As the holiday season rapidly approaches, there’s one question that you’ll hear very frequently: Have you been naughty or nice? Of course, we all know that a lot hinges on this seemingly simple question. If you’ve been nice, then perhaps Santa will bring you an awesome gift, that one piece of hardware you've been jonesing for, like Intel’s new Core i7 965 Extreme processor or perhaps Dell’s UltraSharp 30-inch widescreen LCD. On the other hand, if you’ve been naughty and have cursed your computer (hey, who hasn’t?) or ignored your significant other because Call of Duty 4 of Bioshock beckoned, then you’d better shape up before it's too late. Otherwise, the only thing you’ll have to look forward to is a lump of coal in your stocking.  Believe us--we've been there...

As we look back on this past year, and wonder why each year seems shorter than the last, we also reflect on our many traditions here at HotHardware. One of our favorites is our annual Holiday Buyer’s Guide.  Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for that special geek in your life, or if you’re dreaming of putting together a new system for yourself, we hope this guide will help you make some informed buying decisions.

This year, we’ll cover the various components that you’ll need to build a few different types of systems, along with notebooks and netbooks for those who are looking for greater portability. In each category, we’ll cover high-end, mid-range, and budget models, so that you can easily find the parts you want at a price you can afford.  But of course, there’s no reason you can’t mix and match.

 
Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 - Christmas Stocking Red

We're going to outline the components that we feel will make up a killer high-end rig, regardless of price.  Then we'll make suggestions for a speedy upper mid-range system filled with cutting edge hardware, and then we'll put our Scrooge hat on and build a budget screamer that won't break the bank.  And finally, we'll offer a few Yuletide suggestions in Netbooks and Notebooks too.  We hope you find our suggestions useful and that you have a little fun putting together your wish-list!  Happy shopping & Happy Holidays!