[campbellcj]

FWIW I've used Dell desktops and servers for MANY years (1992 was the first one I believe) in my business with virtually ZERO problems (caused by Dell).

I've never been a fan of their laptops - but haven't seen/used their latest ones - we've standardized on Thinkpads and also been extremely happy with them.

I have custom built my last 4+ machines at home and it's not that hard and is the 'ideal' way to get exactly what you want but am NOT convinced it is a way to save money. Just a current (higher end) motherboard and CPU from an internet parts house is about as expensive as an entire system from the big guys like Dell.

For instance this machine here (getting a tad old) is a dual-Pentium3 1.1GHz, 1GB RAM, ATI 9600XT video card (upgraded later), Seagate 7200rpm 300GB EIDE drive, etc...upgrading its guts to current specs like a PCI-E motherboard, P4 dual core, nice PCI-E video card, SATA drive etc. would be well over a grand. So I am seriously considering buying the next one pre-built (and then maybe hotrodding it a bit more.

For Milt or anybody else looking, definitely do not underestimate the hard drive storage you'll need if you get heavily into video and/or music! This machine I'm on right now has a 300GB drive and it's approaching full... Also be sure to get a FAST hard drive as you can have the most kickass CPU in the world but you'll have a dog system on your hands if the I/O subsystem can't pump the data...

I'm also a convert to LCD monitors. Looking at a Viewsonic VP211b (21") right now which I really like a lot. If you go to a flatpanel you will want to run it digitally (DVI) and in its native LCD resolution for best results so make sure your video card supports that.

Last advice is don't forget about some way to BACKUP your important data. A CD or DVD-burner might cut it if all you feel is 'crucial' is stuff like work documents, Quicken files etc...however think how painful it would be if you lost many years worth of pics or music files. External USB hard drives are a pretty nice option for backup. You can periodically dupe your whole system contents on them and then unplug and toss in a safe/closet.