It's never too late, or too early, to add some cool tech to your collection of gaming toys.
Alienware X51 Desktop PC, $1,000
There’s a transition going on in the living room with more Smart TVs entering the market and more consoles being connected to these 3D and HD TVs. Part of this shift to entertainment everywhere is the evolution of the desktop from the office to the entertainment center. The X51 from Alienware is an affordable high-end PC that plugs right into your Smart TV, eliminating the need for a traditional monitor (a monitor isn’t included in the $1,000 price point). With today’s PC games, including free-to-play experiences like Adhesive Games’ HAWKEN, putting current consoles to shame; this is one way to keep ahead of the curve by bringing PC games to the big screen. The X51 comes with a quad-core Intel Core i5-2320 processor, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi card, and a slot-loading DVD burner. This being an Alienware, there’s also a Command Center to customize the way the chassis glows. The PC has become the leading platform for innovative games like Chris Roberts’ Star Citizen, and this is a great way to jump into the fray without worrying about becoming obsolete in a few years. All you have to do is swap out the NVIDIA graphics card to keep up with the evolving tech.
