As far as where to order, I'll put a plug in for
Powermax. They are in Oregon (skirt the tax issue, but still pay for shipping). They usually have deals (like most online retailers). But what I like about them:
- When you call them (during normal business hours) you get a LIVE person. If you start working with one person, you almost always can ask for that person on return calls.
- They actually know what they are talking about. The people who answer the phones are not just order takers.
The last three Macs I've bought have been from them. Had a return issue once and it was handled quickly and painlessly.
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Every once in a while, I like to go into the Apple Store and configure a rediculously expensive. The
current configuration includes:
- Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5
- 8GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 8x1GB Eight friggin gigs of RAM - yeehaw!
- 2x400GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
- NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL w/256MB GDDR3 SDRAM
- Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
- Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) Yes; dual 30" Monitors
- Bluetooth Module + AirPort Extreme Card
- 16x SuperDrive double-layer (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- PCI-X Gigabit Ethernet Card
- Fibre Channel PCI-X Card (w/SFP-SFP cable) Why I need Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel on a standalone Mac is beyond me
- Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
- Mac OS X - U.S. English
- Mac OS X Server (Unlimited-Client) Why TF do I need Server SW?!? Because I can in my dreams!!!
- Final Cut Express HD preinstalled
- AppleCare Protection Plan for Power Mac (w/ or w/o Display)
Just a measly $14,717 - pocket change