In my family we've owned over a dozen Dell models, ranging from our first Pentium 133 to our most recent P4 2.8. I've had no problems with hardware failure in any of the systems. I like them because you can get them from the factory with high end video cards for gaming (like ATI 9800's), real soundcards (not integrated), trinitron monitors, or flat panels, they even offer RAID configurations now. Or, if you're on a budget, you can get them cheap.
I've swapped out many components for better ones over the years and never had any compatibility problems (upgraded RAM, HD, video cards, OS, etc). Very stable machines, I do lots of work on it and I don't have to worry about a crash. I write software, use photoshop, 3dsmax, play games, you name it. I take mine to LAN's occassionally, and I just plug it in and it works. I actually still own the original P133, and it still boots fine
