I’d geet a Mac, but that’s because my time is too important to waste it dealing with Windows problems. 
Either a high-end iMac (with the super-nifty DVD-burnin’ Superdrive) or a medium-end PowerMac tower (for the expandability). Of course, if money is no object, I’d make a beeline for the dual 1GHz PowerMac and snarf a 22" Cinema Display along the way… Drool
If money is no object, I’d probably get an SGI box lol
I would suggest the SiS 735 chipset for AMD machines, since the KT266/A chipset has problems with IDE devices.
For a graphics card you may want to look at the Hecules’ 3D Prophet 4500 based on the Kryo II chip.
Remember that these suggestions are only if you’re going to buy in the next TWO weeks. If you’re planning on waiting three, you might want to reask again later as this entire thread’s information will be obsolete.
I’ll also put in my vote to have a system build for you. Stay away from the brand names.
In a year you’ll be happy you went this route.
Bah go with a Pentium 4 with 512 megs of RDRAM not DDR. Pentium 4’s perform much better with RDRAM. Get either a Radeon 7500 or 8500 all in wonder card. Nab a nice 60-80 gig hard drive and then get a nice SoundBlaster live card and there alone you’ll have a really kick arse computer. Nothing against AMD I just prefer Intel because I’ve had better success with OC’ing Intel chips. Any route you go though it’d be much cheaper building it yourself and I believe you’ll be much happier with your own custom tailored system that fits your needs perfectly.
With AMD chips, you don’t need to OC… 
And stay away from ATI cards. They’re evil, I tells ya, pure, unadulterated, Britney Spears-level evil.
I’ve had two. One had no problems, the other had a hard disk failure after 4 years of use. I don’t attribute that to Compaq, as Maxtor made the disk, at it was sitting in it’s own air-cooled bay. I overclocked the sysem and subjected it to other abuses, and it still runs fine.
My mom has one (an early Cyrix POS “Internet” computer) and while it’s very slow, she’s had it for almost 3.5 years without any problems.
Among the big vendors, Compaq is among the only that carries an AMD line, and that’s why I recommended them as best bang for the buck.
BTW, if you’re experiencing spontaneous reboots, there is a good chance that your processor is overheating. May want to check the CPU and case fans to make sure they are working correclty, and not clogged up with dust.
As for the poster that recommended RDRAM Rambus for the P4 systems, IMHO its a waste of money unless you get a 2ghz system or above. The DDR doesn’t bottle-neck until you get the proc that high, and is a lot cheaper.
ShibbOleth:
Well, I could repeat the traditional couple hundred reasons that Mac users give, but why should I dwell on stuff you’ve probably heard before?
Look at it this way: Mac users (myself included) tend to be fanatically and zealously insistent that they’d never use a PC instead as long as we’ve got the choice (using language like “They’ll take away my Mac when they pry the mouse from my cold dead fingers” and “I would say using a Mac compares to using a PC the way that eating french fries compares to eating an unwashed raw potato”). Market dynamics (including those caused by stupid things that Apple did) should have ensured the demise of the Mac a long time ago, but it persists because so many of us insist on a Mac even during periods when that has meant paying more money for a slower computer on which fewer applications will run. (It has not always meant those things, but sometimes it has).
You knew all that, too, of course, but c’mon. You know you want one because you know there’s something special about them and you want to experience it for yourself!
iMac.
Well, I won’t turn this into a Compaq bashing thread, but trust me: If you do a search on “Presario 5461”, you’ll find dozens of message board threads and the like all complaining about the same problem and Compaq’s shrugging of the shoulders. My fans works fine, heck I’ve had the cover off the case before for several days at a time (blew out the dust later) as I was doing a lot of work in there and it still rebooted at will. I don’t think heat buildup was the issue.
Gigabyte GA-5SMM. But I might have to back off on the motherboard blame. Reading threads today (I had to make sure they existed before I said they did 
), I saw everything from the start-up software to the internal modem to the motherboard to whatever else blamed. But even if no one can figure out why, point remains that the machine is prone to restart itself on a whim. Saw the same complaints about others in the Presario line, but the 5461 was the one I was looking for.
Upshot being that while you may have reasons for recommending Compaq, I have reason for saying not to go that way. I know I wouldn’t buy one again.
If you wanna focus on getting something done and doing it pleasantly then get a Mac. The new iMacs will meet your requirements just dandy. You can also pick up a slightly used model for close to $1000 and that will work too, it is just an older style but with enough CPU power to do your things.
Macs hold their functional value far longer than PCs. The machine I am writing this on is six years old, but has been upgraded on many component and CPU levels. Realize though, that by buying a Mac you are pretty much joining a cult.
I have worked on PCs for the past ten years at 4 different employers. They will work fine too–but they are more trouble-prone technically, poorly designed (noisy, ugly, cheap), boring, a bit more affordable and somewhat unsatisfying. But I have never like generic stuff for my own personal pursuits.
One other element: when you purchase a computer you are really purchasing software. Make sure the software for either a PC or a Mac meets your work requirements. Graphics and communications on Macs are still superior, whereas databases, programming, accounting, and game playing on PCs rule. I think about 40-50% of kids software is compatible with Macs, though you can get a PC emulator program for Macs (Virtual PC) that may run much of the difference.
These days, anything you get will do ya just fine. Have fun with your new machine.
Everything GeoDuck said. The big appeal of using Macs is that things simply work better – or, as Apple would say, “Everything is easier on a Mac.” Since Apple makes both the hardware and the software, they can ensure tighter integration between the two and smooth out most of the compatability problems you get with Windows-based PCs.
The new iMacs are completely price-competitive with Dells and Compaqs (according to the NY Times, equipping a Compaq with the same gear as what you get with an iMac would cost you several hundred dollars more), so price isn’t a problem. Since Apple is now using industry-standard interfaces and parts, getting extra gear isn’t an issue, either. And unless you’re running some obscure Windows-only software title, any application you want has either a Mac version or a Mac equivalent.
Or to put it another way – I use Windows NT on a daily basis, and run the MacOS and Windows 98 at home, and that’s enough to convince me not to spend my own money on Windows computers…