F you want to play state-of-the art computer games in all their glory, not just any computer will do. You need the fastest processor, the best graphics card and the ultimate sound card, plus enough fans and ductwork to keep it all from frying.

You are not likely to find the ultimate PC at the typical electronics store. But those looking for a serious gaming machine do have several companies to turn to.

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Companies like Falcon Northwest and Hypersonic offer systems with names like Mach V and Sonic Boom that promise to be the last word - for the moment - in PC gaming. The buyer can customize the machine by selecting components from a list or just go with the default choices. The concept is familiar to anyone who has bought a customized computer from Dell. But unlike the biggest computer vendors, these companies claim expertise in the ways of gaming, strive to offer the latest, fastest components available, and dress up their machines with a style that matches their speed.

With prices comparable to Dell's, Alienware is the choice for gamers on a budget. Its most expensive system, the Area 51, costs a little more than $2,000 uncustomized, wrapping in such goodies as a 3.0-gigahertz Pentium 4 processor, a 128-megabyte ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card and an Audigy 2 sound card but not the monitor or speakers. This is substantially less than any other gaming-machine maker charges for a similarly equipped system. But despite its relatively low prices, Alienware produces PC's with speed and performance comparable to those of their pricier competitors.

Alienware has gone all out to create a distinctive look, putting its PC in a huge plastic case that looks something like an Art Deco locomotive. A small alien head with glowing eyes adorns the PC's front door, and grilles on the sides glow when the computer is turned on.

At the other end of the price spectrum is Voodoo. Its F-class PC costs $4,200 uncustomized, even though it comes with less powerful components than the Area 51, using a Radeon 9700 and 2.80-gigahertz Pentium 4. For those willing to pay more, faster components are available, whereas choosing slower components takes the price down a bit.

Rahul Sood, Voodoo's president, describes his company as "the Ferrari of gaming" and says it uses only the components best suited for a gaming machine, regardless of price. The customization page at the Voodoo Web site does not even indicate whether selecting a particular component will increase or decrease the final price of the unit; Voodoo operates on the assumption that its customers are not concerned with cost.

Voodoo goes the distance to impress, with a huge, beautifully painted case. The computer is delivered in a straw-packed crate, and when it is removed, an electronic device attached to the box plays a brief fanfare. All of the specialized gaming computers come with binders containing information on the computer, but Voodoo's binder comes in a big vinyl pouch that can be zipped shut.

Falling between Alienware's low-priced aesthetic and Voodoo's sky's-the-limit approach are Falcon Northwest and Hypersonic. Both companies use cases from Cooler Master, which are smaller than the cases used by Voodoo and Alienware; barring customization, they are indistinguishable except for the logos. Falcon and Hypersonic offer straightforward rectangular computers that stand apart from typical PC's only because they use the same auto-body paint applied by Voodoo.

Falcon, in business since 1992, is generally acknowledged as the pioneer of the gaming PC concept. Hypersonic was founded in 1997, a year after Alienware. It is the newest player and the company most likely to be ignored in gaming machine roundups; the other three are sometimes referred to as the Big Three, and Hypersonic has yet to persuade gamers to make that the Big Four.

All of these companies' top-of-the-line machines deliver performance that lets you play your games without compromise. Software settings for textures, shadows and specialized sound processing can all be set to maximum without noticeable effect on the game's speed, and there will be none of the slowdowns and stutters experienced on less powerful systems. There are likely to be some differences in speed based on configuration, the effectiveness of the cooling system and other technical considerations, but such differences will probably only be noticed when the user is running a battery of speed tests than when playing a game.

Gaming PC's aim to dazzle not just with speed but also with design. After all, if you're going to buy an expensive computer, it might as well look the part. The companies offer varying levels of customization. Alienware only offers a choice of colors for their plastic case and glowing lights. Falcon and Hypersonic offer windows and illumination that reveal the insides of the PC, while Voodoo offers an elaborately designed opening in the side of the case that also lets you see inside.

Falcon and Voodoo offer customized images on the sides of their cases; this is a specialty of Falcon, whose Web site displays a gallery of paint jobs that include an American flag, an evil clown and the use of a paint that changes color with the light and costs $2,100 a pint. Falcon can give you a simple pared-down look, or a style that is far more impressive - and expensive - than Voodoo's.

PC's age quickly, however, and this year's ultimate computer will strain to keep up with next year's games. While you could just buy a new PC every year and a half, manufacturer upgrades are another option.

If you send your PC back to Alienware, technicians will provide free installation of new components purchased from the company. Hypersonic charges a flat $100 for labor, plus the cost of the parts, but will give you a trade-in on any old parts that it can sell to a computer refurbishing company. A used Geforce TI 4600 video card, for example, will net $82. Voodoo and Falcon charge for labor ($65 and $50, respectively), with Voodoo offering additional parts at wholesale prices.

If you buy Voodoo's insanely expensive F-Series PC, it charges for just one hour of labor and provides free shipping. All these companies will test your PC to make sure it still works properly.

Of course, you can always install new components yourself. PC's from all four companies have roomy, well-laid-out cases that cater to users who are comfortable with replacing memory or sound cards themselves.

In any online discussion of gaming machine makers, someone will suggest saving a few hundred dollars by building your own machine after finding the best-priced components at a site like http://www.pricewatch.com/, where many retailers list their wares. This route does offer considerable savings, although in my experience it is more difficult to build a computer than some will claim. Still, with sites like http://www.sharkyextreme.com/ offering advice on the best gaming components and sites like http://www.daileyint.com/ and http://www.pcmech.com/ providing step-by-step instructions on putting a computer together, it is a workable option for the brave.

Buying a PC, however, yields one important benefit: tech support. If you build your own computer and it stops working, you will have to figure the problem out by yourself. Falcon, Voodoo and Hypersonic all have excellent reputations for tech support. Reports on Alienware are mixed, and one can find outraged complaints posted on gaming bulletin boards. The company's tech support, however, has vastly improved since the days when it was virtually impossible even to reach a support representative.

You will not necessarily get a better PC if you decide to go with the more expensive companies, but you will get a more elegant one. Voodoo's well-built, impeccably designed machine is an impressive monster that wears its price on its sleeve and is the perfect choice for people who buy $100 ballpoint pens. If I had my choice of the PC's evaluated for this article, I would probably have taken the Falcon, which was straightforward, gave me no problems and, unlike the Voodoo, fit in the PC cabinet of my desk.

One thing to consider before you buy the ultimate gaming computer, however, is whether you really need one. It's not just pastimes like Tetris and Solitaire that run well on simpler computers; popular games like The Sims and Myst 3 also have relatively low system requirements. Even if you want a gaming machine, you do not necessarily need the fastest one available. And you may be able to find satisfaction and save money with less powerful, less expensive components in a machine that will play state-of-the-art games like Quake 3 with some settings at medium and low.

The ultimate machines are essential, though, for those wishing to play the most advanced 3-D action games and are the clear choice for anyone who has already preordered Doom III, the game most likely to make the computer you now own obsolete. For such diehards, a machine from Hypersonic, Alienware, Falcon or even Voodoo is less luxury than necessity.