need computer advice.

[Minty]

If you are buying a desktop computer, never buy off the shelf. It may seem quicker and easier, but you will not get anywhere near as good a deal (or PC) as you will going down to your local independent computer shop and getting them to build one for you. They will also be far more tech savvy than the sales rep at PC World, Walmart or wherever that's only interested in their bonus target for the month and will tell you any crap.

Alienwares are overrated (except for laptops, even then...), and you're paying for the brand name. Just make sure you are getting a quad core (if you get an i5 or i7 remember to check that it is the second generation one they are selling), a good graphics card (preferably nVIDIA), and as much DDR3 memory as you can buy. Again, working with a local dealer (who will pair these to the right motherboard - some motherboards can be tempremental with certain processors, graphics cards, etc).

If you can realistically salvage components from your old PC, do so. That DVD/CD player from your old one for example should be perfectly okay in the new one, and there's no need to junk it. Same for any sound cards (although most motherboards nowadays come with built in soundcards anyway, but rather like old speakers old soundcards tend to be worth salvaging if possible).

Macs users have so much misery with the Sims you have to ask yourself is it worth the bother. I would love a Mac Air, but all the nonsense I'd have to put up with dealing with both Mac software and PC emulation software makes it no go for me.