I have a huge chunk of real wood on four steel legs that's (in today's market) worth about $1000 (probably $2000 in the US wood-starved market) and I treat it like utter shit. It's covered in ringmarks, gouges, dents and other abominable value-detracting blemishes from use. I bought it when I graduated and what seemed like an overkill investment 20 years ago is still going strong.
The thing is - I'm never going to sell it, and I could just belt-sand the whole thing pristine again if it bothered me, but it doesn't. It's a workdesk, not a vanity item and the fact I can treat it like shit without any permanent downsides is why it's so valuable and why I can afford to treat it like shit.
If you don't have the luxury of 45mm thick real hardwood, you genuinely need the particleboard+veneer to be robust, heat-resistant, waterproof, and well sealed. I've scratched countless MDF or Ikea tables before and once the water gets in the surface is not only ugly, it's no longer flat!