I am curious to see how this one gets answered! I'm surprised no one has jumped in so far!

I really can't say these computers are the Best, Cheapest, or Longest Lasting computers on the market, but I bought one in 2000, with windows 98se loaded on it, and it still works great. I gave it to my son-in-law last year, just because I wanted a new one. He uses it everyday, plus he has a 15 year old who also uses it. This is just a recommendation. Good Luck on your choice→ http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=computer_store&landing=desktops&category=hp_pavilion&aoid=1425

I would recommend a Mac computer.Over the years I have owned both and found for my needs the Mac was far superior.They have very little problem with viruses.I bought a PC laptop and within minutes of turning it on I had 30 viruses and had to throw the computer out.The Mac computer comes with good graphics,built in video and audio editing programs,and man more options,and no one virus problem.It costs a bit more but is well worth it in the long run.It depends if you want a Mercedes or a Ford in computers.

If you are looking for a computer now we would need to know a bit of info as to what you would be using it for, how long you want it to work and what kind of money you want to spend on it. Some examples... An entry level machine should cost no more than 400 UK pounds (all money in uk pounds, double for us dollars). Should have atleast 512mb ram, 80 gig hard drive, WIRELESS (important, especialy for laptops, dont bother if it doesent have wireless! It just means more money later) 64mb shared memory on board graphics card (integrated) This should be ok for basic word proccesing, excel documents, web browsing, emails and solitare type games. A medium level machine should cost between 500 and 1000. 1 gig ram 100 gig HD Wireless 128mb on board graphics card, but try for a stand alone graphics card, there MUCH better and can be upgraded MUCH easier with far fewer software conflicts) This is ok for heavy use, all of above plus if you get a 256mb stand alone graphics card then it should play all games out atm. A high level machine will cost over 1000 2 gig ram (atleast, 4 gig is better!) several hundred gig HD (the higher the better) Wireless ATLEAST 256MB dedicated graphics card. If your going for the latest games and want it to work with new games due in the next 3 years or so try for 512mb GC. This would do for just about anything you can ever want. Simply... RAM - Random Access Memory - A measure of how much the computer can do at any one time. HD - Hard Drive/Disc - How much stuff you can store on the computer GC - Graphics Card - very complicated to explain but basically what the computer can display without problems. Wireless - means given the correct modem and router set up you have no need to wire your computer to anything other than the mains. All the other stuff is pretty much standard now, just spend as much as you can and go for high numbers.

Hey Writer, There are lots of good answers. However, I would recommend one other thing to check into and that's the customer support they offer. Unless you're pretty savvy about computers, good tech support is crucial.