PC Back when Desktop PCs were something

[Mechablade-X]

2003 Alienware Area 51 ''Predator 1''Desktop PC

 

[Zerpina]

I remember seeing these around mid to late 2003....

I want to say it might have been fall, I don't really know now, as it's been so long ago.
I do remember falling in love with the 50s sci-fi look. I saw the silver one the first time and thought it looked like a UFO, Like old 50s sci-fi B movies.... probably what they were going for with the branding and all.

Sadly, I never saw another one in person after that small window in 2003. I've always wanted one, but either they are massively over priced for what they are or almost complete wrecks.

But... they are beautifully engineered systems, that's for sure.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I loved it when your computer was also your greeting card and not just some indistinguishable, mass-produced grey-scale box.

Hauling one completely fitted with LEDs, wacky peripherals and a custom paint job to a LAN PARTY was the stuff of legends.

Now you probably couldn't find your stupid laptop on a pile.

 

[thetwaz]

I wanted an Alienware machine so bad. Had to make do with my Dell, and my cobbled together setup.

 

[naka_michi]

Haven't seen those super advanced cabs back in the day, but everytime I walked into a lan house, I was always floored at the aquarium PCs and the rare ones with LEDs inside. Back then it was new, then the aquarium cases went away and now came back, just to vveebs can put anime figures inside

 

[Don Patch]

Hubba-hubba!
That bish right there is the holy grail of PC's, IMO!

Case is cool still to this day.

 

[Zerpina]

Haven't seen those super advanced cabs back in the day, but everytime I walked into a lan house, I was always floored at the aquarium PCs and the rare ones with LEDs inside. Back then it was new, then the aquarium cases went away and now came back, just to vveebs can put anime figures inside

Well... better in their PC cases... than in jars

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

I still have this Sony Vaio PCG-QR3 but my keyboard started yellowing

 

[Mechablade-X]

I remember seeing these around mid to late 2003....

I want to say it might have been fall, I don't really know now, as it's been so long ago.
I do remember falling in love with the 50s sci-fi look. I saw the silver one the first time and thought it looked like a UFO, Like old 50s sci-fi B movies.... probably what they were going for with the branding and all.

Sadly, I never saw another one in person after that small window in 2003. I've always wanted one, but either they are massively over priced for what they are or almost complete wrecks.

But... they are beautifully engineered systems, that's for sure.

I think i know which one you're reffering to

You can still use this as a PC case, by replacing the ancient specs inside with modern ones.

 

[naka_michi]

You can still use this as a PC case, by replacing the ancient specs inside with modern ones.

Used to be one of my ideas, purchasing a classic old case but put new parts in. Sleeper build.
I was just too lazy to see it through

 

[Zerohour2k12]

I remember seeing one of these blue ones way way back. I thought it looked like a supercar but a pc.

 

[bombatomba77]

2003 Alienware Area 51 ''Predator 1''Desktop PC

Now that's a byoot. I used to drool over Alienware, Voodoo, and Falcon Northwest. These were boutique PC makers that really made you feel like you got something special.

 

[iamthemilkman]

Never had one but always wanted one when I was younger. I learned to build my own because pre-builts were so expensive back then and PC parts weren't as costly as they are today.

 

[Givememyroms420]

While it is a shame that Alienware lost that bulbous otherworldly aesthetic in their towers, there was a period from 2010-14 where their PCs had a slick Halo-forerunner look to them.

What I'd give for them to return to either of those styles...

 

[Spartacus55]

Alienware machines look great, though I think they were designed strictly for gaming and were very expensive.

We didn't have that kind of brand,we weren't wealthy enough,so we had PCs custom-built desktop.
Back then, I had a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX400, amd Athlon.
While my father had a Pentium 4 478 1.9 and a GeForce 3 Ti 200.

 

[urbancowboy]

View attachment 212300
I still have this Sony Vaio PCG-QR3 but my keyboard started yellowing

Goes hard, install BSD or Tiny-Core

 

[thetwaz]

View attachment 212300
I still have this Sony Vaio PCG-QR3 but my keyboard started yellowing

Those speakers are just *chef's kiss*

 

[Kobu]

While it is a shame that Alienware lost that bulbous otherworldly aesthetic in their towers, there was a period from 2010-14 where their PCs had a slick Halo-forerunner look to them.

What I'd give for them to return to either of those styles...
View attachment 212321

Now THAT is gamer appropriate! Very alien/future tech looking. Kinda reminds me of the Fast Food restaurant discussion where the architecture was very colorful and full of life in the 90's and gradually became more streamlined in the 2000's and beyond.