Get rid of your DELL... and purchase a PowerMac G5 with Final Cut Pro. With that you'll get a very good editing machine and at the same time a hassle-free computer without all the usual daily Windows problems. Premiere Pro is good, but at same time needs a pretty good PC for it and good tuning of WindowsXP. At our broadcast facility, the Windows based (Avid-stations and Premiere laptops) edit stations do have more problems, than the Mac-based ones. The support guys do need usually more time to "cure" the Windows computers. And I'm just counting the incidents, not promoting Mac. A Mac mini is cheap, and will work, but you'll probably will be annoyed by it's speed. A recent PowerMac G5 is much better. In my opinion an editingstation should be reliabe and hassle-free. Especially when the editor doesn't know much about computers.

Also consider Ulead MediaStudio Pro 8. There is a trial from http://www.ulead.com . The new version has single-track editing (same as Premiere) which I think is a bit speedier than A/B track editing when you have lots of cut-aways, and it comes a bit cheaper (I think you can use their upgrade price with your copy of VideoStudio).

Buying a minimac just to edit video is probably not the best idea (and I will be stoned to death by the Mac lovers). I use both Mac and PC, they both have their pluses and minuses. If you have a good PC, keep it, and get decent editing software (Premiere Pro does well). You really don't need a Mac, nor Final Cut. Most people I know with Final Cut can't use it past the features that any other decent editing software has, for any platform. If you need a postFX app as well, AfterFX, Combustion, are good choices. Premiere Pro will do all you need from editing to transitions, titling, audio, color correction and simple FX and bluescreening.