My second computer is probably the most expensive item I’ve ever purchased.  These days, you can get a decent computer for under a thousand dollars.  A dozen years ago, a thousand dollars wouldn’t get you near a machine that could play games and handle pictures and large files with ease.  I don’t want to name its price, but my first Gateway was top of the line for its time, even though by today’s standards, it’s a piece of crap. The machine was able to handle everything I threw at it, including two iterations of Sims games.  The machine still runs, although it occasionally has a hiccup and my screen will collapse to the left.  I’m keeping it for sentimental reasons, though.