Have a mbp and an older desktop thats no longer working, so I need to buy a new one. I had my college roommate build my last one and it lasted a solid 4-5 years, so I haven't bought a desktop in a while. Looking to spend $1-2k on it if I need to. I used to play a bunch of video games, but don't play a ton anymore (I still want to be able to if I get the urge). Should I just buy an alienware or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Forgot to mention I am mainly going to be using this to play poker, not really sure if that's important tho.

I just ordered all the parts for my new rig for the same purpose and it came in under $800 excluding the screen.

I went with:

Motherboard: ASrock Z77 extreme6
CPU: Intel i5 3550
SSD: Samsung 830 128gb
Graphics: EVGA GTX 550ti
Power: 550w
8gb ram
500GB HDD

The graphics will be nothing special but this system will meet recommended system requirements for most games, and poker database will be super fast with SSD.

I did a ton of research before buying anything fwiw, everything I listed above has mostly good reviews from tech sites and customers.

ok cool. thx for the tip. not sure if I want to try and build a computer or not (never done it before) but it might be worth it if I save a bunch.

You'll save a lot, but if something's not working you're likely to go crazy trying to figure out what the problem is.

So it depends on if you want to put in the time and effort vs saving $1,000

Ya I'll prob just end up buying a pre-made one (not opposed to building one, just not sure it's worth it). Was really just wondering if Alienware was my best option.

Alienware is never the best option, for anything. Mostly likely it would be overkill. And tacky, and overpriced.

Ok. What would you suggest?

Dell Inispiron 560 Duo Core 3.2 Ghz CPU
1 Terabyte Hard Drive
6 GB Ram
Windows 7

will do the trick @ 5 to$ 600.00 if its just for poker and other PCduties. Now if you like intense gaming build one with these specs it may run between 800.00 to 1200.00 varies on who is building it for you.

EVGA LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX
APEVIA X-PLEASURE-BK Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
Tagan ITZ Series ITZ700 700W
2 Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB 240-Pin DDR2
Duel EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM
Windows 7

a simple DVD/CD R-RW drive in it you'll do fine and be happy

Something like this is fine for a poker desktop, any i3-2xxx with 6 or 8GB RAM is more than enough. If you want to do some gaming it really depends on what games and how good you want them to look, and what you're willing to spend on a video card. If you work that out most anybody here can give you a shopping list of parts, take 2 hours and set it up and save yourself the trouble. You can either save a bunch, or spend the same for better ****.

I don't know if dude above is joking or looking to scam but that's hella old gear for $1,200. I have a Q6600 chip and DDR2 sitting in a box because I'm too lazy to put it up on ebay. Bought in '07, passed off to Mom, and she passed it back.

I really don't care how much I spend. If someone wants to build a computer for me and make some $ lmk. I am in ATL / south FL area for the next month or so. I would prefer to build one but I am way too lazy and drunk atm. I will prob just buy an alienware if I don't get a better option!!! I really do appreciate the replies tho either way.

No scam intended Im sorry Gonso if I misrepresented the gear for build has been great for me I MT 30 cash tables run music etc..wth no prob or lag. I forgot to mention Ive had it for a while so prices and software may be growing white hair.

^^^ Nothing wrong with the performance, just saying if there is anyone still charging $800-$1200 for a Q6600 build today they should be shot.

OP just find something with a 3rd-gen i5 processor (i5-3xxx), 8GB of RAM, a decent solid state drive as you main drive, and invest 15 minutes reading up on what's what in video cards right now so you know what you're doing when you pull the trigger. On Alienware, or whatever. It's more pricey that way but at least it will be a high performance system you'll be happy with.

couple quick questions regarding upgrades:

will I notice the difference between an i7-3820 and an i7-3930k for an extra $650 and 16gb of RAM instead of 8gb for an extra $150?

No. I'd say you definetly don't need the i7-3930k, but you can get the 16GB of RAM if you wish, you very likely will not need it though. I feel as though I have more programs open than the average user and I've never felt 8GB RAM wasn't enough. If you plan on virtualizing Windows through Mac OS or a Linux distribution then you should probably get 16GB, seeing as you are not concerned about the costs, however this doesn't seem to be the case.