Jeez-louise, you do need help. Even murbot isn't this nutty with all his Mac buying!
Okay, you want an honest, hardcase assessment and opinion? Well, I'm giving it anyway...grab on to something:
I'm betting - from what I gather - you're pulled in by marketing and specs. The
idea of owning a dual-this or quad-that appeals to you more than the actual productivity and usage you'll GET from either.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But that's kinda how it's coming across...
If I were you, honestly, I'd sell it all - while you still can get a decent price - and get a 20" iMac.
It's a 2.1GHz G5, with great graphics, huge hard drive, built-in iSight, gorgeous display...ah, you know all the rest...and if you DON'T, that might be at the root of this affliction of yours. Maybe you should slow down, do some smart, methodical research and put a bit more thought and care into your purchases (so you're not
in this pickle to begin with).
You mention "serious hobby", and that's why I see the iMac being tailor-made for...serious muscle, without all the bulk and expansion of the towers.
Sell all the overkill (which you even allude to that being the case) and get something reasonable, why don't you? Take some of that significant money you'll be coming into and max out the iMac's RAM to 2.5GB.
If
that doesn't meet your "hobby" needs, then a) you're not a hobbyist...you've somehow morphed into a demanding professional without knowing it, and b) I can't help you because you seem to have a fever...and the only prescription is more Apple crap.
I can't deal with the perpetually yearning, never-satisfied and the "got more money than common sense" types...so I've done all I can here (but it's a damn good, valid suggestion...give it serious consideration!).
Good luck! You'll thank me at some later point, trust me...
