Alt. email client for win7

I have a new pc, with Windows 7, and am going to try without Outlook which i have used for years, and still do at work.

I am trying to figure out the best alternative, that has similar functionality to Outlook, and would suggest a popular client so that support is available.

I was considering Thunderbird, as I have used Firefox for the last few years.

Does it have Calendar and Contacts similar to Outlook?
Can it be synched with Gmail?

What is the best way to get mails from pst on old pc to new client in new pc???

I have seen this:
1. Install Thunderbird on old pc, and transfer data
2. Then copy the entire Thunderbird folder on your old PC from: < path >\Application Data\Thunderbird folder
3. Install Thunderbird on the new PC and elect to NOT migrate any data
4. Create a new Profile, and elect to use "Default User" as the Profile Name
5. Start Thunderbird, but exit when the Mail Wizard comes up
6. Next, with Thunderbird closed: Navigate to the < path >\Application Data\Thunderbird folder Delete the Thunderbird folder
7. Next: Copy the Thunderbird folder from the Old PC to the < path >\Application Data Folder
8. Start Thunderbird, and your Mail and all data will be in place.

 

I don't use Outlook or Thunderbird, but a quick search turned up an Add-On called Lightning which is a calendar for Thunderbird based on the Sunbird calendar. There is also something called GCALdaemon which can sync Google Calendar with Sunbird/Lightning. I haven't researched the Contacts end of this, but a quick Google should reveal all that's needed to know.... I'll do some quick searches for ya and post anything of interest....
:-D I hope this helps!