Hewlett Packards aren't bad, as long as you don't get the minitower. I have one and it has no room for expansion. It only has 2 RAM slots. My friend's Compaq is full of bugs and will die very soon. The speakers don't work, the web cam doesn't work, the system locks up frequently, and even the zip drive is malfunctioning.
Stores charge too much.
Get a Dell. If i were to get anything besides building my own, it would be a dell. To me those are the best components on a computer, and When you have awesome speakers, its the best in the world. Just to let you know Gateway just started a promotion that if you find a computer advertised for cheaper Gateway will match that price. With equal specs, of course.