Good advice: Buy a computer once every 5-10 years
If you’re a casual computer user just browsing the Internet, listening to music, writing emails and processing words, then you don’t really need a desktop at all. All you need is a laptop.
There are laptop called “Netbooks”, which is much smaller (around 10 inches screen) and cost around $250-$500 USD. They’re perfect for everyday, casual use.
Me? I’m planning to buy my next computer in the next 5-10 years. No matter how good the technology is, I’m going to wait until another 5-10 years until I get my hands on another computer.
Think of the surprise! They’re going to have 12 processors in the machine, and 2 terabytes of RAM. Also the monitors are going to be either paper thin, or rudimentary holograms.
My advice — unless you’re a computer nerd, you only need to buy a computer once every 5 to 10 years.