Sandy Bridge processor worth it?

[Silound]

The short answer is, no you don't need the SB processor. It's nice, but you yourself said you won't be using the laptop for anything that requires the horsepower.

I would recommend steering away from buying laptops from retail chains (desktops are fine). They don't incorporate a warranty into the price (Best Buy actually sells computers basically at cost) so if anything happens, you're SOL. Plus, the store warranty you can buy usually has worse coverage than a manufacturer's warranty, or tries to pull a "complete replacement" scam based on the current value of the laptop (IE nothing).

I don't have a brand bias, but I do like Dell's warranty myself. The few times I've had to utilize it over the years on my personal laptops, it was well worth having. Working in the industry, I've also come to like HP, Asus, and Lenovo service when it comes to warranties.