thanks for the discussion and views......sorry i was not able to post for the past two days....the debate continues.....apple vs wintel, pantium vs amd, xp vs linux, gaming vs home office.....i am more comfortable using windows platform, never used AMD chip and will be using computer for digital stuff - cds, dvds, pixs etc and some gaming....i did try monarch computers and their prices look reasonalbe.....agree with dell computers being solidly built...