being the 'go-to' guy for free-tech support for several friends, i have always told them when buying any new electronics, "get what you want....... not what they try to sell you"...... take a few minutes before walking in any store, jot down how large you would want the HD and how fast you want the chip processor....... everything else can be up-graded later somewhat cheap...... but switching out hard drives and processing chips are nearly impossible without money..... might as well go and buy a new one then....... and invest money in getting a can of compressed air to blow out openings every week....... start doing that every week, and blowing out the keyboard will extend the life of any electronic appliance by years......