One thing to consider is how portable you want the machine to be. If you're looking for a desktop, you can get away with more technology a lot cheaper than a laptop. Of course, you can't lug it on vacation.
Personally, I would buy a PC without an operating system, avoid the Microsoft tax and install Linux (if you do this, it's always a good idea to take someone with you who can make sure the hardware you're buying is compatible). The only use you list there that I'd be worried about is "listening to music." If it's just ripped CDs and mp3's, that's OK. If you need iTunes or another proprietary store, that changes things.
If you avoid Windows Vista (even if it's for XP), you can get the same level of performance out of an older (and cheaper) PC that you would get out of a much pricer machine. With any Windows system, you'll still need to maintain subscriptions to antivirus/antispyware software, which adds to the cost of the machine over time and decreases performance.
As for online retailers (if you do go the PC route), I've had good buying experiences from TigerDirect (although mostly that was buying computer components for my lab, not whole systems).
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Personally, I would buy a PC without an operating system, avoid the Microsoft tax and install Linux (if you do this, it's always a good idea to take someone with you who can make sure the hardware you're buying is compatible). The only use you list there that I'd be worried about is "listening to music." If it's just ripped CDs and mp3's, that's OK. If you need iTunes or another proprietary store, that changes things.
If you avoid Windows Vista (even if it's for XP), you can get the same level of performance out of an older (and cheaper) PC that you would get out of a much pricer machine. With any Windows system, you'll still need to maintain subscriptions to antivirus/antispyware software, which adds to the cost of the machine over time and decreases performance.
As for online retailers (if you do go the PC route), I've had good buying experiences from TigerDirect (although mostly that was buying computer components for my lab, not whole systems).