You get what you pay for

Last year I bought myself a Logitech Wireless Desktop. Basically, a $40 wireless keyboard/mouse set (for which I only used the keyboard). I didn't think it would be anything special, but I sure thought the battery life would be a little more...predictable? To be honest, I'm not even sure if the batteries are dead, but I don't really feel like waiting for it to decide to start working again.

Having been a salesman for one summer (Vector Marketing anybody?) I should probably know that a cheaper product is not always a better product. You may be spending less on something right now, but in the long run you end up spending more when you have to replace it.

Would you say this is generally true of computer parts? I've had my PC for four years and I have never had to replace anything because it broke on its own (yes, I stepped on and snapped my first CD-RW's tray all by myself). Peripherals are really the only exception seeing as I had two MS Explorer mice before my current Logitech MX510. So when it comes to computer parts, how long should they generally last (or at least remain in their prime) for you to say you got your money's worth?

Jam it back in, in the dark.