There's truth to that currently yeah. I think my points still stand as well though, and in the long run you will still be out worse even if the upfront cost is currently cheaper. It also just seems contrary to the free and open nature of Linux, but if you don't already own something you can upgrade and are currently strapped for cash, fair enough. But that's also not going to change if you sink 400-500 dollars into it and that's your budget for the next 5 years.