I recently decided to buy my father a new computer (his was a dinosaur). Like most people in the market for a new computer, I wanted one that wouldn’t cost a small fortune, but would still be “good” and hopefully last a couple of years. Instead, what I found was quite a bit of stress and a LOT of hype. Everyone claims to be the best computer for your money, so how do you know if it’s true or not without being a computer genius? I decided to write this article in the hope of saving you some time and tears in your search for the best computer for you. It’s a simple list of my picks for the 5 best computer buys of 2009.

Please note that I am not a computer guru and this was not written for computer gurus. It’s a quick overview for the average Joe. There are some specs for each computer and a link in my bio to learn more about each model if you’d like.

5. HP Pavilion s3500f Desktop PC

HP has always been one of my trusted favorites. The Pavilion is a well-established product, and for good reason. This particular model comes with:
-AMD Sempron
-4GB DDR2 SDRAM memory
-a 500GB hard drive
-Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit
-And much more.
A great computer for home use and it’s a great deal.

Four. acer aspire m3201

Acer is a brand that I personally haven’t owned before. However, the brand gets great reviews and the prices are unbeatable for computers. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things from friends and family who have Acer computers, as well as from professionals. This particular model has:
-AMD Athlon processor
-3GB DDR2 SDRAM
-320GB hard drive
-and Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit

3. DX4200-11 gateway

I think the best thing about this computer is simply that it’s backed by Gateway. They have always been very good with technical support and customer service for their products. I have always had a very happy dealing with Gateway. The computer is priced a bit higher, but it comes with:
-AMD® X-4 quad-core processor
-6GB DDR2
-a 750 GB hard drive (750 GB makes my head spin!)
-and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

two. Acer Aspire X3200 Desktop Computer

Yes, another Acer. It can be said that I fell in love with this brand pretty quickly. This model is actually the one that I finally decided to buy for my father. Comes with:
-AMD Athalon processor
-4GB DDR2 SDRAM
-500GB hard drive
-and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

The price is a bit higher than the other Acers listed, but the upgrade was worth it for me. My dad went from having a dinosaur to having a computer almost twice as good as mine!

one. Apple iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 24″ Desktop Computer

This is actually the computer I’ve been looking at for myself recently (Don’t tell my dad). A few months ago a friend of mine bought one and every time I go to her house I ask her to use it! It is quite a joy. I just fight with myself about price and whether or not I really want to switch to Mac. This one is at the top of my list because it’s the best. If you’re in the market to pay this much for a new computer, this should be the one for you!
-Intel Core Duo processor
-3GB DDR2, 320GB HDD
-Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
-24′ LCD flat screen monitor

This is my personal pick for the top 5 computer buys based on the research I’ve done. I hope it saves some of you time and money! You can also read reviews from others on each computer as well as 5 other great computer models to help you in your research by following the link in my bio.

What’s the use of getting the best computer at the worst price? Make sure to save some money!