Building your own is absolutely the best path. You will get to choose and 100% know every component in your box. Buying a ready-built, especially a gaming-specific rig means that you don't want to, or your don't mind spending the money on a "boutique" PC. Nothing wrong with that, many people make that choice, but if "what you get for your money" is any sort of consideration, you are MUCH better served by shopping around, assembling your own components and having a rig that is completely what you wanted and chose. The main complaint that anyone has about boutique PC's is that "cost to value" gap. They're made from the same components that people use in their own PC's, they're well assembled, they come with warranties, they usually have some style to their case, but in the end, you are spending most of your money on the nameplate and the fact that someone else put it together for you. If someone is dead set on not building, there is a way to get Alienware for cheap(er). [url=http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=2202&c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh]The Dell Outlet[/url] Use the selectors on the left to narrow down what you do/don't want, and it will show you an up-to-the-minute listing of what they have on their bench. These are returns, refurbs, scratch-and-dents, demos, leases, etc. and so, the inventory is VERY fluid. If you wait a few minutes to consider a purchase, the one item you were looking at will probably be gone. But if you know what you are looking for, know exactly what current prices are, and can recognize a good price when you see it (and are ready to purchase at that moment), it is a good way to get a fully warrantied machine for a LOT less than the retail price.