The next gaming PC we are looking at has a distinctive shape, and a name that evokes images of space invaders of some sort.

It is the Alienware Area-51 ALX Desktop. People either love or hate the shiny “Alien’s head” case, which is actually plastic and not metal.

The specs are almost out of this world: starting with a quad core 3GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650, paired with 2GB DDR3 RAM and two 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics cards, around a Terrabyte of hard drive space, DVD±RW DL, and 32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium. There is also the option of a Blu-ray burner.

The description from the Pricegrabber entry bears repeating: “The Alienware Area-51 ALX represents the best, the elite in computer performance. Overclocked for superior processing power and offering a choice of either NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX multi GPU graphics, the Area-51 ALX stands well above the masses. Low latency memory, 7.1 surround sound and Blu-ray compatibility are just a few features contained within an aggressively-styled, chrome-trimmed case that’s guaranteed to turn heads.”

According to Wikipedia “Alienware was originally established to tap a niche in the high performance game market“. Since 2006 Alienware has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell.