Honestly I don't want to be a programmer and have very little spare time as it is
You don't have to be a programmer. I've taken one programming class (C++, hated it) in my life time and apply nothing from it in my daily computer usage (unless making a cout<<"Hello World"<<endl; joke, which happens once in a blue moon).
It doesn't even take all that much time. It's just learning the basics, like don't randomly download and install stuff that's not from a reputable source. Run a malware/spyware scanner once a month or so. Defragment once every couple of months. Nothing hard. Nothing time consuming. You can defrag while you sleep and scan in the background.
But anyhow, simply put: if you want longevity, functionality, and save money: Build a windows unit (preferably not vista, I'm still using XP. You can still get XP, they extended the life on it).
If you want an over priced, under powered, limited unit, get a Mac.