Well, just jumped in to look through some of the posts. figured I'd pop in my 2 cents.
As to premade comps.. well, preference is everything, and in my opinion, if you are going to shell out the cash for a top end Dell, may as well save up a bit more and shell out for an Alienware or a alcon Northwest (Alienware being my choice). both companies give far more customization options than Dell will.
For myself though, I will certainly build my own from now on. Because if you know what to by and where to get it you can put together a killer rig for less than an equal name brand deal. And this way, just as was mentioned in an earlier reply, you have full control and knowledge of everything. Sadly, my current comp is somwhat older, and is an HP. It has served me well, but I bought it before I knew as much as I do now about computers, so that is why I went for the name brand rig. I have no knowledge of the MoBo, Bios settings are non-existant... it's a nightmare. I contacted HP, and they couldn't even tell me what the MoBo was, the manufacturer, or where to get any kind of Bios upgrade. Ugh.
So anyways, for anyone out there who is interested in building their own, but is unsure of how to do it, go to the hardware forum at
http://www.gamespot.com and ask away. You'll get more info there that is excellent, than almost anywhere else I have found. Good luck and happy gaming.
Oh, and onto the topic that this thread started out on... I personally can't wait for Freelancer to get out. I've been waiting forver for it as many of you have been, and looking at the screen shots, it is going to be the driving force between a new power rig for me. AMD + ATI equals pure gaming goodness.