Where to buy a PC in the US?

[sinomatic]

I have a mate in the US who is looking to buy a new PC and is asking me for advice at to what sort of build he should get and where he should get it. I have no clue where is dependable/respected/value for money across the pond.

He mentioned that he's willing to go up to $1500, if that's any help. He really doesn't need anything too bleeding edge to be honest, just something that will handle games well for the foreseeable future.

Any advice or recommendations would be great.

[DarkNoghri]

Is he building one or buying one?

For building, Newegg. Newegg is basically the place to go in the US for computer parts.

Buying? The usual suspects (Dell, HP, etc), plus any number of boutiques that I've never looked at because I always build mine.

[sinomatic]

Buying, not building (that would be a whole layer of complexity too far in this particular instance).

And Dell? Really?

The 'any number of boutiques' are more the sort of thing I was thinking about really - would like somewhere that has form on customer service and build quality and the like.

[celt]

I bought my last one at http://www.ibuypower.com/ and recommend them. I know, the name sounds cheesy, but they had high quality components and a great final price if you time the purchase around a sale.

[Shane]

I would highly recommend getting parts over from Newegg if he's making thinking of purchasing a pc at that price. He can just get the parts assembled at any computer repair shop.