out hard drives and duplicate the
contents from the old drive to the new one. And that's probably
the best reason to choose the hard drive upgrade over the RAM
upgrade, if a choice must be made.
I think that's a pretty thorough discussion of the options, but
if anything's not clear, don't hesitate to ask for further
clarification.
sublime1-ga
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