RE: Ryzard

Still wading through all the possible options but here's what I finally came up with in "Off the shelf" vs "Build myself".
Just discovered this i7 Asus 3AB model which cost only about $12 more than the i5 Asus 2AA I was looking at.

2AA had 12 Gig RAM, 2 T 5400 HD, NVIDIA Gforce GT 250 graphics card.

The 3AB has a 7200 1 T HD which would eliminate the need to copy OS.

Build it myself has bigger HD and power supply, no graphics card, better OS, but no warranty or support.

Reviews on this Asus model look pretty good.
Reliability for Asus brand is up at the top of all brands.

Reviews and reliability on "Build it myself" are a crap shoot.

ASUS CM6830-US-3AB Desktop
i7 2600 3.4 Ghz
8 GB RAM
1 TB 7200 HD
802 wireless LAN
Invidia GeForce GT530 Graphics card
300 w Power
10 USB ports
DVDRW Optical drive
Win 7 Home Prem 64 bit

Cost: $810 (with shipping from TigerDirect with $10 off coupon)

vs
"Build it myself" with parts from amazon and newegg

Intel Core i7-2600K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 Ghz

ASUS Intel Z77 ATX DDR3 2400 LGA 1155 Motherboard P8Z77-V
8GB RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR3 1600
Rosewill R519-BK Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/500W Power Supply
2 TB Western Digital HD 7200
Arctic Cooling Freezer 11 LP Heatsink with Ultra-Quiet 92 mm PWM Fan
DVDRW not included, would use my spare
Windows 7 Professional
Cost: $802 (if I figured right)

Not sure yet if it's worth the risk to build it.
Comparing similar systems is often like apples and oranges with the different option combos.
Will keep researching.
Learning a lot.

Thanks to all for the valuable input.
Carkins