For lots of people when it starts getting close to back to school time, they start looking for a new computer. For most users a basic computer will do the trick and the biggest factor is the price of the system. While eMachines may not have the best reputation, its computers certainly fit the low-cost requirement.

Today eMachines announced three new computers just in time for the back to school crowd. The first new system is the T3656 desktop with a retail price of $299.99. For that amount you get an Intel Celeron CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD. If you need more performance the eMachines T5374 retails for $399.99 and features a Intel Celeron dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD.

Alienware is doing a major update to its Area-51 7500 flagship system and relaunching it as the Area-51 desktop. The starting price on this monster of a gaming PC is around $2,100.

The Alienware Area-51 PC new sports the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI-based motherboard as well as an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 dual GPU single graphics card, according to Alienware. There is also support for DDR3 memory up to 2GHz, compatibility with 1600MHz FSB Intel CPUs and higher BIOS overclocking.

A niche computer company by the name of Cannon PC yesterday announced some new Media Center PCs for high end entertainment set ups. These new computers are part of the company’s Cannon PC Pro A/V series and are known as the LX, EX and RX.

The Cannon PC Pro A/V PCs vary somewhat in their configurations and design looks. The LX is a traditional desktop PC looking design and offers such features as gold plated front audio connectors and two DVD drive bays for a custom configuration of dual DVD, dual HD-DVD, or dual Blu-Ray drives. The EX goes further, adding a 12-inch touchscreen panel and the ability to house 10 internal 3.5” hard drives for a massive 10 TBs of storage. The RX, meanwhile, will fit a rack mount solution.

Gateway is making some noise today in the PC world as it unveils two new desktop PC computers - one of which includes an option for a SuperMulti drive for next generation disc support. Pricing is set at around $750 for the GT5662, while the GM5664 prices at around $1,150.

Both new Gateway PCs are powered off of AMD Phenom processors,3GB of RAM and ATI Radeon HD 2400XT graphics. Hard drive storage is offered at 1TB for the GM5664 and 500GB for the GT5662, with the former also sporting a Hybrid-SuperMulti drive that lets customers watch both Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs as well as offering burning capability on any type of DVD or CD disc.