7550,
The quality of the machines is definately superior to a lot of the others out there and you only have to open one up and have a look inside to see the difference.
I have found the exact opposite to be true in the many, many, many, service calls I have had to make to fix people's desktop computers that turned out to be Dells.
It all comes down to a high Ghz CPU surrounded by the cheapest, stripped down, hardware they can get.
The reason is the general public does not understand anything about computer hardware, they just see the high number for Ghz touted and buy solely on that number.
That is why you see all the major computer makers touting the Ghz when they sell computers.
If you want quality, get with someone who knows and buy the best parts, then either assemble it yourself or have someone who knows, assemble it for you. Something else you will find, you get a longer warranty building yourself than from Dell or any of the other computer makers.
Computer makers use OEM Parts that have a 30 day or less warranty and when you buy your own parts you get anywhere from a year to 3 years to 5 years of warranty depending on the part.
Take Care,
Richard