I've bought a dozen computers in the last 10 years, and have generally found Dell to be good. I do think that the last couple of years they are on the pricey side.

I prefer to buy just a CPU, and not bundle it with a monitor. I have a number of large flat screen monitors, and it's a waste to get something bundled with something that you just won't use.

Costco used to have some very nice CPU only versions. In fact, the last two I got were both through Costco. Plus, you can return them within 90 days if you don't like them. I think they have some sort of extended warranty too.

If you want to do anything with online video (viewing/editing), a larger hard drive will be nice. Music can eat up a lot of space too. I don't think I'd get less than 750G, with a 7200 speed.

I do like the new Windows 7, over Vista and older versions of windows. I have 64 bit and 32 bit, premium version, but can't tell you the difference in speed or anything.

The last one I got for my business had XP installed, as well as an upgrade disc for Vista, and then I got the Win 7 disc too. 8 GB memory, 500 or 600 HD (I don't do any video on this system), and the common Microsoft programs (Word, Excel, etc). I think this ran about $500, less monitor.

You can really buy a lot of computer for a little, these days. Some of the cheaper computers that I got over 10 years ago were horrid. The first E-machines, Packard Bell and such just died way too quickly. I had a Compaq that I just hated. Really hard to add stuff to it. The Dell made it so much easier.

There may not be much difference these days. Let us know what you choose. Apple units can be nice, but they're priced so much higher that I think you'd be hard pressed to justify the difference unless you're doing editing.