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> Don’t overlook the Mac Mini - solid machine that starts at $499.

The Mac Mini is an awesome little machine. I've used them as my hardware platform of choice at home for over a decade. MacOS and applications can do everything I normally need to do, other than a few Windows-only applications. And for web browsing and email, MacOS is generally considered more secure, although Windows has caught up a lot in recent years.

When I need Windows, I can use BootCamp to make it dual-boot, in which case the Windows OS gets the full machine resources, or use VM host software (Fusion, VirtualBox, etc.) to create a Windows VM within MacOS. The VM gets only some of the system resources, but that's usually enough, and having both OSes operating concurrently is extremely convenient.

On my main home machine, it's both -- the VM for light Windows work, reboot into Windows if I have a heavy-duty Win application, and everything else in MacOS.

One suggestion: get an SSD for the hard drive, either as a purchase option, or if you're handy and like ifixit.com, you can replace it yourself cheaper. The improvement in operating speed is very considerable.