If you're after cheap computers you have two options. You can save money by getting a computer that is not top of the range. Or you can save money by buying cheap computer parts and building your own cheap computers.

New top of the line computers cost thousands of dollars but few people really need this power for email and web surfing.

If building your own computer sounds like too much effort then you can still save hundreds of dollars by getting last years top model.

There are some fantastic computer deals here that Dell, Compaq and Gateway don't want you to know about. They want you to buy the new products with the highest margins for them.

I've found some absolute steals on computers that were top of the line 6 months ago. Have a look at the prices on these ridiculously cheap computers.

These computers will do everything you need for the next few years. Don't let those big companies fool you into thinking you have to have the fastest computer on the block.

If you save money on a computer now you can afford to spend a little on upgrades in a few months time. Find out about the different types of cheap computer parts here. That page is a basic introduction to selecting the best cheap computer parts to save you money.

You can read about building computers here.

Save even more by seeing how to build your own computer.

I've been building computers for years. The simple fact is that if you want to save money you should buy computer parts and build your own computer.

• Computers are easy to build
• You can choose the components you want
• You pay for only what you will use
• You will be able to upgrade cheaply in the future
• More computers are assembled privately than by Compaq, Dell, Gateway and IBM combined
• You won't have to rely on slow and expensive technicians
• Knowing about computers helps you to get the most out of them

Computer sales people will tell you that you need the latest and greatest thing but a 2 gigahertz monster won't help you read your email any faster. No matter how fast you computer is your internet speed will always be limited by the speed of your connection. So if you only need a cheap computer for email, wordprocessing and surfing the web why pay for heaps for excess power you won't ever use.

Cheap computer parts are a steal as people get blinded by the latest wizzy thing:

I have been building my own computers from cheap computer parts since highschool. I started when I was too young to be able to afford a computer all in one go so I bought cheap parts and put them together.

Since then I have never bought a whole computer at once. I just occasionally upgrade as time goes by. Sometimes selling my old parts or using them to upgrade computers belonging to my friends and family. I have never done any formal computer training.

Putting cheap computers together isn't hard. The beginners guides on this site will show you how!