Advice on whether to build or get prebuilt

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This will be used for audio recording and light video editing. I think CPU and RAM would be the most important aspects of this build.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$500-600? There isn't really a set budget yet, but it'd be nice to keep it around there or lower

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US - burbs of chicago. I have a microcenter and fry's nearby

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
Case, MB, CPU, RAM, PSU, HD(s), Cheap GPU. I need tri-monitor support at some point.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
Probably not

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
at this point, 1080p. There will be 2 monitors and possibly a ~40" TV

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP, hoping to maybe pick up some cheap stuff cyber monday

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Just basic stuff

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have a 64bit Win7 or 8 I can use

You can almost always build yourself a better rig for the same money as what you would pay for an OEM unit! Plus you have Windows already and get the satisfaction of working with your hands and using your knowledge!

Microcenter bundle should be "best" deal, may have to wait to suit your needs. Shop this weekend

I've built plenty of computers. I'm just kind of out of the loop right now as I haven't kept up with components since I built my 2600k gaming rig.

I guess what I'm really looking for is recommendations on components.

Go prebuilt and add in a video card for triple monitor capabilities.

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/o...RM_FACTOR=MTWR&3x_page=1&filterCollapsed=true

Get the one with a quad and call it a day.

I think I might do this and add on a $30-40 GPU later when I need it.

case $30 after $15 rebate

ram $121

PSU $34 after $20 rebate

SSD $63

HD $50

MB + CPU Combo $350

TOTAL = $650

Only two problems with that setup:
1) That case is crap. It's cramped, has no cable management features, no space to hide PSU cables, cheaply made, and lacks USB 3.0. For $5 more (I don't factor in MIR till I receive them), you can get the far far superior NZXT Source 210 Elite which has none of the issues that I mentioned above:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case

2) I recommend this higher quality PSU for $5 less:
$50 - XFX TS Series XFX TS 550W PSU

The semi-modular nature of that Corsair PSU isn't worth the drop in quality.