Have you thought about building your own?
That was going to be my question. It's incredibly easy to build a computer yourself nowadays. Building a computer is just about the only mechanical thing I can do. I'll admit it...I'm mechanically inept. Actually, "inept" isn't a sufficient enough word. I was not blessed with the mechanical skills or knowledge of my father, unfortunately. I'm one of those people that would probably struggle for hours trying to change a tire. That's why I've got AAA. But I digress...
The box I'm using right now, I built completely on my own back in January 2007. Everything is pretty much plug-and-play. The hardest part is probably installing the proper connections on the motherboard, but every manual I've ever seen is very good. Another benefit is that you can put what you want on it. You can get exactly what components you want. Your system won't be bogged down by the extra bloat software that most manufacturers install in the shop.
The key to custom building a computer is research. Decide what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Next, research the components. Make sure they are compatible with each other. Certain combinations of RAM, CPU, and motherboards don't always work well together. Read the customer reviews from Newegg. They are a great source of information. Finally, research prices. Pricegrabber is a good source. I've bought parts from Newegg, ZipZoomFly, TigerDirect, Directron, MWave, FrozenCPU, and a few others.
If you really want the hard work to be taken care of for you, order a motherboard/CPU/RAM combo from Mwave. They will assemble and test it for you pretty much guaranteeing that it works when it's shipped. All you have to do then is screw it into your case, plug everything in, and away you go.
If anybody is looking to go this route and doesn't have much experience, I'll be more than happy to help you look up parts and prices.
