$1000 for a DIY budget is impressive. Places like Tigerdirect and Newegg are good sources. Anything you build will be better than DELL and HP. Make sure you have a good stable power supply and maybe an extra fan. As for operating system, get rid of bloated Windows and download PCLinuxos and a copy of Crossover and\or VMware which lets you run Itunes and other specialized software on the beast. You screaming baby!!!