Computer hunt is underway

My 200 MHz with Win98 on has finally reached the end. This point was probably reached years ago in actual reality, but now my mind has caught up with it. I had figured that as long as it was usable, it was a stable machine that had never crashed in its life, so I may as well keep using it. I upgraded that computer since 1993 when I bought it, until there were no more upgrades available for it, and the case would not accommodate the kind of board that would allow further upgrades. Also, new viruses exist now which eat Win98 boxes for breakfast. Not that XP has great security, but it could be said that it has better security than 98. I can't put XP on that machine, since it would be a waste of a license and would also slow it down even more (hard to imagine). Hence, the decision to get a new computer.

The choices so far are -

1. Wait until the next computer show and buy components and put it together. That way we know what's in it, how it's put together, can ensure that nothing is fused to the motherboard or "integrated", and I can get everything I want. This option is cheap and ensures I can get basically what I want within reason, but I or rialian will have to assemble it (and also wait for a computer show). There should be one in a week, so this won't be a long wait.

2. Get a custom Dell, Gateway, or HP online, choosing the components myself. That way I know what's in it, but don't know how they put it together or what board they use or what components they used. Some components may be integrated with the board or not be to my liking. This option is nice, but not cheap.

3. Get an off-the-shelf HP or Gateway. Those seem to be the choices at all the stores I went to. There were some CompUSA, eMachines, Acer, and Compaq boxes, but those were Right Out of the running. The ones I liked all had something called "XP Media" on them. Media has drivers for all the extras those boxes have, such as camera card plugins, a firewire port, and extra audio plugins. It also has about a ton of bundled media software. They concentrate on entertainment rather than office. Not that this is a bad thing, but I'm wondering how well it upgrades, and what an upgrade would cost (I'm not seeing any XP Media upgrades off the shelf at the moment, so it's kind of hard to tell). It's not upgradeable to XP Pro, which bothers me - in what way is it different? Can I install Office on it? I'd also wonder how well Media networks with other computers. This option is both the easiest and potentially the most problematic. Some of those Media features look pretty spiffy (and I wouldn't be able to assemble them myself, probably - they've made Things a bit more complex now.

4. Get a laptop. I don't know if I want a laptop. There's something nice about sitting at a desktop. But I'd love a nice, fast laptop that I could take, say, to the livingroom if I felt like working in there, or maybe upstairs, etc. I could take it to work if necessary. We looked at laptops last night and found a _schweet_ little Averatec. It was a wide screen - very large and comfortable, but so lightweight I could lift it with one hand. The comparably sized HP laptop required both hands to lift. This option, while extremely attractive, would mean that I wouldn't have a Windows desktop, and I kind of want one...

So far I've been to about 5 stores, all of which carry basically the same things. Stores already visited include Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA, Best Buy, and Circuit City. Those chains may as well be the same store, and they have "relationships" with certain manufacturers and not others. HP and Gateway seem to be their favorite pets. I'll go to some smaller places this weekend to see what else is out there. But that Averatec over at Staples looked Schweet... Nothing fancy, just a nice, comfy-sized, lightweight laptop...