Need help making custom computer..

Hey!

Ok so heres what my problem is. I am looking to make a custom alienware computer, but the thing is i dont have the knowledge of all the parts. I dont know what pieces to put in the computer without spending too much money. I basically just need a computer that can play games such as: Guild Wars/Bioshock/Counterstrike/Crysis and a couple others but those being the main ones. And also one that can still do me good with school and homework stuff.

I believe the customization begins:



but incase i missed anything (which i dont think i did) this is the original site:

http://www.alienware.com

My price range is probably up to $1900 (not including shipping). My parents would go crazy to anything above that, although, it is christmas and i might be able to convince them to let it go a little higher, but not too much.

Thanks in advance

before anyone can help you out on what parts to pick, it would be helpful to know:

1) does that price include the monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse?
2) what resolution are you going to game at?
3) what quality settings are you expecting to run crysis or bioshock at?
4) do you have to get an alienware? there are cheaper options out there...

Basically, any configuration of the Area-51 7500 that you can afford would be good. I'd go with 2gigs of RAM.

Btw, school & homework stuff would take very little computer power. If it will play those games (which it will) it will breeze through homework.

Well, alien ware is top of the line, you are paying an insane amount of money for the name. If you like the "custom pre-built option that is the way to go. But with a little bit of surfing and some time, you can build your own from sites like www.newegg.com. That will out perform that alien by alot. I am building my own custom machine and it will be able to play the games you have listed at full graphics settings. Most computers will play those games at really low fps at non-max settings.

some tips: stay clear of quad core cpu's.
compare price vs. performance. tom's hardware has good reports.

If you would like to see what I am building via links I will post but I do not wish to do so unless necessary.

Not everyone is familiar with, or confident about, building their own computer.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Steer clear of Alienware, they're absolute shit!

Yeah I cant recommend Alienware.

Even if you arent comfortable building your own, you can get cheaper custom built rigs elsewhere or even just getting someone you know or your local computer shop to put one together for fairly cheap.

yeah, I heard that alienware has good computers except that they are kinda expensive.

hm..ok from what everyones saying, i see there are better options..i only picked alienware cuz i thought they looked cool haha

what are some better options i have that can still run games at highest settings and have a really nice performance?

Most pre built computers will ridiculously overcharge. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com is a rather good site, with the final price being almost exactly what it would cost to build.

Running cryses at full settings on any machine is really ambitious IMO. Custom machines are the way to go. If you dont know how then its time to learn. Doing it yourself will save you hundreds of $$, and it is a good skill to have. Really isnt that hard. You just gotta take the time to do some research. 1st pick out a processor. THen find the best motherboard for that particular processor with the options you want and the price. Video cards are the hardest to choose from these days with crossfire and sli making you have to choose which way you want to go with your entire system. So you have to decide b4 you start if your going with nvidia chipset vga or ATI (which I think AMD bought out). Figure all that out get some drives some ram and your set. Installing this stuff is easy. The hardest part is hooking up you case with your MB so that the power switch and all the lights work, but your case and motherboard manuels have diagrams for it so its not like you cant figure it out. Good luck with whatever you decide.

The only pre-built system I'll buy is a gaming laptop (usually a Dell XPS, most likely the M1730 next). Otherwise, I go www.newegg.com for the parts