Inspiron 600m - To buy or not to buy?

Hi there,

I posted this in the hardware forum, but I thought I'd ask for advice here in the Dell corner too. I've been wanting to get a laptop for my year studying abroad in Germany, and the Inspiron 600m in this configuration at this price (especially the 3-year at-home service) seems to be a good choice for what I want. I'd like to use it mainly for internet, word processing, Photoshop and playing the Sims 1.

I'm wary of making such an expensive commitment, though, given the negative things I've heard about build quality, motherboard issues, heat problems, and poor keyboard durability. I've also considered an ibook, which would put gaming out, but they've been putting them on Apple's certified site for $800 so it would save me some money, and I've been told they're built very well.

My question is, will Dell have another great sale before school begins? Or are there other notebooks I should be looking at? Am I making a huge mistake passing this sale up? I'd like something sturdy, if nothing else.

Thanks for your help!