Tweedle dee and tweedle dum. Every single one of them should be fine....just like your Dell...which will probably show up on that same list pretty quickly after you turn it in.

I agree. Anyone of them would be fine. For what you need and have to spend.

http://support.asus.com/default.aspx?SLanguage=en-US

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asus

I am not a Dell fan so don't recommend them, I do like HP and Acer. For that price range you should find some pretty decent brand new computers right now since it is back to school special time. Have you looked at walmart.com, also Sams and Costco have good prices. I recently saw an ad from walmart with some very good deals.
Are you in school at all or have an .edu addy? there are some very low prices for MS software for students, teachers etc.
Desktop Computers
look there, you see some very decent systems for your price range, I would stay away from emachines, I personally prefer AMD processors, just a preference. Plus walmart has great return policy.
You can get a new pc instead of a refurb for that price. I also see some on the refurb list have VISTA you want to get something with windows 7 on it for sure preferably 64bit.

in the refurb list if I had to pick one in your range it would probably be this one or the one right below it
HP - Factory-Refurbished Desktop with AMD Athlon II Quad-Core Processor
number 6,7 or 9 on that page.

Asus has been around for years making motherboards and video cards amongst other things. In the heady days of self builds they were generally considered at the top of the heap. I believe they still make quality stuff. Your item at Best Buy has a user reviews of 4.7/5 not too shabby.

Some people consider a refurb better than a new computer because it has actually been tested by a human. Quite often these refurbs are computers returned by newbies who cannot grasp the idea of computers and are in perfect condition. The store simply restores the machine to factory defaults and offers it at a nice discount.

Be aware Best Buy has a 15% restocking fee. Whilst you are not intending to buy then return it is worth keeping in mind.

I apologize for asking a question on this thread, but maybe it would be informative for the OP. Raven, why do you prefer AMD Processors and 64bit? I am also looking for a deal on a desktop and wonder if software from 32 bit will work on a 64bit.

I've always had Intel processors and wonder what the difference is.

Jane

I have had both Intel and AMD and have preferred my AMD processors, response, speed, cost, are all part of the reason why. I have never had an AMD problem. which is why I always say it is just my personal preference, I also like to follow the benchmark testing done on various processors and AMD does really well and they are usually more cost effective (bang for the buck). I have owned both in fact do own both but when given a choice I buy AMD. Also for me personally is the way Intel has done business and the many court cases against them for their practices, that actually matters to me. For some insight to that this article touches on the battles.
AMD vs. Intel

64 bit is the future plain and simple so getting anything below that is not going to be putting you on a good playing field for the future. As to your software that is 32bit in general yes it should work but some of the older stuff may not be windows 7 compatible, many have put out new versions for windows 7 and some have also put out 64bit editions.
That would be something to contact the program manufacturer and ask to make sure or check their website, they will usually have something on there saying the specs and say if it is listed for the version of windows you are looking at.
For some things device drivers come in to play and there you can run into problems since you would need 64bit drivers.

for more specifics check out this page it answers your questions better than I can
32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions

AMD and Intel...some prefer Intel, others prefer AMD...its like Chevrolet and Ford.....or Honda and Toyota....myself, I prefer Intel....64bit is definately the way of the future

FYI
Intel is trying to take over McAfee. Interesting! Security at the chip level.

I read about that but I dislike McAfee so much that makes me even less inclined to go Intel LOL

Thank you all for your input and links to answer my questions. I went with the one I linked below, and including the MS Office 2010, taxes and shipping I went over budget by $60 but I think I will be happy with the purchase.

Here is a link that might be useful: HP Pavillion I chose

my dell 2400 is 10yrs old now. i have reloaded windows 4-5 times and it runs great. put in a used dvd drive a few yrs ago. added some more ram. one of the pci slots for the nic died. odd. i moved the card to an adjacent slot and it works fine. you should have replaced the hd for $50 and got a different video card. crashed card? not sure what that means.

People say my PC is xxx years old, but people who say that can usually fix/build their own. I took one of mine in for a repair and it was $300. for a hard drive. New computers were selling for $800. I had rather put my money in a new PC with updated technology. I buy good computers and I take a list of what I have and compare it to the new ones. The one I chose last time was much better than my dead one was and it was only $600.

michelle that link leads me to a page with many listed as did the original link, so which one of the many did you select?

I read Intel bought McAfee for 7 million. Go figure!

Vala, I was in the same mindset as you, it would cost about $300 to replace the bad parts then extra for them to reload everything onto the new HD, but I would still be stuck with an older computer and OS, which means the parts are also getting older and can go out at any time. Instead of chancing having to fix it over and over, I chose a new one with Windows 7 (64bit) and MS Office 2010 for just a couple hundred more. Also, now I have a warranty again in case it does go downhill.

Sorry about that Raven, I will try again. BTW, everytime I see your name I crave crawfish etoufee!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: New computer

Computers are the perfect example of designed obsolescence I think. We the consumers are hard put to stay ahead of the game. Updating older computer is good for some but most want to see a significant speed increase. I dug my old XP machine out to run while I rebuild my main computer and was amazed at how slow the thing appears now yet I was quite content when it was the #1 computer in the house.

I'm sure you will be very happy with that computer Michelle, Windows 7 is an alright operating system too.

Umm, Jane, thems is billions not millions.

Yikes!

I just bought 2 new PC's both are HP, you never go wrong with an HP product, and worth it for the FREE tech support 24/7 for life... our new LT was just under $500 and new DT around $600 , LT intel, DT AMD..prefer AMD but not much diff there...new DT is awesome...quad core, 6 gb RAM can go up to 16, hd 750 gb..bought both at Office Depot..brand new no refurbs for me...oh and new lt is duel core, 4 mb RAM, 320 gb hd. both W7/64 bit DT came with awesome 20" lcd monitor, kewl kb etc. check Sunday papers for the deals..