Opinions on this Alienware? (mainly for gaming)

First off, I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this in, but I posted it here because I need some opinions on a computer I may get that is manly for gaming. The link defaults back to the default, non-customized version of the computer, so I have to copy and paste the specs from the site. My apologies if this is hard to read.

Alienware X51 - Alienware X51
OPERATING SYSTEM - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
PROCESSOR - Intel® Core™ i7-2600 3.4GHz (8MB Cache) with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
MEMORY - 8GB (2x4GB) Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
CHASSIS COLOR - Matte Stealth Black with Dark Chrome Accents
VIDEO CARD - 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 555
HARD DRIVE - 1TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
WIRELESS - DW1502 Wireless-N WLAN Half Mini-Card
Adobe Reader Software - Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
ALIENFX - AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
AUTOMATIC UPDATES 330W External Power Supply

I don't know much about how good each part of this is, but I do know enough to realize it is not a piece of junk. The total (without shipping and those costs) is at $1,181.99. So what I'm asking is, can this run most modern games without much issue? There is not too much I can change about this, as Dell has a somewhat limited variety of parts for this computer.

Since you are shopping for a pre-built, I assume you have little or no interest in building your own.

I'd go to Dell's standard desktops and see what you can configure there with similar specs---the 2600 processor, a 1 TB drive, 8 GB RAM, and a mid-level graphics card.

That may well turn out to be cheaper than the Alienware and a better value--without all the flashing lights and "gaming" hype associated with Alienware generally.

JaidynM said:

That graphics card only needs a 150w power supply but a 330W power supply does not leave you with much headroom for future upgrades.

That was concern, but I'm not sure how much I will be upgrading it, if I buy it.

ignatzatsonic said:

Since you are shopping for a pre-built, I assume you have little or no interest in building your own.

I'd go to Dell's standard desktops and see what you can configure there with similar specs---the 2600 processor, a 1 TB drive, 8 GB RAM, and a mid-level graphics card.

I'm probably going to look over at those desktops, and is nVidia the best graphics card manufacturer? I have always been happy with the ATI Radeons, but I haven't been playing games like BF3 and Portal on the computer I have now.

M1GU31 said:

you can make a better pc for a bit cheaper then buying a prebuilt and is better parts. I selected some parts and it would run anything and is a good build

Total $994.92 usd if you build it your self, plus you get two free games with it which are Codemasters Operation Flashpoint: Red River PC Gameand and Dirt 3

Newegg.com - Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, front mounted dual USB 3.0
Newegg.com - XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2B1600C9
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - ASRock H61M/U3S3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I72600
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Wow! Thank you for taking some time to throw this list together, but if I order this, do I have to put it together myself? I don't know much about the inner workings of a PC, so I wouldn't want to screw anything up. I will look into this list when I get more time. :)

M1GU31 said:

Edit: also im amusing you already have a monitor or tv and mouse and keyboard already that you could use for it right?

I just got a brand new 32" TV, and I have two spare monitors at my house, and I have a keyboard and mouse, just not the best for gaming.