I buy a new laptop every two years. I subscribe to Carbonite so it's easy to have all my photos and files installed on the new one with just one click. New technology is amazing but you won't know if you don't use it. I found the cheaper laptops work great for me. I never pay more then $300 for a new laptop. Don't be afraid of the cheaper ones, they work just fine for personal use. I use it for photos, quilt files, email and internet. I use Open Office for creating documents and pdf files.