Gaming PCs surpass new consoles

Interestingly, neither the Area-51 nor the Mach V included a next-generation Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive for high-definition movies, something now available for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Instead, both had standard DVD drives.

The Mach V was so new, in fact, I experienced some bugs such games that froze up and stuttered at times. The problem vanished after I downloaded newer software drivers for the video card.

Beyond the shiny parts, these two PCs have a sense of style that's a huge departure from the normal boring beige, black or silver computers. (Alienware is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell Inc.)

The Mach V is a hulking tower with hand-painted blue flames around the entire case. There's a clear plastic panel on one side of the machine so fellow geeks can gawk at the system's snazzy circuit boards. For added effect, the interior is lit up by a blue neon light.

The Alienware system was even more bizarre. The curvaceous, glossy black case was encrusted with colored lights and logos that look like small alien heads, and the case itself is actually shaped like the head of some alien from "The X-Files."

The Area-51 7500 would certainly look right at home in Darth Vader's office. (One cool feature is a software utility that lets you adjust the colors of the exterior lighting.)

If there's one complaint with these new PCs (and all PCs, for that matter), it's that they don't play the massive variety of games available for the consoles.

On the flip side, these are computers that can be used to surf the Internet, edit videos, download music and process words in addition to games. Try that with your Wii.

And really, you can't call yourself part of the wealthy computer geek club until you've edited a spreadsheet on a 30-inch screen with one of these monsters.

Deciding between the two? I'd have to give the edge to the handcrafted, fine-tuned Mach V, but really, it's like choosing between a Ferrari and a Lotus sports car. It's largely a matter of personal preference between two distinctly different designs _ and either way, you'll have to spend a small fortune.

MORE FROM GAMES

Games Section Front

10 best video games of 2009 10 best Xbox 360 games of 2009 Mom calls 911 over son's video-game habit 10 best PlayStation 3 games of 2009 Dungeons & Dragons fight: Hasbro vs. Atari Top 5 reasons to keep playing your PS2   'The Saboteur' is stylish but not strong 10 best Wii games of 2009   Game designers take aim at Tiger Fitness video games are reshaping medium Games Section Front   Add Games headlines to your news reader: