gatordee: It loads fast and the meter is smooth.
In that case I wouldn't mess with your setup any more than necessary. Just get a mouse. $395 to fix a button is questionable, too. I'd get a second opinion on that one, as I'd bet you could get it done a lot cheaper and that your computer person might be trying to rip you off.
As far as laptops, I've got a IBM ThinkPad R60 with Windows XP Pro, 2 GB of RAM and a 2.00 x 2 gHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor. I run on Google Chrome in an incognito window and have a smooth meter as long as I restart Chrome every couple days. I got mine off eBay, and you can get the top of the line T60 for about $200 now. IBM was also rated #1 in Windows based laptops by IBM by Consumer Reports before the laptop line was sold to Lenovo.