I don't (yet) own a Mac Pro, hence my need to be making do with what I have. The number one benefit to me will be more than four cores per machine, as well as a machine that doesn't force me into a specific display (such as the iMac). I already have a desk full of displays that serve me well and I don't intend to have to remove one to make room. The new Minis are fun little beasts and I have a quad core "server" model working as a render node but, again, only four cores limits it. Some of my recent 3d animation work has used models approaching a million polygons, plus dynamic fur that moves in the wind and by gravity. Current render times are becoming an issue and I intend by adding a nMP with at least six very fast cores to help bring that down.
Part of making do has been financial, and I'm at that point now where I'm on the verge of some fairly lucrative animation gigs but my hardware is holding me back. I expect the nMP to pay for itself in decent time.
As to the other alternatives, I will never run a "hackintosh." Apart from the hassle, risk and needing to invest extra time in care and feeding of such, I consider them to be unethical. I used to use Windows-based workstations but got fed up not only with the way Windows works (I cut my teeth on Unix, and OS X is basically *nix with a sexy GUI), but also dealing with driver issues and other incompatibilities with my software suite. At my last "day job" I was moved into an all-Mac lab, fell in love with the environment, and vowed never to go back. It's a walled garden, to be sure, but I can always rely on what's going to be inside and how it will work with the software and drivers. Above all else, I want my tools to "just work" with minimal need for care and feeding, and thus far Apple has stepped up to that.
