I'm looking into the mac pro right now. With my educator's discount, I can get a 2.8 ghz quad core from the apple store for $2149. I don't think I need 8 cores for running stuff like Final cut or photoshop, can any high end programs utilize 8 cores efficiently yet? My problem with macs in general is the lack of upgradeability. Obviously with the mac pro and its numerous memory banks and hdd slots, the computer will be more future proof than say, an imac. So do you think it would be wise to get a mac pro with the main focus being upgradeability, or would it not pay for itself in the long run?