A Mac Mini is only $600, and you won't have to put with any of this non-sense. Macs are known for their long lifespans, and you could count on 3+ years of use from this computer.
Every PC I have owned since 1987(Tandy, Packard Bell, Emachines, Dell (2), HP, and a Sager) has lasted greater than 5 years. 3 years doesn't seem too impresive to me.
