[dennisw]

“If you know where” for Windows 7 Pro is cheating. You should be paying retail. Add at least $100 even if you claim OEM.

On this one I just copied the guy I was responding too. He said you can get Windows 7 for $50. I figured it must be an academic edition. Ask him >>>> astyanax <<< where that $50 copy exists :)

[Chipper]

So you guys are talking about an $800 computer to build with just the OS on it? Are the Live Essentials comparable, quality-wise to iLife? I didn't see a web page creation software on there (please don't say I can get some freeware/shareware, tried them and iWeb is much easier). Is MovieMaker comparable to iMovie? The last one I used wasn't worth much. Is the Photo Gallery able to do the same things iPhoto is? Just asking because any upgrades over the OS software should be taken into account?

Let's assume 1 hour to put together for someone experienced equal what 3-4 hours for normal people? Last time I installed an OS on to clean HD took at least an hour (XP Media Center). I'm up to 5 hours of my time. My hobby makes me money, so for me it is much more worthwhile to pay for what I need and use the other 4 1/2 hours to put money in my pocket.