http://i.gizmodo.com/5075525/why-you-should-buy-a-refurbished-laptop
Which is exactly what I did when I bought my “new” Dell XT. When built new, this machine would have cost $2200, but was available for around $800-$900. With a 20% off coupon, shipping, tax, it came out to about $671.
I was planning on picking up a netbook and a Wacom tablet. Then Ted told me about this deal, which I bit on. So far, it seems like a great compromise. Throwing on the Windows 7 beta was also a great idea, as was buying Crayon Physics Deluxe.