After some years of building my own boxes, I now simply find something like what I want at the "Dell Outlet." www.dell.com/outlet

You have to take what they have in stock--- which is a lot. The machines are better than new, in that some of Dell's better stateside techs have figured out what minor issue (probably an infant-mortality hard-drive) kept them from working, and fixed it.

The price is about half what it would otherwise be. I've bought a lot of these guys, from desktops to servers, for home and work and never got a dud. Can't say that for the "full price" models. I've sent some of them back (to be sold later in the outlet no doubt).

I just can't get close to that kind of deal anywhere else, on the same quality.

The only down-side of Dell is they tend to put in power supplies that are just enough to run the stock machine. If you want a super fancy graphics card, you may have to upgrade the power supply as well.