I bought a Dell Studio laptop in 2008 with all the bells and whistles adding to the price tag. It did last me for a good four years without any major trouble so overall I think it was worth it. The battery life did not hold up as long and toward the end it was getting slower by the minute which could have other causes. I replaced the Dell laptop earlier this year with another make that was a lot less expensive mostly because I don't intend nor expect to keep it as long as technology keeps developing in such as fast pace and I am also using the iPad as much as the laptop.