Also, if you're not much of a computer person, I'd suggest getting something with a service contract. Gateway.com tend to be substantially more expensive than lesser known dealers, but they're VERY easy to construct what you want online, and I've never heard a complaint about their tech service. My roomate's computer lost the CDROM drive 4 years after he bought it, and since he'd paid for the 5 year contract, they sent him a new one, and offered to have someone come out and install it.

However, if you ARE tech-savvy, or have ready access to someone who is, you can get an equivalent system for anywhere between 30%-80% off of their price. You just don't get the service.

M