That depends on your definition of "off the shelf". In general, any time you can customize your computer, you should be able to get better performance out of your software. For photoshop, I do reccomend a customized computer with a decent processor, and lots of RAM. Any time you get into image editing, RAM is your friend. Also pay attention to RAM speed, processor speed, and FSB speed, all of these are important when executing intensive operations in applications like Photoshop. Depending on what you want to do with it, 256mb of RAM or higher is usually recommended for 2D graphics applications, but if you're handing larger images (I do at work, sometimes we have to work with PNGs that are over 40mb), you will want far more. Always look at what you need, and what you can afford. Get lots of RAM for photoshop, and a faster processor for Flash. I used to have a Cyrix 300mhz machine that just lagged when I was viewing flash movies and games, but now that I have an Athlon 1800+, they are slick as grease, but I'm sure it could always be better. In short, I would say a custom computer is better for specific applications, while a "factory" computer is better for general desktop usage. And finally, never ever get computers that cannot be easily upgraded (EMachines for example), unless you just want to save money for your kid who wants something to do homework and play simple games on. You usually get what you pay for. I'm sure someone else will or has covered gaming hardware.