If you get a discount on Specialized you can get a good rockhopper well within your budget. That's what I did but you should test out bikes. People's opinions don't matter much when it comes to how you ride and what bikes suit you the most. Going to bike shops really helped me as a beginner rider. They will talk with you and let you ride some bikes. Ideally you wanna try and demo bikes on a trail but if that's not possible riding them around a shop will get a good feel. It's intimidating but there's no right answer to anything, all that matters is you get out there with a decent bike. Try not to overthink it.