How much a year does all the virus protection software, spy-ware blockers, phishing and trojan protection cost you? Include the price of upgrades (that you HAVE to buy to be able to use revised virus definitions), etc..

Add three times THAT to the cost of your Vista PC (if you anticipate not buying another PC before three years use) and the TCO price of a Mac starts to plummet. Add in the price of a full features audio app like Garage Band 2 to it, and suddenly it looks even better. Add in all the other apps for video and photography that are full versions, not trial-ware (like you usually get on a cheap Dell), and all of a sudden, the Mac looks like a bargain.

Before you jump in with the cheapest PC you can get away with, don't forget what the software will add to your total, especially virus protection, that you have to pay for every year (or few months)...