Did you build your own customised PC with off-the-shelf components? What components did you use, and why?

Yes.

All the items just short of the latest and greatest because they carry a reasonable price and not the exorbitant one of the newest stuff.

That is one processor behind the latest INTEL/AMD release; one motherboard behind the one with all the bells and whistles, etc., etc.

Works our pretty well this way. The (nearly!) only (commercial) Microsoft software in the machine is Windows XP SP2. The rest is basically all open source/freeware. I did keep my Adobe Photoshop, though ........... at least, until I have fathomed out The GIMP.

I'll admit thta my laptop has the software I paid for and that was bundled with it; that is, Windows Vista Home premium and MS Works 8.5. The rest as above.