I am looking to buy a desktop that can run Diablo 3 on max settings with zero lag

You can't really buy a slow Aurora R4 that is incapable of playing Diablo-3 at max settings.

Go ahead and pay the extra $100 for the nVidia 560-Ti video card upgrade just to make sure. You DO NOT need the dual 555 SLI config.

Get yourself a nice monitor. The UltraSharp models use IPS screen technology and have better color and MUCH better viewing angles. I love my u2410. There is also a newer model u2412m (also 16:10 ratio). Not sure why it isn't offered on the Aurora config page. If you want it, buy Aurora without monitor (put in cart) and then drop over here and add one of these to your cart as well.

accessories.us.dell.com/.../productdetail.aspx

... it's cheaper and newer than the u2410.

Thanks for the tips Tesla!

I was thinking of getting the 2499.99$ pre-built Aurora.

Do you think it's worth it to upgrade anything on that one? Like processor or hard drive? That bundle comes with the nVidia Geforce GTX 560-Ti video card.

(I also plan on playing Guild Wars 2 in the future on this machine, and I believe that will have relatively high requirements.)

I don't really see that one, but it should be fine. Upgrade whatever you want as your budget allows. Again, from what is offered ... I suggest at a minimum ... a mid-range Intel i7 processor, nVidia 560-ti, and an UltraSharp monitor (nowdays, I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 24" ... especially not with a high-end computer like this).

As far as I know, none of the Auroras are "pre-built" ... those are just suggested configs.

You mentioned "pieces and numbers" ... now would be a good time to learn what all that stuff is. It's like buying a car ... they can be made different ways, and the components inside determine the price and performance. You might want to "Google" some "pieces" or Aurora reviews.

The Dell sales dept. is there to help you.

Just to add with spending 2500 you'd get some of the latest hardware and more than a 560ti which is crap in my eyes. You can literally build todays latest for around 2500 and have a good monitor to top it off. Again just compare your Alienware build with one from Digital Storm Online.

Hmm, thanks for the input Razputin.

But apart from the lack of quality service that Dell has to offer (My family owns more than 3 Dell laptops, we're well aware of the lack of help), does the system itself run fine? Has it met your expectations performance-wise?

Razputin has a point, but I think Tesla has the better point.

You can put together an excellent system component by component for under $2500. However, your inexperience with pieces and parts is why people tend to lean toward pre-built machines.

I am not over-whelmed with the 560 Ti video card for a power-house gaming machine, but honestly for Guild Wars and Diablo 3 you really don't need a top-end machine or video card to run at max settings. You really can't go wrong even with the basic Aurora setup that Alienware offers in their "Light Up the Sky" basic configuration. Either the dual GTX 555s or the single GTX 560 Ti will easily meet the demands for your two stated games.

I would offer two other pieces of advice though. I would make sure I got the 16GB of memory especially if you are the type that tends to Alt-Tab out of your game much, or run several applications at once. Having the 16GB of memory will prevent you from needing to upgrade your memory for the life of the desktop.

The second piece is regarding your issue with customer service. I would strongly suggest getting at least the the 2 year Advanced service plan since you aren't really familiar the the components of a system. More importantly though, I would tell ANYONE buying a Dell/Alienware computer to spend the extra money for the Premium North American Support. Most of Dell's technical support has been out-sourced and many people complain about Dell technical support as a result. I have dealt with the technicians who work in Premium support extensively, and they are worth every penny. I highly doubt you would ever find yourself complaining about there knowledge and service.

If you find yourself in the future playing more high performance games in the future you have the easy option of upgrading your video card in the future when you actually need the higher performance. By that time, the current price of video cards will have dropped dramatically. It is very easy to over-spend on a system by buying the latest and greatest components. ( I do this myself, but I have the budget and the need for higher performance parts.)

TL;DR

The basic options offered in the least expensive Alienware Aurora system will easily handle the two games you are playing. You have the ability to upgrade components later when you actually need them and their price has dropped. The Premium North American support is a MUST have part of the purchase. You will be highly satisfied and well supported by their service.

While not perfect, the Dell ON-SITE Service plays a major role in their buying decision.

They also know that if things go REALLY BAD, Dell will eventually make it right. Sure there will be lots of hoops to jump through, but they will send you a new machine if they have to. Like Zonker said ... a 2 or 3 year warranty is not a bad idea.

The Dell parts are the same as any other parts and the last time I checked ... not that much more than a custom build that I do myself or a company like Digital does.

The basic Aurora for around $1500 is good for what you get.

Now don't get me wrong.

I would have recommended him building his own custom gaming PC. And that would be better because the Dell/Alienware 1-3 year warranty as all warranties are rip-offs.

With building a custom rig with each piece of hardware you get usually a minimum of a 1 year warranty for better quality products you get 5+ or lifetime warranty.

I know my 12GB Triple Channel set of Mushkin Redlines have lifetime warranty my Crucial M4 128GB SSD has I believe is 5 years. Nearly anything and everything I have upgraded has a better warranty and replacement plan than what any prebuilt system manufacturer can provide.

Believe me. I really loved my Alienware the first month, but when I opened it up and saw what I got and how the thing was build I was a bit distressed.

The case quality, and lighting does justify it a bit, but still. Just with all the random little problems that people have with the system, I can tell quality control is out the window.

Actually when I first got my Area 51 at the time I didn't notice but the fins on top of the system for venting would make the most unbearable screech. I didn't know what the hell was going on. The AlienFX would sometimes stay on, stay white, wouldn't change, or wouldn't come on at all. With this I believe it has to do with some Windows Updates or UAC settings and Anti-Virus. A mixed of things don't know. But just for this fact it's so annoying to have spent literally $4,300 and feel ripped off you know what I mean.

From what I can tell most people here haven't been hardcore gamers or elite gaming PC builders for as long as I have. I am sure some are but what I call a gamer is a person who plays more than 1-2 games a month and most of their gaming hours isn't spent on a sad RPG. Playing Skyrim and Oblivion for over 500 hours doesn't make you a gamer, it makes you a loser. Just my point of view and opinion not stating this towards anyone.

I'm not ranting or rambling even though it may seem like this, but I am highly opinionated about Dell/Alienware and their quality products.

Just look man they come out with this fake little Xbox360 clone and get rid of their prized build the Area-51, that smells highly fishy to me.

I thought Alienware was supposed to be for elite gamers.

Again don't get me wrong I love my Area-51 but just for the simple fact that I feel so let down and that I can't even do much with it. I wanted to upgrade to the new Ivy Bridge when it comes out but I'm not going to spend over $2k from Dell for their parts. I say $2k because if they are still trying to charge $730 for their LGA1366 i7 Alienware 0J560M motherboard I can only imagine how much they are going to charge for the latest Ivy Brige boards. These were my plans but it's obvious that this current Area-51 is going to be paper weight in the next few years.

I say this only because as you can see the new trends of having custom PC's is obviously them be customized.

Alienware has done a hell of a job with their Towers. I give them that, the only other case that comes close to it is the Cosmos2 but that just looks like a horrible cheap knock off of the Area-51. No other case can compete with the amazing Tower that was the Area-51.

If and when Alienware comes out with the new Area-51 I will be on board because like I said their cases and only that make it worth some of the purchase price. But then again I will not be going for the high end stuff like I did before.

Area-51

Intel i7 960 + Water Cooling -- that failed

1TB 64MB Cache Seagate HDD

128GB Crucial M4

12GB Mushkin Redline @1600MHz

Blu-Ray burner/DVD+-R/W Drive

Alienware TactX Keyboard

The RAM was only 6GB from Elpida never heard of them, but it was a good set.

Obviously I bought the RAM and SSD

Good build got it before the 400 Nvidia series came out but I upgraded to a Radeon 5970.

I agree with most of Razputin said quite honestly. I am a hard-core gamer myself and have been for longer than I will admit here... A custom rig is definitely the way to go if you have the knowledge to handle things yourself.

I bought an Alienware Area-51 with the ALX myself a bit over a year ago. It performed flawlessly until I ran into a "video hardware failure" after a year. We replaced numerous components, but we couldn't resolve the issue. This is where Dell's warranty and support really came into play. I ended up needing a system replacement. Dell lived up to their warranty on system replacements, which says they will replace your system with "like-or-better". I got a much improved model of the Area-51 and was quite happy. Unfortunately, the front panel didn't work. When the on-site tech came out to fix it, he somehow fried my whole system. I am still waiting on my second replacement system. Dell couldn't meet the like-or-better standard with refurbished parts so they ordered a new R4 for me with all the top component options. Unfortunately, this happened during a time that production had been stopped while they fixed a problem with the ALX chassis. I have been an unhappy camper while I have had to wait.

This brings up a few things. If you are not familiar with computer components then having access to technicians who do have that experience is invaluable. If Tea Sq ran into the problems I did with a hardware video failure he would have had to know enough to figure out which component was bad. In my case he could have tested every component, but everything would have passed it's test. Having tech support for your whole system is especially important if you aren't familiar with computer components. Individual part warranties are often better than what Dell offers, but Dell is providing support for the system as a whole. Again, this is me talking about Dell's Premium support, not their standard out-sourced support.

I am also surprised by the R4 system. They went with a customized motherboard with only two PCI 16 slots. The Area-51 had three, which allowed for two video cards and a sound card, etc. The R4 also only comes with an 875 watt power-supply compared to the Area-51 that could have a 1,00 watt or 1,250 watt. It seems that Alienware went for a more basic machine with less upgrade-ability with the R4. It really won't meet the needs of a hard-core gamer who wants to use multiple monitors, etc.

At the same time, the R4 will meet the needs of most gamers. Dell has been decreasing the choice in video cards significantly with the R4. I wouldn't put a GTX 555 or 560 Ti in a gaming machine myself. It seems that Dell has been forced to reduce the video card options due to a parts shortage though. Personally, I will be replacing the two GTX 555s with one of my two GTX 590s. I really wish Dell had built the same type of platform as they used for the Area-51. This cost saving move really hurts the R4's upgrade-ability.

Regarding Alienware's build of the Area-51, my computer was beautifully laid out. Cable management and ease of access to components was extremely nice. The hard-drives being on the right side of the case is a fantastic design. Dell/Alienware does tend to use custom components(read as proprietary). This is where it can be much more expensive to get Dell components. However, I was very happy with my Area-51.

To get back on point for this thread though, even the least expensive components the Aurora R4 has for options will more than meet Tea'Sq's needs. The "Light Up the Sky" configuration includes as a default choice the i7-3820 quad-core processor. This is more than enough processing power for most of the current games, and it will save you $1,125 compared to the best option of the i7-3960X.

Despite some issues I have had with Dell, I would still recommend them if you aren't extremely comfortable about building your own system. However, yet again I will mention that this is only the case if you pay for the North American Phone Support.