i am a girl, so i want to pitch in here!
i would go with one of these options:
1. a gift card, with a nice note. ladies can't resist the hand-written letters. sorry, i know, its difficult. but it works. and i don't think a thoughtfully given gift card is a bad thing! computers are so personal, wouldn't you want to hand-pick yours? even if you were on a budget?
2. a macbook, with a nice carry case. there are plenty of nice and affordable carry cases and sleeves on the apple website. most women can't resist a nice accessory. again, it is also a thoughtful gesture and makes the whole package really "set-up ready to go" and appealing.
if she is independent, go with option #1. if she likes you to take care of her, go with option #2.
Thanks for the tips. I believe option #2 is better suited for her.
The problem with buying for her is that she's not into material things and she's VERY frugal. So spending this much on her already she won't be pleased with but I know it's something she needs. She'd rather me only spend $100 on her and get her some DVDs and maybe a piece of clothing...like I said, she doesn't like spending money or ME spending money. This makes it very difficult to buy anything for her.