Computers are incredibly versatile machines that can do just about anything. Yet one size doesn’t fit all, especially if your tasks require the maximum amount of horsepower. That’s certainly the case with video production, where you can always increase the number of tracks or real-time effects as you add more computational muscle. Alienware is aggressively going after this market, in part because the specs for its high-end video workstations are similar to the specs for its maxed-out computers for game fans.

I had a chance to evaluate Alienware’s MJ-12 7500a workstation, which is powered by an AMD Opteron 180 processor with a clock speed of 2.4 GHz. This 64-bit dual core processor can significantly speed up software programs that directly access the processor’s 64-bit instruction set or that can split program operations between the two cores. The top video-editing and 3D rendering applications are beginning to offer this kind of support, which can potentially double, triple or even quadruple the efficiency of some processor intensive tasks. Even if your applications don’t currently support 64-bit or dual core processing, it may make sense to future-proof your purchase, as these are significant advances for video professionals.

Our review unit also included an NVIDIA Quadro FX 540 graphics card. Like other recent high-end NVIDIA graphics cards, the FX 540 supports a collection of video-optimized advancements that NVIDIA refers to as PureVideo Technology. Those advancements include MPEG-2, H.264 and WMV9 decoding acceleration for both SD and HD video, as well as hardware-assisted algorithms that enhance video scaling, deinterlacing, inverse telecine and video color correction. The FX 540 ships with 128 MB of DDR RAM and a breakout box that provides component, composite and S-video outputs. Because you can configure your Alienware system online, the graphics card options go all the way up to a dual NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 with 512 MB of DDR3 RAM. That would be a great choice if you want to run multiple high-resolution monitors, though (at press time) it would increase the system price by a sizable $2,887.

The MJ-12 7500a came equipped with 2 GB of DDR system RAM, two 250 GB hard drives configured via RAID to appear as a single 500 GB drive, a 16x Dual Layer DVD ±R/W drive with LightScribe Technology and a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 surround sound audio card. In addition to the two 5.25-inch and two 3.5-inch expansion bays that were still available, the outside chassis provided two USB 2.0 ports and one 1394a port in the front, as well as four USB 2.0, 2 Gb Ethernet and one external SATA connections in the back.

Anyone can slap together the necessary components and call it a workstation. What separates a top tier from a fly-by-night manufacturer is often the quality and design of the computer. I found the MJ-12 7500a to be solidly constructed and unusually quiet. You can choose two different acoustic dampening systems: Level 1 provides a 20 percent reduction in noise. At press time, that option costs an additional $70. Level 2 provides a 40 percent reduction in noise and costs an additional $225. Either option would be well worth the money if you do any type of sound editing.

Other work-friendly features include a built-in liquid cooling system that should help to lengthen the life of the components. It eliminates the need for built-in secondary fans. As a result, the internally generated noise levels are lower than usual. According to Alienware, an independent lab determined that the liquid cooling reduces the system temperature by 30 percent when the CPU is operating at a 90 percent load.

This model also has a tool-free hard drive rack for quick-and-easy drive replacements. A single lock on the front panel lets you secure all the drives. When working, you can swing out the front panel and fold it next to the side of the case (the cover has an unusual double hinge). While the panel and hinge feel durable and sturdy enough, it could be broken if not treated with care.

As if to drive home the notion that the MJ-12 7500a is a bone fide workstation, not a garden variety PC, you can order this model only with NVIDIA Quadro FX or ATI FireGL series graphics cards. As a result, if you’re working with applications, such as Boris Blue, that render to OpenGL, you’ll find this system to be a highly capable performer. Two of the graphics card options are real standouts: the ATI FireGL V7350 is the first workstation graphics accelerator to have 1 GB of onboard memory; the NVIDIA Quadro 4500 provides more than a 40 percent performance boost over previous generation Quadro cards.

You have the option to equip this model with dual interconnected NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) graphics adapters for twice the graphics speed or- alternatively- twice the number of pixels. If you’ve ever dreamed of working across two or even four high-resolution monitors at the same time, this system should be able to handle the load. The model’s dual-channel DDR memory architecture and support for HyperTransport technology will help to reduce other bottlenecks that could potentially slow down the overall performance.

As configured for this review, the Alienware MJ-12 7500a is an intelligently designed mid-range workstation with a strong emphasis on speed, expansion options and quiet operation. It’s an impressive product that would find an honored place either on, or underneath, a video professional’s work desk.

Dual-Core 64-Bit Processor: Run multithreaded applications twice as fast with a dual-core processor. Your 64-bit optimized applications could also receive a substantial boost.

Heavy-Duty Power Supply: Worried about overloading the system? The standard configuration features a 650-watt power supply.

Liquid Cooling Technology: Maintain cooler system temperatures even when the processor is operating at full power.

Acoustic Dampening: Reduce system noise by either 20 or 40 percent by adding one of the optional acoustic dampening linings.

Dual-Channel DDR Memory Architecture: Double the data throughput of typical memory subsystem designs.