Help me buy a computer
 

I am considering purchasing a computer for home use, but am not sure where to start. I don't want to spend thousands on things I won't ever need, but want a quality REALIABLE system. I was looking for any advice and suggestions on what I need to buy.

I don't know anything about macs (have done some video editing on a friends-but beyond that I don't know about macs) so I am not really entertaining thoughts of getting one of them.

I want to be able to run office programs.
I want to be able to download and burn music to cd
I want to edit and copy mini-dv tapes to DVD. (add music, effects, the works).
I don't play games & I have a simple dial up (for now) connection for internet use.

I currently own a scanner and printer and monitor that I am more than happy with and just need the CPU. I know I need a lot of memory for the video editing, but beyond that, I have no idea where to shop and what to look for. Can anyone help me?

wait for a dell deal. there was one just a few days ago for around $500.