I ADMIT IT! I bought a Gateway because of the boxes!!
That was my old computer. I love it to bits, but it started having problems really quickly. Windows would load partially and just stop. After a little fiddling it would start working again, but it was incredibly annoying.
However, I bought it a year ago, when PC Magazine was in consensus with everyone else that Dell was #1 and Gateway was in close second.
Dell is still #1, according to many people I've talked to, but Gateway has slipped down and the computers aren't as good.
I just bought a new computer, a Dell Dimension 8100. It's pretty much the most top-of-the-line there is, and it's awesome, definately the best computer I've ever owned (in relation to the time I bought it, too.)
Dell does offer some very good lower-level computers, but I'm not sure about how they are in Canada.
One thing you might want to try is uBid. I know my brother just got a very nice Sony Vio (something along those lines, I don't know the name) for around $800, and it's almost as good as mine is (mine was $1400!).
You might also look for refurbished(sp) computers. They're still brand-name computers, but they've been traded-in and then upgraded, and they're a LOT cheaper.

Caid"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"reabh

> I'm finally giving up shared custody of my husband's lap-top in exchange for a full-time desk-top unit for my own use. :-)
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> Problem - I have never actually bought a computer before. I've always inherited them, or accessed someone else's (see above).
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> Considerations for me include:
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> 1. I won't always be able to access service quickly, as we're quite far from the nearest big centre.
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> 2. I live in Canada, and must use Canadian sites for price quotes, etc.
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> 3. I don't need a lot of fancy extras - I teach, (shockingly enough), and just really need a work horse.
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> I don't know if I should go the retail route, or if shopping from the web is reliable. I do know that I want as much processing speed as I can afford. I mostly do word processing and simple numbers crunching (marks, etc.).
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> Any advice and/or complaints would be greatly appreciated.
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> te (really likes the Gateway cow boxes, but that's not enough on which to base a decision) ach