Currently in the process of purchasing my first machine. I've narrowed it down to two machines.

Rancilio Silvia fitted with auber pid and pre infusion
Rancilio pro x

My plan is to make two drinks a day. At least one of them will have steamed milk for cortado.

I was just curious if the 800 difference made sense from a workflow or efficiency standpoint considering I'm only making one for myself. Also do the lower end or higher end machines tend to hold their value more?

I've had a Silvia with Auber pid for over 6 years now and I love it. The temp surfing with a single boiler is a large difference in these 2 machines but the $800 you'd save could be put on a good grinder. I started with a smart grinder, which served me well, but a really good grinder makes alot of difference.