I have been working with computers in some fashion or another since my purchase of a 64k floppy disk DOS model back in 1975. They didn't have hard drives in them in those days, you had to swap floppy disks to run most programs. Many people, knowing that I have had this long association with computers, ask me my advice when it comes to buying one. I usually offer these tips and, in the hopes that I may never have to speak these words again, I have placed them here so I might direct those in search of answers to this popular question to this page. Wait as long as possible before you buy.
Computers get less expensive and more powerful almost every day.
If you don't have an immediate need, put it off for awhile and you will get either the same technology for less money or more technology for the same money. Of course you can't put it off forever, but it will help if you realize the following, right upfront. Your brand new computer is already obsolete. That's right, by the time it is unboxed and plugged in, someone, somewhere has made one bigger, better and faster. When you realize that, then you might learn to live with a technology that is a bit older, a step or two back from cutting edge, for the next three to four years.