jrwizbang - You should wrap those spruce 2x4s with some decent finish wood. Poplar if you're going to paint it solid. How dark did you stain the top of the desk? That looks like 3/4 birch plywood, so poplar would go nice with it, you would just have to handpick the wood so you don't get any with greenish stripes because it will stain too dark.
Kind of bummed I didnt take better pictures of just my desk I made. I used scraps from a couple of jobs I did, I used heart of pine for the top, red oak for the trim and drawer face, and douglas fir for the legs and frame.
(I don't actually have either of these computers anymore)
But yeah I would give the top a light stain, then trim the perimeter of the top with a darker wood for accent, as well as the legs and give that two coats of stain (depends on the look you're going for really) and then give it a couple coats of poly and you will have something really special!