Thou must purchase a warranty with any new computer, it will save time/money/frustration

Purchasing a warranty will most likely save you money, but most importantly it can save you time and frustruation (the latter two being the most valuable).

Speaking from the position of someone who has provided and consumed hardware/software support, I can guarantee that purchasing (the correct) a warranty provides a win for everyone involved:

-From the consumer perspective, it provides what amounts to an insurance policy the protects an investment in the hardware/software that is purchased. It also allows for the prompt and hassle free repair/replacement of most components (batteries being the most notable exception in laptops). This will also ease a lot of headaches for your friendly family/friend techie ;-)

-From the vendor's perspective, it provides a revenue stream that is seperate from pure hardware/software sales and allows for a smoother flow of replacement parts to the customer.

While most vendors provde warranties, a lot of them are useless and are very expensive (watch out for the "extended" warranty), so here is a list of resources that will help you to bone up on what kind of warranty is best:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/105827/consumer_watch_bulletproof_your_pcs_warranty.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/112590/mobile_computing_notebook_warranties.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_3060_choose-warranties-service.html

http://web.mit.edu/ist/topics/hardware/warranty.html

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/news/november-2006/why-you-dont-need-an-extended-warranty-11-06/overview/extended-warranty-11-06.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/computers-internet/subcat-index.htm