I'm happy with my Del, dual core processor, 2gb ram, running vista but having no speed issues. Bought it a month ago for a little lover $500. Don't see what the big deal is about vista and the undying need to upgrade to windows 7 - even though it's still a beta (?) and bound to be full of bugs. I don't think it'll really matters to Dave. My acer was soooo durable, i dropped it like 3 times, and it just broke over the last few months (3 years alter). Personally, when ever i buy a laptop i always upgrade the warranty. It costs loads, but i'd rather have a cheaper laptop that i know i'm going to be able to use for a couple of years rather than it break after 367 days and be screwed.