Dell intros Alienware X51

What if your gaming PC comfortably fits alongside those game consoles? That's what it sounds like Dell's banking on with the Alienware X51, launching today starting at $699. At 13.5 inches high, 12.5 inches deep and 3.7 inches wide, it's not much bigger than an original Xbox 360, and yet the company's calling it a PC gaming machine. We don't know which particular processors are on tap yet, but you're looking at a dual-core Intel Core i3 processor, backed up by a Nvidia GeForce GT 545 graphics card, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive, a dual-layer DVD burner, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and loads of ports to start, and upgrades include Core i5 and Core i7 processors, a GeForce GTX 555 GPU, and a slot-loading Blu-ray drive. It seems to be upgradable, but we're not sure how by how much: the system comes with a 240W power supply, with a 330W option.

The X51 starts with a 3.3GHz Core i3-2120, if Google Shopping listings are correct, gains a 3.0GHz Core i5-2320 at the $899 mark, and ranges up to a Core i7-2600, according to reports.