HP and Dell make some of the best personal computers. The systems are thoroughly engineered, and often the very best value. A friend of mine needs a PC with a fax/printer. His best interest is buying a Dell combo. Enthusiast's choince? No. Good computer? Yes.
Someday soon, upgrading a system will be history. MS, Sony, Nintendo, Apple et cetera are rapidly moving towards full-blown machines the size of a book. MS has already beheaded Creative (and all other sound cards) by moving all sound processing into the CPU. Intel is desparate to do the same with video.