It would help everyone a whole lot if you could specify what you plan on being able to do with the machine. I just bought the one in my signature a month ago and really like it. I do not do high end video editing or photo work, simply, I wanted a machine that would not bog down when I have many things working at once. I frequently have Xcode open as I'm developing, maybe Windows open if I'm in Visual Studio, browsing, and various other apps open together. Yet when I really need lots of power (ie, handbrake) then it comes in super handy to have the extra CPU cores. So for me it was totally worth it. But if you're struggling for cash, it's probably best to get an iMac.