best computer brand

Can anyone tell me what the generally accepted best brand of computer is?
I want to go out and buy one for around £400 and won't be able to afford another one for awhile. So I want to feel I'm buying something reliable.
The other thing is, is it worthwhile going for quad core (very intensive spreadsheet use but nothing else)? Or is it better going for duo core?
Thanks.
Colwyn.

Dell. [/Evil Grin]

Actually dell might not be a bad choice.....

We sometimes forget as experienced and technically very adept computer users that some people are not....

I owned a dell laptop and found the support and warranty to be very decent, certainly a pleasent change from having to fix everything myself, and my mate has a dimension desktop that so far hasnt given him any problems...

For £400 i.e. lower end of the market dell offer some very attractive options imho, especially if they're doing promotions, for example my mates dimension came with a 19" digital ultrasharp monitor - the total price for his system was about £350, and at the time a similar monitor would have set you back about £200.

Im not saying Dell if nesecarrily the answer, but for the technologically uninitiated, people who want a decent warranty, or people on a tight budget, they do have some very competitive offerings...

Nobody really commented on the cores issue....

I honestly dont think there's any point in you going for a quad core as most applications barely make use of a dual core processor, you're much better spending your money on a decent sized, decent quality monitor.... The inspiron 530 is £430 with a 19" widescreen monitor and decentish options....

The core issue rather depends on your desire or ability to start more than one application at once. If you start 2 video encoding programs on a dual processor your ability to do anything else is severely restricted unless you wham down the priority of both.