[Fasterthanyou]

I can build systems faster than Dells for exactly half the price after my labor is included. I charge $100 to build everything and get you moved in. All my pc's come with windows xp and you name what you want and it'll get it with name brands. I mostly use new-egg to save on shipping but if there's a good deal elsewhere I pick a few things from that shop to again save on shipping/handling.
I built my last computer which was everything but mouse/monitor/keyboard for $670 shipped. It's still awesome and that was 2 years ago. The case is ugly but what do you expect for that price, lol. The more recent builds for friends have been equally impressive. The key is the software, good software doesn't bog down a system with memory leaks and buggy install procedures.
If you want any help choosing parts that match let me know. Oh, and I highly recommend looking for a used NVidia Ti4200 graphics card if. By far the best video card I've ever used for the price. I'd stay away from ATI unless you're looking to play the latest and greatest games. I'd say ATI9600 if the prices would drop... but aren't.
The real key to a fast running home PC is getting rid of spyware and cleaning up the process list. I don't understand software but HP printer software wants to run like 5 processes!!! Needless to say none of them were necessary unless you enjoy slowing down your computer.
The only commercial software I recommend is Norton Systemworks. That program cleans the registry file and does a lot of useful stuff to keep your computer running like it was brand new.