Working with computers for a living, I've had experience with virtually every brand imaginable (including Macs) and I think all the mainstream brands are pretty much the same --

You will always get some that shouldn't have made it past quality control, but get into customers' hands anyway and then they complain about them. We've had good reliability with an older set of portable Compaqs (which I still buy used on ebay because they are cheap and reliable), but when I had to buy a new portable for my wife's work, we went with a brand-new HP and just got a really, really bad product (it's been sent back 4 times in 2 years for various problems).

In desktops, have owned modern Gateway and HPs, no problems with either (very cheap models, too). We also have owned Dells and others, no problems with them either. Macs are good if you like them, just stay away from the models with the known issues (some Macbooks mostly).

I recommend desktops over laptops if you don't have a need for a laptop's portability, only because everything on a laptop is always a lot harder and usually far more expensive to replace if it goes wrong. A laptop is one of the few times I would consider buying an extended warranty coverage.

Good luck!
DocJohn