Get a Mac for Less
The Mac mini or Mini Mac. Under $500, two inches tall, six inches wide, it simply blows away any comparable discount machines that the Windows/Intel platform can offer.
My only gripe about it is the lackluster video card, with only 32 megabytes of memory, but for a general purpose surf, email & write documents machine, it is a splendid deal, with none of the ugly baggage that accompanies Windows machines — viruses, spyware infections, klunky tools. Heck, the software that comes bundled with the Mac mini is worth the $499 alone.