One of the curious things about Windows is that XP doesn't have drivers for my ancient, Win95-era, HP scanner. Neither does HP.
But the scanner works fine on Linux!
Linux supports older hardware, and it's noticeably faster than Windows in many categories. It doesn't require the latest and greatest hardware for good performance. And, I'm running 4 different desktops simultaneously. I can run a browser in one, a CD player in another, a word-processing document in another and a system monitor & console in the 4th desktop. I don't have to minimize applications to run another - just switch desktops. Try that with Windows.
However, back to the discussion, you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a good, functional computer. If you want to play video games, it's another story.
You don't have to follow the consensus - it's your choice.