Computer Upgrade Query

Got a question for ye olde fiends list:

Assuming one wanted to get an actual put-together all complete kinda Windows PC, from whom would you get it/order it (or not get it/order it), and why? And are there any considerations I should take into account on chips, OS version of Vista or XP, etc.? I play the occasional PC game (would like to upgrade to Civ IV), and use the thing to upload my heart rate monitor info (which is incompatible with Mac OS).

I've never bought an actual out-of-the-box ready-to-go PC, preferring in the past to get them from family friends or build them myself. The last time I looked at prices for components, though, it made little sense price-wise to put one together on my own. So I'm curious to see what y'all think.

Loving/Not Loving

Okay, and no one told me I could stream bossa nova jazz through my WiFi and TiVo, why? So loving this tonight as I clean and straighten and putz. So mellow, so perfect.

And now for a not-loving TMI moment:

View the rest of this TMI post at the Glen