So I'm looking for a very-high-up-on-the-line PC. Main use? Gaming. Half-life 2, Doom 3, Rainbow Six 3, The Suffering, GTA: San Andreas, Max Payne II, Deus X II, and whatever PC Gamer is getting a wet dream over this year. Upgradable, too.

Here's what I'm thinking:

AMD Athlon 64 FX, whatever speed

At least 1 gig, preferably a gig and a half or more of RAM

7200 RPM 200 gig HDD

DVD-ROM and DVD burner, uh... "so I can back up my hard drive while watching movies."

Video: I'm not really sure, but either the Radeon 9800 XT, or the GeForce FX 6800 FX

Sound: Audigy Platinum Pro 7.1

Speakers: I actually don't know. Definitely a good 7.1 system. When I fire a rocket, I want to FEEL it.

Headphones: I use these more than speakers, actually, so definitely something good: probably Sennheiser HD270s

For the monitor, probably Viewsonic 19" flat CRT. An LCD is just a little too much, unless they actually perform so much better than flat CRTs that they merit three times the price.

In the necessary software range, Windows XP (pro if I can run games on it), McAfee Internet Security Suite, Microsoft Office, Opera (free), Ad-aware, and of course, the games.

Finally, as much cooling as the system can handle, an ergo keyboard, and a nice mouse with a fast left button and a working scroll wheel.

Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Ideas on where to get this without breaking the bank?

Get your system from Alienware and ditch the Mc Afee for Norton. Norton is a much better program. Oh, ya....Im jealous.

Apparently the sky's the limit as far as budget is concerned? What is your budget?
Here are some higher priced suggestions:

Speakers:  Klipsch ProMedia ultra 5.1
Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800  Ultra or GT
Hard Drives: OS: Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM, 36 or 72GB
                  Data: Western Digital 250GB, SATA, 7200 RPM
Cooling:  Thermalright  XP-120
Sound: Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS

-I would build one myself and save some bucks.
-Windows XP Pro can run games fine.
-If you want top of the line speakers, go Klipsch.

Ideas on where to get this without breaking the bank?

I really wouldn't waste your money on the Athlon 64 right now either.  There are just a handful of programs that can utilize it.  Most of them aren't games.  I would stay with the AMD line though and get a fast Athlon XP processor.

The AMD 64 is a waist of money, unless you are running a 64 bit platform (which would mostly be server OS's).

Go for a Intel PIV with hyperthreading - best bang for the buck and nice and stable.

If you want speed, either go with SATA on the HDD or for a power trip go SCSI 320.  

Actually the Athlon 64 gives better framerates for Doom 3 than the
Pentium 4 3ghz does.

Athlon 64 vs. Pentium 4

alienware systems are generally over priced
if you don't build it yourself make sure the dvd burner doesn't cost more than $75 which is what a new dual layer 8x NEC dvd+-rw drive costs

Alienware estimate for configuration: $4521

Let's define "Without breaking the bank" as a maximum of $3000 with an ideal of around $2500 or as low as possible.

Why two hard drives?

What about CyberPower, Inc.? My brother got a comp from them that worked very well, except for a problem he started having with the second HDD. He abandoned it for his laptop, though.

you can build an Alienware-equal computer for alot less. I've literally built hundreds of computers over the years.

do some research. it's not difficult.

Windows 64 is just around the corner, I think it's smart to buy the Athlon 64 as long as you get  one of  the newer pin-out configurations so you'll have an upgrade path.

No need for XP Pro unless you're doing exotic networking.  The Radeon 9800 XT or Pro are good buys for the money now, one step down from the $400-$500 state of the art video cards.

Quoted: Alienware estimate for configuration: $4521 Let's define "Without breaking the bank" as a maximum of $3000 with an ideal of around $2500 or as low as possible. Why two hard drives?

That price is too low for a kick ass machine. Usually when I build a "dream machine" an the web, it ranges between $10,000-$20,000!

Two hard drives are good because if one fails, you have another for backup. I install my games on one HD and Windows/Internet downloads on another. SCSI 320 is also a great idea, but it can be pricey. I use a Viewsonic 19" flat CRT, model #P95f+ and it's pretty good for gaming. Good luck!

 240339      
Asus P5GD1 915P P4 800FSB LGA775 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $142.00    $142.00  



 80806-OP      
Intel Pentium® 4 540 Processor Prescott 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775, 1MB Cache Openbox ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $225.00    $225.00  



 85017-15      
Corsair TWINX1024-4000PT 1GB DDR500 XMS4000 Ultra-High Bus Speed Dual-Channel Memory w/Platinum Heat Spreader Retail *** Free 2nd Day ***
Remove     $277.00    $277.00  



 101222-316603      
Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB Serial ATA 10,000RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer and Serial ATA Signal Cable Bundle *** Free 2nd Day ***
Remove     $183.00    $366.00  



 324511      
Asus Extreme N5900 GeForce PCX 5900 PCI Express 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out, DVI & Video-In Retail ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $236.00    $236.00  



 371212      
Thermaltake Dream Tower Series -Tsunami VA3400BNA Aluminum Mid Tower Case (Black) Retail
Remove     $125.99    $125.99  



 270021      
Antec TruePower TrueControl 550 550W ATX12 Power Supply Retail ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $115.80    $115.80  



 232360      
Samsung 910T-BLACK SyncMaster 19in Analog/Digital LCD Monitor (Black) Retail ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $575.00    $575.00  



 173415      
Plextor PX-712A 8-in-1 Internal DVD±R/RW & CD-R/RW Drive (Black) Retail ***Free 2nd Day***
Remove     $135.00    $135.00  



 200404-211210      
Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard & Optical Mouse Combo OEM *** Free 2nd Day ***
Remove     $32.95    $32.95  



 360302      
Creative Labs Inspire GD580 5.1 Speaker System Retail
Remove     $148.00    $148.00  



 604631      
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Single Full Version OEM *** Free 2nd Day ***
Remove     $137.99    $137.99  



Subtotal:   $2516.73  

I just built a system very similar to this one but it was on a p4c800 delux with an agp card and an antec case with with a 380 power supply to save some money.  I built it for my brother he sure enjoys it for all of the games he plays and there are too many to list hing

If you don't want to build one, then I'd check out IBuyPower.com. One of my buddies recently got one, and hasn't had a single problem with it. Reasonable prices too, unlike Alienware, Falcon-Northwest, and other custom gaming PC makers.

Sharkey Extreme
Monthly Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide
www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/EGBG/article.php/3388731

iBuyPower looks an awful lot like CyberPower, Inc. Are they related?

And for makers, it's not really the recent buys that you need to worry about, it's when they get a year or so old, and whether or not they crap out on you. My current one is a 650mhz with 256 mb RAM and a 40 gig HDD, and it has a hard time running Half-Life, especially CS and The Battlegrounds. It ran fine for about a year after we purchased it, and then it went all to hell. Been formatted once or twice after that, too. Hasn't helped.

Quoted: If you don't want to build one, then I'd check out IBuyPower.com. One of my buddies recently got one, and hasn't had a single problem with it. Reasonable prices too, unlike Alienware, Falcon-Northwest, and other custom gaming PC makers.

+1.  I have one and so does my brother.  Mine has been rock solid for the past year and a half.  Plus the price can't be beat.  Just wish I would of bought a bit more stuff with mine but I was on a budget.  Highly recommend getting one from these guys.

Quoted: Get your system from Alienware and ditch the Mc Afee for Norton. Norton is a much better program. Oh, ya....Im jealous.

screw ware you can build a system to there specs alot cheaper and with better parts with alien ware all your paying extra for is the stupid case with the alien on it.