I would just like to add that I have the same machine (but with 1GB RAM) as the refurb Randy mentioned. I am more than happy with its performance and am glad that I bought one a month ago instead of waiting for the next performance bump that I initially planned on waiting for. As was mentioned, better machines are always right around the corner; it is best to buy a machine that will do what you need it to do when you need it. For $1999 I think that refurb is a good deal. That is considerably lower than the edu price I paid for mine just a month ago.
Randy (and others), let us know what you end up doing and how happy you are with your decision.
Randy (and others), let us know what you end up doing and how happy you are with your decision.