PC here Couldn't agree more to recommend ThinkPad (now owned by the Chinese, Lenovo). It's just soooooooooo tough. Mine just refuses to quit. I have a very very old Thinkpad 760 which still runs on Windows 95, is still running. Now on more than 3 years old ThinkPad... again running flawlessly.
As for Apple's hardware being overpriced, I think it's no longer the case. Read the article here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-...vista,1985.html
If you are a hardcore gamers, PC/Windows based is still the best solution for you.