Whoa there! Has any one who's suggesting Dell machines actually handled a recent one? If so, I've no idea why you're recommending them. I'm using a few month old one now, thankfully provided to me F.O.C, and the build quality is nasty. The one before this lost a screen due to pressure on it from the outside and through a well padded bag. This one doesn't look much better. If I press on the bcak of the lid now, I can make lots of nasty looking things happen to the screen, about twice this moderate finger pressure and I reckon it'd crack just like that. The keyboard is nasty and clattery too.
I have an HP which feels like it's of at least twice the quality of this Dell, and have recently used an Acer which was only a smidge behind the HP. I'd go an Acer without a doubt, and wouldn't so much as entertain spending my own money on a Dell.