So what's my point? Just saying that there are 2 camps of thought here. Pay less and maybe replace in a couple of years, or buy more and have it last longer.
Good luck.
I do follow Nicks point, but would weigh in with my past experience. I was working at a software company and basically needed the job. They moved to us working odd hours and requiring me to have a laptop for work. The one that they gave me was so pathetic slow and cumbersome that it was about impossible to use. (Cheep older laptop). In order to even do my job I ended up having to purchase my own and was stuck with the delema. Buy middle or go more top end with the idea it would last me a bit longer.
I went more top end splashing down the $1300 where I could have gotten a middle quality on sale for $5-600. It was great for about a year, but then Intel decided to bring out a new line of chips that simply blew my premium out of the water. By year 2 that same chip line was down in the $5-600 range and my expensive premium laptop didn't seem like such a great deal anymore. Since then I have always bought into the buy middle and replace when the next great deal comes around.
