Buying computers like that, it has become smart to shop for the best deal at the time of purchase. It usually is either a Gateway or Dell, something like that. I used to buy my own parts and put them together, both to save money and to hand-pick my peripherals so I get exactly what I want. That approach doesn't usually save much money anymore, but it is a way to cherry-pick your parts for best performance. Running graphics, especially if you want to render 3D images by ray-tracing, you may still want to cherry pick your parts. You'll want a fast dual core processor, a lot of memory and a good graphics card. Spend your money on those options and you'll be happier.