If you are looking to buy a computer with Windows 7 on it, you are in luck. Microsoft has made it very easy to get the best computer for your money. Starting with Vista, they implemented what they call "The Windows Experience Index" which basically gives a rating based on the actual performance of that computer. Right now (07/18/2011), I'd recommend not getting a computer that has anything below 5.6 Windows Experience Index rating. How do you find this rating? Go to the computer you are researching, go to the start button (the circle at the bottom left corner of your screen), go to control panel, click the System and Security link, then under the heading "System", click on the link that says, "Check the Windows Experience Index" and you will see the rating. Again, as of the writing of this tip, I wouldn't spend any money on a computer with anything less than 5.6. 


A couple of additional notes on this idea. First, I would not recommend by a computer online unless you somehow can find the Windows Experience Rating Index for that computer. You may be able to call Dell, for example, and ask them what the "Windows Experience Index" is for that computer. If you can not find out the rating, I wouldn't even think about buying it. Why shop in the dark when there is plenty of light. Also, if you go to a store and they have the computer set so that you can access Windows on that machine but you can't access the control panel, get someone at the store to tell you what the "Windows Experience Index" is for that compurter. This happened to me at Fry's. I had to have a guy follow me around logging in as administrator so I could check each computer I was considering.