> wait the price hikes out for a couple years
Or much longer. The computers I use most on a daily basis are over 10 years old, and still perfectly adequate for what I do. Put a non-bloated OS on them and many older computers are more than powerful enough.
And Linux being good for gaming now (thanks Valve!) makes this option more attractive than ever.
And the inability to run rootkits is a bonus, not a drawback.