Hi Ames,
Haven't much time, have to go somewhere, so being a little short here.
Dell does have some good gaming PC's to be configured in the 8400 series (also 8400 has the 64-bit support) without going to the more expensive XPS series.
LCD...well, gamers like the faster CRT, however LCD is improving. Don't know what Dell or others have, but you if you get a LCD, you should check to see that it has at least a 8ms response time or you may be disappointed.
What I suggest is that you go through all the below links and get an idea of what you want for a gaming machine, making note of the CPU and motherboard that can fit your price range. The Nvidia 6800Ultra for a card is also what I suggest. And 1GB of RAM is all you should start out with.
The highest end gamer would probably use the AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 with SLI mobo, but that is expensive & really not needed if you are not doing the extreme competitive gaming. Something like a AMD Anthlon 64 3800 or 4000 or a Intel Pent4 6xx series in 3.6, 3.4, 3.2 GHz is pleanty IMO.
OK, after you get a idea on what processor and motherboard, you can go to Monarch and configure a very good gamer PC with them as they have a large selection of quality part/components and only charge $49 to build practically anything you want. They are reliable and will be building my next PC for about the same price I can build, and they have a guarantee that I would't have to self guarantee (call myself on problems) along with whatever the parts OEM will give.
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=M&Category_Code=allcustom
Check these sites for ideas:
http://www.polywell.com/us/desktop/poly-939SLI.asp
http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/aurora_7500_sli.aspx
http://www.voodoopc.com/sellPage.aspx?productID=1012
http://www.velocitymicro.com/
http://www.falcon-nw.com/
http://www.alienware.com/Product_Pages/desktop_default.aspx
http://www.totallyawesomecomputers.com/
http://www.abspc.com/
http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/Default.asp
Hi everyone, this is my first post. My name is Joe. I am looking for a new computer and I have been shopping around. I definitely want a gaming pc - I have looked at the computers from Voodoo, Bullypc, alienware, and these are WAY too expensive for me. My price range is 1700-2000 for a new computer. My priorities are as follows:
1) Graphics card - I want the best..either the 6800 ultra or the x850xe from ATI 9800 series.
2) 1 Gig of Ram
The rest, I do not really care about. I have found an awesome price on dell.com for a pc that includes a 17 inch lcd and a geforce 6800 "GTo" for around 1900$. I will be willing to post the link to it. However, I want to know if I can do better. NOW, this is where I want to bring in Cyberpower. I have recently configured a system that is 1800 dollars with a 17 inch lcd and a x850xe ATI radeon 9800 card, it was unbelievable. However, I AM VERY hesitant on buying a computer from a company like this - let alone over the internet. I need to know some expert advice on what to do, and where to go thanks payce!

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic