Acer has made a valid attempt at creating a monster of a PC in an Alienware-like vein, but ultimately, its attempt falls short because the high-end model doesn't include options for the latest in memory and graphics technology.

If you're a serious gamer, you need a serious machine — and a serious wallet. This $5011 Altech NRG PC is about as serious as they come. It's beautifully built, has a GeForce GTX 280 SLI graphics card configuration and plenty of straight-line speed thanks to its overclocked quad-core CPU.