Word to the wise: AVOID COMPAQ AND GATEWAY AT ALL COSTS!!! Compaq couldn't build a decent computer to save their lives, and Gateway is not far behind them. Trust me, I *HAD* a Presario for a number of years. It gave me nothing but trouble throughout its life, and I spent more time tracking down problems than doing anything remotely useful with it. When I built my custom desktop, *I kid you not* life was all the more sweet, and I did so much better in school! Mostly because I have had obsolutely zero problems with the new machine (now four years old) in its life. It just need some new upgrades to keep up with new programs (at least double the ram to 1GB, another HDD, faster processor, and new graphics card will dust her off).
For you, I would recommend Dell. I've also heard many good things about HP and Toshiba. In fact, HP might be Compaq's only saving grace nowadays, though a friend of mine has a new Compaq desktop, and I can't that friggin POS.