Through a combination of the seasons and the generally low price of machinery at the moment, fast and capable computers can be purchased for comparatively little money at the moment. Here in the UK, for example, are numerous examples of desktop machines that come in, with monitors, at less than 400 UK pounds (about $800).

At the rate that prices on these are falling, I fully expect to see free machines falling out of the box with my morning cereal. It is worth remembering though that while the equipment is comparatively cheap to purchase, the running costs can be the same, and often higher, than the last PC you bought. With energy prices rising, lowering your running costs can make a big difference to the real cost of your machine, because those running costs might turn out to be higher than the capital cost of the hardware.