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Do I need to buy Microsoft Office with my new computer?

That depends on how reliant you are on Microsoft Office. If you are a casual user who creates one or two documents or spreadsheets a month, you can likely get by without it. If you are a power user who makes use of the advanced features of Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint, there's simply no replacement that will let you do what you need to do.

Google offers web-based software that lets you do simple word processing (a la Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (a la Excel), and presentations (a la Powerpoint). Google Apps, as they are collectively referred to, won't let you use advanced templates or offer you all the fancy clip art that Microsoft Office does, but the advantages far outweight the minuses.

For one, Google Apps is free. Enough said.

Second, since Google Apps are available online, this means the applications and any documents you have made with them are available from any computer connected to the internet. This can be convenient should you need a document while travelling, for example. It could be a a bona fide lifesaver if  your computer ever crashes or gets stolen, since your documents will still be available online.

Your other option, if web-based software isn't your thing, is OpenOffice. This is an asbolutely free version of Office-like applications developed by a worldwide community of software developers commiitted to offering alternatives to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice is a bit clunkier than Microsoft Office, but once you get used to the slight user interface differences, you'll find it a worthy replacement for Microsoft Office.

If you find that you can't live with out Microsoft Office, you are likely better off buying it from Amazon or another source rather than getting it preloaded on your computer. A company like Dell or Gateway may charge 50-60 dollars more than you can get it for on the web.