| HI,
I would not recommend Dell mostly due to customer service issues. I used to sell computers at a large office supply store. A lot of customers would come in looking for replacement parts for their Dell and we would (unfortunately) have to tell them to contact Dell. They often would tell us they tried and had lots of difficulties. I have also read many complaints about Dell's customer service on the internet.
As others have suggested, try a local shop that has been around for awhile. Check with the local BBB to see if there are any complaints filed against them before you do any business with them though. Just because a shop has been around a long time doesn't mean they are any good. I know one of my local computer shops has been in business for about 20 years but any local computer tech will tell you that they are not a good shop to deal with.
Talk to any computer repair people in your area (Geek Squad, etc.). They will tell you what brands/shops they recommend. Some of them even do computer repair on their own time (against company policy usually).
If you really want to buy a name brand, try an HP. They are easy to upgrade and parts cane be purchased anywhere. Their customer service is better than other name brands (but still not as good as IBM or Apple).
Just my 2 cents worth.
Graybeard | 
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