My old compaq is ready to be replaced.I don't want to have something custom built but would like a trouble free(if that exists)pc.What do you think is the best buy.Dell,IBM,Gateway etc?I'd like to spend around $2000. for a system,with at least 512 ram 2.8 megs and a ggod video card for gaming.Something that is easy to set up and not needs to be tweeked as I'm not very good tech wise.Thanks for your input..

what in blazes is 2.8 megs?

well.. for starters.. just get a simple

p4 --> any kind
512 ram --> right about this one
good video card--> any gforce FX series (but there is also ATI although im not familiar with it)
40 or 60 gigs at least.. so lots of future use

naturally.. dvd-rom/cd-burner is a little cheap nowadays you may consider this OR dvd-burner (which is more expensive)

thats about the simple things you should worry about for a laptop..the brands i guess makes no difference for me since i use desktop PC.

other things to consider:

-built-in wireless network (so you can connect without any hassles of wires
- firewire
- USB 2.0

those will really help you.

he meant 2.8ghz

take a look on the Dell website, there you can build and customise a PC, it tells you the price each time you upgrade an item, and then Dell make it for you. If you want it to last a while then you should consider a good CPU (3ghz+) at least 1gb RAM, 100+gb HDD, etc. But I recommend Dell