The Best Laptop, Desktop and Tablet PCs Under $500

We’ve skimmed the cream of the crop to give you the best laptops, desktop PC and Tablet's under $500.

If your old computer whistles to life like a 19th century steam engine, chugs every time you  load a Hulu video, and crashes when you try to run a simple virus scan, it’s time to put the junker out to pasture. Thankfully, like a farmer’s market bursting with wholesome goodness after the fall harvest, the PC market is overflowing with ideal replacements. Better yet, with a flood of next-gen hardware hitting the streets in conjunction with the launch of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, the budget end of the spectrum is suddenly ripe with value. Unless you need a high-performance machine you can push to the very extreme, you’ll find plenty of amazing systems under $500. Here are a few of our favorites.

Dell Studio Hybrid Desktop$499

Call it “green” if you must, but make no mistake: Dell’s hyper-efficient Studio Hybrid doesn’t play favorites when it comes to color. The chic little desktop can be ordered in one six different shades, and makes good on its Earth-friendly reputation by using 70 percent less power than a typical desktop, measuring 80 percent smaller, and being made from 95 percent recyclable materials. An Intel Pentium Dual Core processor and GMA X3100 graphics chip also put it a cut above the standard netbook crowd when it comes to processing power.