Hopefully it doesn't sound silly, but I'm pretty much willing to spend as much as it takes to get a laptop that will last me a while. Obviously, I'd very much like to not overkill, and only spend on things that will really help my laptop retain its value (and performance) in the future.
I'm mentally prepared to spend about $1500, if that's what it takes
Obviously, I'd love to spend less, which is what is triggering most of my questions above, about which upgrades make a bigger difference, and which are silly. And while most of what I'll do with the laptop will be internet, word processing, I'll probably play video games and watch movies occasionaly, so I'd love it if my laptop will be powerful enough for that.