Opinions on Windows XP Media Center??

[fubarman]

I'm going to college next fall and I'm looking at computers right now just to get an idea of what's new and exciting (compared to my 1.2 Ghz Athlon that I'm using now). I saw a few machines with Windows Media Center, supposedly created by Microsoft to implement all the conviences of the 21st century into one OS. Has anyone had experience w/ this product? I'm looking for the top of the line processor, about a gig of ram, as well as a large HD (around 200++ gigs) and mostly the ability to play a lot of music, as well as watch TV. Does this OS let you go into the normal Windows enviornment to play games or surf the net w/ a conventional web-browser, or even Word or Excel applications? I'm also looking for a good Monitor (LCD) that's around 19". The key is to save space because I don't want to break my back everytime I have to transport this thing. I was looking for a tower like the new Alienware Navigator . THanks for your help.