Mac with two spending limits.

I'm sorry but unlike a PC, you cannot just buy parts, slab them together, and call them a Mac.

What you see at the Apple Store is what you can get.

Nothing more or less.

 

What OS are you going to run on it?

 

Option (1) is out, unless you buy the lowest-end iMac and use the display out to connect a second monitor, and even then you're short a sound card and burner (why two of each)?

Option (2) is technically only doable with a refurb PowerMac and external burner, or with two low-end iMacs.

Maybe it would be better to let us know what you want to do and what equipment (displays, etc.) you have, and we'd be more able to advise you!

 

Stock capability on almost every recent Mac except the Mini. Of course your price above does not include monitors, correct?

OK, this has me puzzled. Why in the world would you nered 2 sound cards?
Anyway, most Macs have Optical 5.1 audio out built in as well as a stereo analog headphone out. To utilize true 5.1 you'll need a speaker set with a digital, or a receiver with a decoder and optical in, or an external USB or FW audio adaptor.

Again, why?
It can be done with a MacPro tower or a G4 Tower machine, or with an external Firewire or USB burner.

Yes.

I'm thinking given the amount of customization you are thinking of, att he lower budget you should look at a G4 dual processor machine, dual 1 GHz - dual 1.42 GHz.
Or perhaps a G5 tower at the higher end.

 

You could if you bought individual parts of a specific model online and put them together...

 

I don't think you'll find too many ads for people "parting out" their new Mac Pros.

Go to the Apple Store and have them remove the cover so you can see how they
are engineered.

Even some of the hot rod builders at extremtech are very impressed with the Mac Pros as shipped.

If I'm not mistaken, the Mac Pro will hold 3 professional PCI-e audio cards.

 

I'd go MacPro, although I think the lowest end configuration may still exceed your budget by a little.

 

The price of a Mac Pro is surprisingly reasonable when you consider what was available just a little over a year ago.

Before I bought my G5, I checked out Boxx and Alienware just to see what was out there and anything even remotely close to what is included in a Mac Pro would have been well over $5000.00