The HP Pavilion s3500t is a sleek, ultracompact desktop that you can configure to your liking at Hewlett-Packard's online store. For an extremely limited time, HP is offering a $100 instant rebate on the s3500t or $400 off with coupon code DT1158. You can use the latter only when your config hits $999--but getting there is half the fun.
Starting with the base configuration, I selected Vista Home Premium 64-bit (!), the Intel E4700 processor, 4GB of RAM, the 256MB Nvidia video card with HDMI, and the Blu-ray player. To inch the total up to $999, I also added the HP 2.1 speakers with remote and HP multimedia keyboard with HP optical mouse. (Note: monitor not included.)
That, my friends, is a pretty killer load-out. I didn't even mention the 500GB hard drive that comes standard. Shipping is free, though you may have to pay sales tax.
If you're in the market for a powerful media-center PC, here's your chance to save some big bucks on a sleek, compact system. Note that you can't apply the coupon (which expires after 900 uses, so act fast!) until you get to the payment page.