My first ALIENWARE. Overkill? Maybe. Advice?

[NJRonbo]

I'm not a gamer.

I run a business out of my home and need
a computer that is quite powerful in order
to run high-memory programs, lots of multi-tasking
and able to handle a boatload of start-up apps.

Had many Dells over the years. They are okay,
but lack power. I want to stay away from names
like HP, GATEWAY, IBM, etc...

Decided to try Alienware. Yeah, they cost an arm
and a leg, but I want the ULTIMATE computer that
may be more than I need, but yet I am assured of
POWER!

I was going to go with an ALIENWARE AURORA
that featured the new AMD FX-55 chip. I was told
that I'd be better off with INTEL PENTIUM as it
handles mult-tasking better. I could use your help
in that argument.

Anyway, here is my setup I am looking at:

[1] Area-51® 5550

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service Bundle with AlienAutopsy and Respawn
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case (480-Watt PS) - Saucer Silver
Cable Management: Alienware® Cable Management System
Power Supply: Alienware® 480 Watt Power Supply
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 660 w/ HT Technology 3.6GHz 2MB Cache
Motherboard: Alienware® PCI Express Motherboard with Intel® 925XE Chipset 1066/800MHz FSB
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Graphics Processor: ATI RADEONâ„¢ X850 XT PCI Express 256MB DDR3 w/ Dual Digital and TV Out
Chassis Upgrades: AlienIceâ„¢ 2.0 Video Cooling System - Astral Blue
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Optical Drive One: Lite-On® 16x DVD / 52x32x52x CD-RW Drive
Optical Drive Two: NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround Firewire (IEEE® 1394)
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Portable Storage : Alienware® 10-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer
Display One: No Monitor
Display Two: No Monitor
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad
AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $99.99 Value - FREE!


$2987 shipped


Overkill? Perhaps. As I said, I am not gaming but
I want a system that I can burn a DVD while doing
Photoshop editing at the same time I am running
a few APPS in my startup folder.

What's your advice on all this?

Thanks!

 

[mini_2003]

if you are not gaming, then i don't think you really need the ATI RADEONâ„¢ X850 XT PCI Express 256MB DDR3 w/ Dual Digital and TV Out

 

[zoomtm]

he doesnt even need that cpu or 2gb of ram...

 

[mighty_chick]

man that system is awesome. be proud you have it

 

[zoomtm]

lol and a 480watt psu lmao

 

[mini_2003]

here is something you could get for about $600 less, even though i suggest u custom build,

[1] Auroraâ„¢ 5500

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case (480-Watt PS) - Saucer Silver
Power Supply: Alienware® 480 Watt Power Supply
Processor: AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 4000+ Processor with HyperTransport Technology
Motherboard: ABIT AV8 - VIA K8T800 Pro Motherboard
Memory: 1GB Corsairâ„¢ XMS Extra Low Latency DDR PC-3200 SDRAM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB
Graphics Processor: ATI RADEONâ„¢ 9550SE 128MB w/Digital and S-Video Out
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache
Storage Drive: Additional Storage Drive - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Optical Drive One: NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Optical Drive Two: NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Sound Card: Integrated 5.1 High-Performance Audio with Digital Out
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Modem: US Robotics® 56K V.92 Performance Pro
Portable Storage : Alienware® 10-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer
Display One: No Monitor
Display Two: No Monitor
Keyboard: Microsoft® Basic Keyboard Black
Mouse: Microsoft® Basic Optical Mouse Black
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $99.99 Value - FREE!
AlienWiring: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - $99.99 Value - FREE!

[1] Free Shipping Mail-In Rebate; on Alienware systems excluding peripherals - Continental U.S. Only
[1] $500 Instant Rebate; On Select Systems
[1] Napster Promotion; Free 4 Month Subscription and 12 Free Songs.
[1] Special Financing Offer; 90 Days Same As Cash Financing with the Alienware Credit Card

SubTotal: $2,794.00
Shipping: --
Discount: $500.00
Tax: --
Order Total: --

 

[mighty_chick]

yea but look at that video card...thats just crap

 

[mini_2003]

but he's not gaming so y does he need a good one

 

[mighty_chick]

graphic design and such

 

[NJRonbo]

Hey Guys!

Thanks for the advice thus far. Great forum.

I should have elaborated a little more on
why I want such a powerful system.

I already own a Dell 8200 that is two years old.
It has a Pentium 4 HT 3.06 processor with 1 GB ram.

Yeah, it's still a great computer but even with
that 1GB ram my computer runs sluggish when
running as many applications as I do.

I want to upgrade to a new computer that is
pure power so I can run a boatload of startup
programs, multi-task and even burn a DVD all
at the same time.

This is why I am going with 2GB of ram.

Now why the elaborate video card? I am going
to be driving the new Dell 24" Flat Panel. It
requires a high-end video card -- and quite
frankly, with all the Photoshop work I do I think
I need it.

Perhaps you guys still feel I am going waaaay
overboard for a non-gamer. Well, that's the
advice I came here for.

...BTW, Mini_2003:

Thanks for taking the time to re-align those
specs. Why do you recommend the Athlon
over the Pentrium?

Thanks for the help!