Alienware's Aurora desktop system is a balance between price and performance, opting for AMD processors instead of more expensive Intel chipsets. AMD's quad core 2.6Ghz processor is no slouch, however, especially given the option for dual ATI Radeon HD 4870 video cards with 512MB of on-board memory. While Alienware has lost a bit of its cache as a highly-specialized high-end PC maker given its acquisition by Dell, this system is still ripe for customization and topping out. With up to 4GB of low-latency, dual channel memory, up to 1TB Sata harddrives with a RAID option, and an optional 1000 watt power supply, the Aurora is definitely a scalable desktop. To better support the demands of intense games, the machine can also be outfitted with a specialized network card for improved latency and an Ageia PhysX card to handle the complex tasks of processing the realistic physics engines used by modern games. Offering optional niceities such as liquid-cooling and acoustic dampening (to reduce the overall noise generated by this powerhouse), along with a 50GB rewritable Blu-ray disc drive, Alienware goes so far as to tidy up the interior of the machine and use a tool-free case that allows consumers to swap components with ease.

The company recommends three configurations that help buyers make sense of the myriad of customization options: Standard (single graphics card) and Gaming (dual graphics cards) which sport a dual core processor, and High-Performance Gaming (single graphics card) that includes the beefier quad core chipset. Best buy sells a customized version of the unit that sports the quad-core processor, dual graphics cards and 4GB of memory.