For work/data related things, I like multi-core processors. I tend to use a multiple desktop setup as well (two monitors), so a video card with dual DVI outputs can be useful. You want a nice bit of ram. 64 bit vista supports 4 gigs actively. That's useful especially for multi-tasking (along with those multiple cores for the CPU). If you're like me, you'll have a couple of web browsers open, a stats program, at least one instance or word, maybe exel or powerpoint (or both, depending), outlook (insert calendar program here), an MP3 player, a few notepad tabs, and possibly a matlab application. I like for all of that to run smoothly, so as I said . . . multi-core processor, 4 gigs of ram, a 64 bit OS, and a nice video card. The computer build I suggested above would work well. Data storage is cheap these days too, so a nice sized and quick hard drive is a good addition.
