Get a dual-core Dell Vostro notebook for $429 shipped
Dell's business-class (but suitable-for-anyone) Vostro 1000 includes a dual-core processor, discrete graphics, and choice of operating system.
If you liked the sound of yesterday's $399 Dell Vostro desktop but wanted something a little more portable, here's your answer: For just $30 more, you can snag the Dell Vostro 1000 notebook.
This well-stocked, 6.25-pound laptop features a dual-core AMD Athlon TK-57 processor, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and a 15.4-inch screen. You also get a discrete graphics processor (ATI's Radeon Xpress 1150) with its own 256MB of RAM, so you could actually fire up a few games on this baby.
Dell provides a 1-year warranty and free shipping. You can order the Vostro with either Windows XP Home or Vista Basic (guess which one I'd choose?). Normally I don't like bargain-basement systems--even The Cheapskate's gotta have standards--but this one has more than enough horsepower for mainstream computing (word processing, Web browsing, iTunes, etc.).