I don’t get the comments about “no mouse, no modem, no software, inferior graphics.”
Re: “no mouse:” You’ve read Jeff’s Developers’ Bill of Rights, right? You should already have a good mouse and keyboard. 
Regarding “no modem:” Excuse me, 1995 called. They want their crappy technology back. (I’ve always wanted to use that meme…)
Regarding “no software:” You’re reading a technical blog. It’s probably safe to assume you don’t really need/want bloatware, least of all MS Works. If you’ve got an MSDN license and this is entirely a development machine, you’re already licensed to put whichever version of Windows on it you want. If your MSDN license is a Universal license, you’ve got Office, too.
Regarding “inferior graphics:” The GMA 950 runs DWM and Aero. Other than gaming, what more do you need?
Okay, so I’m looking at this from MY point of view, not that of say, my mom. Even so, it’d be nice to buy a machine where the first thing I do with it isn’t formatting over a perfectly good Windows license just so I can install my own without all the crap. But then, other than laptops, I build my own anyway.