I'm with Cthulhu Dreaming on this one. The Dell XPS's are good laptops if you can afford one. I’ve had several over the years, and they were all good computers. My last laptop was a Toshiba. I couldn't in good conscience recommend one of those to anyone. I'm currently using a Lenovo ThinkPad W520 and couldn't be happier. Although this is my first Lenovo, and I've only owned it since March so 6 months isn't really a lot to go on has far as longevity is concerned.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.