I can understand why not everyone would want to build a computer.

Personally I've not had to fix any branded computers, they've all been reasonably steady. Also, if they do break, and they're in warranty period, it's easy to get fixed, as you don't have to identify the faulty part.

On the other hand, cheap parts are used, and you pay for the labour of the PC being built, and the profits of the manufacturer.

Building a new PC yourself is a bit cheaper, but not a great deal.

Dell PC's don't use interchangable parts (or didn't last time I heard), so I wouldn't recommend a Dell. Also, I've had problems with my acer laptop, although that isn't to say the acer desktops would be as bad.

Try the CCL Computers website, they normally have some good prices on computers.