Well, let's see here . . ..
"Reliability and versatility" is a bit vague. What are you looking to do? Do you game a lot? Do you just watch movies and check email every so often? Are you working on spreadsheets all day? Most laptops are fairly versatile in what they can do and are definitely more reliable both on the software and hardware than say, a decade or so ago, IMO. You're going to have to be more specific than just "reliable and versatile".
As far as what you can find on Costco, that's great, pat yourself on the back; but we need specs, as you can customize the Dell laptop fairly extensively off of the Dell website and I'm not too sure what the Costco version offers. What display resolution (at this size it's most likely a 1600x900 or 1920x1080), computer-chip(CPU)/video card (GPU), memory (RAM), and storage (HDD/SSD - not likely an SSD considering the price point) are they equipped with? Does it matter if it has a Blu-Ray or DVD Drive? Do you need 3D? Why 17"? If you're getting something of that size, why not a desktop? Is mobility an issue for you owning a laptop? Can you spend your money elsewhere (not bashing Costco here, but simply asking; "Is shopping from Bestbuy or Newegg/Online an option?")? Are you in the US of A?
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