New Computer Ratings: Get a deal before Windows 7

The last few Vista computers before Windows 7 launches are still available. So if you want a deal on a new computer and don't mind doing your own upgrade later, now is the time to buy.

Before you make any purchase, check Microsoft's Web site to see what manufacturers are offering in the way of upgrades. Remember that when you upgrade to Windows 7, you'll have to get the version comparable to the version of Vista on your computer. So if you're buying a Vista machine now, and you get it with Vista Home Premium, you'll be upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium later.

We updated our Ratings with several new laptops and desktops. Take a look at the Ratings and you'll see that there are lots of fully loaded computers available, both laptops of all sizes and desktops—and they're inexpensive.

For example, you can get a laptop for as little as or less than it costs to buy a netbook. Even 13-inch laptops are experiencing price drops; we found one to recommend for $800, and that's with close to 7 hours of battery life and a 500GB hard drive.

For desktop buyers, we're recommending, among others, a quad-core system with 8GB of memory, a 640GB hard drive, and one GB of video memory for less than $700. Or you can go the opposite way and really save with a sub-$500 system that has a 500GB hard drive and 4GB of memory. Not too shabby.

Unlike with other desktops, all-in-one computers remain more expensive. Watch out for net-tops, which are all-in-ones that use the Atom processor commonly found in netbooks. Net-tops cost only about $500, but in this case you get what you pay for—the three we tested performed poorly.

Netbooks, meanwhile, are getting bigger. We're seeing more 12-inch models available. They've got an advantage when it comes to ergonomics because they're larger. But they might also cost more and weigh more, while performance isn't any better than smaller netbooks. —Donna Tapellini