The problem with purchasing a branded PC is the bloat that comes bundled with it. OEMs don't really think of it as bloatware that bogs down the machine and ruins the out-of-the-box experience. The Microsoft Signature program is a brilliant solution to this problem.

Trials of anti-virus software, browser toolbars, image editing programs, program docks etc. are a few of the countless applications which come installed on some manufacturers' machines these days. Most consumers hate these big-on-nuisance performance killers and prefer the vanilla experience. Microsoft took a note of this and upon entering the retail scene, made sure that a Microsoft Store gave their customers the pure Windows experience.

Microsoft Signature PCs are sold sans bloat, fully optimized for performance by Microsoft Store. The Signature PCs come with Microsoft Security Essentials, IE9, Zune, Silverlight, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash and the Windows Live Essentials suite pre-installed. They also offer phone support, free for the first 90 days.

Want more? Microsoft also offers a Signature Premium service where you get the following for an annual fee of $99:

• Theft recovery with automatic tracking and remote locking
• One full year of technical support from Microsoft experts
• In-store training sessions
• Discounts on future purchases
• Priority access to events and workshops

Visit signature.microsoft.com for more details.