:p You know, it's funny, but mostly people tell you what kind of computers to avoid rather than which ones are good.

I'll cross HP/Compaq off my list though.

I hadn't thought of a custom built but I think I'll look into it. I use my computer a lot, and want something that's good and useful to me but can also withstand a lot of hard use. That's why I want to move away from laptops. I use my computers *hard* and laptops just can't handle that.