Fair enough.

OK well... with the feedback I've been getting and today's release of the 8-core Mac Pro, I'm pretty much sold. So now it's just a matter of ironing out the configuration details...

Is there any configuration option on the Mac Pros that I can't do myself at a later time for less money? Hard disks and memory should obviously be a cinch (though I'm curious to know if third-party RAM upgrades work as well, esp. with regard to thermal issues).

If I'm buying a $4k computer, should I spend the $250 for the AppleCare Protection Plan 3 year warranty? I don't know much about servicing Apple machines yet, so I don't know the reliability and managability of Macs (or possible lack thereof) would require it.

I think that will just about do it for me. Thoughts?

Keep in mind the Mac Pro uses some very high end memory, known as FB-DIMM. Third party stuff might be slightly cheeper then Apple charges, but make sure you get ones with proper heatsinks. FB-DIMM's generate a lot of heat.

Hard drives, any SATA one will work. The Mac Pro comes with 4 bays, and 3 will ship with empty brackets. Simply buy a SATA hard drive and put it in the bracket, and you should be set.

And yes, buy the AppleCare plan to extend the warranty to 3 years, if you think you will own it more then one year. While the general reliability is good, if something like the mainboard dies, it's not going to be a cheep expense to fix. You can wait and buy it later though, as it is valid as long as it is activated during the first year of ownership. Also, it is heavily discounted for students, so if you have a college friend, they could help save you a bunch of money.

Wow 8 cores on a desktop, that's just crazy. I've got a quad core poweredge at work which has one core working its knackers off and the other three idling. Such a waste... so I ran a copy of boinc on it as well.