Gargantuan Gaming

For years, high-end gaming computer makers have given us the option of customizing a gaming rig with special lighting, colors, and even paintjobs. Now larger manufacturers are getting into the act. We've seen HP's Blackbird 002, sleek birds of prey with quality components to boot, and a good example of what can happen when a huge manufacturer like HP gobbles up a well-known custom PC maker like VoodooPC.

Now the likes of Packard Bell, ASUS, and Acer have tossed their hats into the ring, with large, decorative (some might say too decorative) gaming computers. The specs du jour are standard for ultra high end gaming PCs - in most cases offering up to three video cards, a quad core processor, 2 GB of RAM minimum, terabytes of storage, and so on, but it's the case designs that elicit thoughts of Transformers, or maybe a sporty BMW.



ASUS has long been known among PC enthusiasts for their high quality motherboards and overpriced video cards. Their upcoming (but when exactly is anyone's guess) ARES CG6155 sports a mean look and equally menacing red lighting. The ARES will supposedly have two 1000-watt power supplies, three GeForce GTX280 video cards in SLI mode, the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650, which can be overclocked to 4.0 GHz, and a liquid cooling system. Not sure how much this behemoth will cost, but if you get one with all the aforementioned parts, count on it being at least 10K.

Acer has what I consider one of the coolest looking mass produced cases in existence housing their Predator Gaming Rig. It looks like it'll turn into an Autobot or Decepticon at any given moment, and has a cool orange color theme with blue lighting. Again, you can opt for the works, with up to two video cards, up to 8 GB of RAM, and a Quad Core Intel processor, and a matching price.

The most recent entry is the Packard Bell ipower x2.0 gaming PC. Gargantuan and slightly boxy best describes this one, and it will have a Core 2 Quad Extreme processor, a hybrid TV tuner, up to 3 TB of disk space, and a GeForce 9800 GX2. Oh, and don't forget liquid cooling. It'll be available by Q4, and starts at around 2K.

As has been said numerous times, it's good to have options, and we hope these larger companies can use some of their buying power to secure some sweet deals, and pass those savings on to the consumer.

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