Expert: Bobbert - 5/22/2011

Question
I'm buying a computer for internet browsing and downloading some notepad and adobe files etc. Also listen to you tube a lot. I have noticed that many gaming desktops (cyberpower ultra gua 110) and business desktops (hp 100B business) have much better processors, memory and hard drives for less money! Wouldn't this be a better bargin then the home computers or am I missing something?

Answer
I'm not sure what you're comparing those devices to in order to say "better components for less money"; so I'm not sure if that's an accurate assertion or if there may be some confusion over specifications.

That said, I would entirely avoid Cyberpower and similar vendors (like iBuyPower), as they have a terrible track-record for customer service and build quality - especially contrasted to Apple, HP, or Dell, which consistently win industry awards for their customer service and reliability.

Given your criteria, essentially any modern, quality, computer on the market will satisfy your needs - I would suggest looking not only at Dell and HP, but also Apple (as you don't need any services that are Windows exclusive). I wouldn't anticipate needing to spend more than ~$700 (around what your average Mac Mini, Vostro/Inspiron, etc should cost), unless you decide to go the route of an iMac (which will cost somewhat more, but also includes a monitor (and is generally a well regarded machine)).

-bob