Following their recent attempts to terrify us into buying a gaming PC with the Aurora R4, Alienware has now come over all friendly and announced the X51, a gaming PC that’s hidden in a console-style box. With the ability to stand vertically or lay horizontally, the new X51 could happily sit alongside other gaming machines under your TV too.
Despite a footprint barely larger than an original PS3, the X51 still packs in plenty of tech, and it being an Alienware machine means the internals can be tailored to your preferences. The basic machine uses the Intel Core i3 3.3Ghz processor with 4GB of RAM, a Nvidia GeForce GT545 graphics card and a 1TB hard drive. If you’re prepared to spend some money on your X51, you can select a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, up to 8GB RAM, a Blu-ray drive, an SSD and a better graphics card; or choose from 8 different standard builds.
All this is what we’ve come to expect from Alienware – top-notch, upgradeable specs and a good-looking chassis; but what makes the X51 standout is its entry-level price.
For the Core i3 machine with the basic specs mentioned above, Alienware has attached a $699 price tag, which considering how it looks and the spec it contains, seems very reasonable.
One of the company’s senior product consultants told TechRadar.com that he doesn’t believe “there is anything close” to the X51 in terms of performance and style at a similar price. It’s also good to see Alienware recognizes there are other markets, and not everyone wants high-price, high performance monsters like the Aurora.
The X51 has just shown up on Alienware’s website, and orders will begin later today.
It’s a failure from the start. Intel i3 CPU? Yes, you can spend more to get it upgraded, but they need a set standard on this.
also, what video card will it be using?
Cool, a rig that’s small, and capable of being upgraded. I think we will start to see more PC’s like this. giving Consoles a run for their money. I’ve always said, consoles should have the option to upgrade parts. Their fancy computer systems after all, so why not be able to add more ram, or upgrade the video card?
“Upgrading” a console takes the “console” part out of it.
The main benefit consoles have over PCs is that while their tech is usually dated by the time they come out – a console is a “One size fits all”** application. Developers don’t have to worry about drivers, or incompatible hardware/gpu/etc across millions of potential buyers. Coding done based on the console manufacturer’s devkit specs can run on any of their systems..
PCs, suffer from ranging to the exorbitant to the minimalist, and there are forums of topics from people who “Can’t run W game on X firmware of the Y manufacturer’s Z card”.
Also, PC gamers have to “install”, which can be annoying but benefits things such as load times and the quality of textures. Console gamers are used to loading a disk and playing (dealing with periodic load times, for some reason..), as seen with DMC and Metal Gear Solid when people FLIPPED OUT over having to “install to HDD” and wait 15ish minutes..
**Subnote, all PS3s have a HDD, while Xbox360 touts it’s Arcade model price point. Even though a HDD is a required device in this day and age, developers can’t “Assume” that a gamer will have it, which effects their coding process.
Well if the console manufacturers made a list of approved upgrades, than that would take the guess work out of the drivers bit. There are ways of making upgrading a console a standard, and takes the guess work out of developers when making games. Basically, you make the developers take into consideration the low and the high end of the approved hardware. They already do this. Most cross platform games are developed for the more easily coded Xbox, and then adapted for the PS3 (which is harder to code for). I don’t believe the “install” factor is really that big of a deal to gamers in general. Maybe to the new generation of gamers who didn’t grow up playing on PC’s, but honestly, a 15 minute install isn’t that bad. 60 minute install for GT5 was pretty bad, but that was optional and still helped the load times in the end.
Oh no, I agree with you, but I just don’t think the gaming market is catered to people like us. I think upgradable consoles falls into the “grey area” of consoles moving more towards PCs. Remember that extra 64mb (or whatever it was) red cartridge attachment for the N64??
I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of these “optimal upgrades” ended up being mandatory for high-end gaming experiences, and one thing console manufacturers don’t do is to alienate gamers. It would make sense, and I imagine the hardcore gamers would spring for it, eager for better resolutions or faster RAM etc.. but it would add another dimension to coding, and console programmers would have to consider “lowest common denominator”.
I honestly just want the main Final Fantasy series to reach PCs, and I’d probably give up consoles…
I see what you’re saying. Maybe then, the option is what Dell is doing with this Alienware “consolePC”? I like the idea of a slim streamlined PC that can handle the latest games, and can be upgraded as well, set to compete with consoles! I am actually thinking about buying this… But I’ll wait a few months and see what the competition comes out with.
FFVII REMAKE!! NOW!!!
Consoles are good because you’ll only need to make a “major” upgrade every 4-5 years, and this current generation has gone WAY beyond that. The XB360 came out 11/22/05!!!! I’d be shocked if MS didn’t announce anything at E3, so I’d say it’s a good time to wait.
And PC components come out so often that the previous stuff tanks in price every 10 months – AMD just announced the HD 7000 series, so their 6000 stuff will be even more affordable after only a year.
yeah, but who wants to pay $600 every 5 years for a new console, when they can fork over 100 every few years to make their PC better than the current consoles?! Not to mention, in this economy…
I wouldn’t say it’s as cheap as $100, but I see your point, and it’s good…. I have a quad core and a ton of RAM, so all I need to do is upgrade my GPU. AND, I can have X GPU, and when Y GPU comes out, I can just get another X GPU and SLI/CFX them. And by the time Y comes out, X is 70% of it’s original price.
really Are you running a 5 year old CPU? How old is your GPU? Bought a hard drive lately? 100 bucks every couple years? I wish…
CPU is a Core 2 3.0 , built in 2008. GPU is an Nvidia 240 GT. Though I have to admit, I haven’t gamed on PC in forever… Though, I am starting to get back into it. 100$ every couple of years would get you a decent video card. I can get a good video card that corst $200 a year or so ago, for around $100 or less today. Hard drives? I can get a 1TB hdd for around $100. So yes, it is possible.