I guess tech support is important, but it's not something you're going to worry about on a daily basis (hopefully), whereas what hardware you get is something that will come up again and again. I'd take a well-built computer with 0 support over a piece of garbage that was heavily supported, but I guess it could be the other way around for some people. Dell does have good tech support, from what I hear. I know people who've had parts break and Dell just mails them a new one, and they supposedly have that "we'll come to your house and fix your computer" thing but I've never tested it. On the other hand some of my family has had computers from Packard Bell and whatnot, and their tech support was vomit-worthy. If you buy a computer from a local retail store, chances are they aren't going to support you worth crap once they have your money. My parents went through a months-long battle with Circuit City once.