We were impressed with features like image multicasting, and found that the ability to compress, write directly to tape and span image files can help with long-term image storage. Licensing for many of the more sophisticated packages is per workstation duplicated, so check licensing policies before purchasing. Some packages let you license per technician, which can significantly cut costs. Although Microsoft's officially sanctioned deployment methods do work, they require that you become familiar with the structure of .INF files. Also, an automated setup can take three times as long as a straight duplication.
Duplication always takes less time and is far less complex.
Combine an initial duplication rollout with software deployment tools, and you've got a one-two punch that will streamline rollouts and future upgrades. Of course, most other operating systems don't use specific software-generated identifiers. We've also seen clients that work just fine after being disk-duplicated, then joined to an NT domain. For example, if your computer number is 32768 and your user number on that computer is 1001, your fully qualified SID would be 32768-1001. In real life, the computer IDs are 48-bit quantities, meaning that the chances of duplication are very slim.