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Ok, here is the real deal.
Unix is and will always be the best operating system known to man. OSX is a gui on unix. There is absolutely no better way to run a system other than unix, none. Linux is great, but I mean none. Unix > * always and forever.
That said, your obviously a big do-it-yourselfer. I used to be too. I did it all, water-cooled, crazy procs, insane amounts of ram, the coolest fucking mobo on the market. When I went to macs, I kept up the custom pc gig for about 2 years. Eventually I just stopped. Specially when macs went to the one-click windows dual/virutal windows boots.
This is how it is. Apple uses some of the best hardware available on the market in their computers. Sure, in some instances - there is hardware on the market better than what apple is using. However with that said there is no retail computer manufacturer offering it. With apple you get the best hardware that is being used in the retail market. That is the only reason they are more expensive than most retailers (however with your specs, you know $2k for a computer is cheap as all hell).
Now. Since I've gone mac, I upgrade every 12-18 months (as usual, seeing your specs I'm sure you do the same). Apple products keep their value. Literally, it's insane (I just got the iphone4 for $200, and sold my iphone3G the next day on ebay for $213). When I opt in for a new apple computer - I do so soon as they launch a new line. For example, last year I did so with the macbook. Right now my macbook is as powerful as the top of the line macbook pro. This is just how apple does it, when they launch a new version of a product it totally pwns the rest. I'm trailing here though. My point is, in a couple months when apple launches the new macbook pro line, I'll sell my macbook and buy a pro. I'll make up for at least half the price of the new one for the price I'll sell my old one for -- they just keep value like crazy.
Oh, and another great thing about macs. When I but my new one -- they transfer my whole system to the new computer. Because it's unix, and the hardware they've chosen for their operating system - it works that way.
.... Oh, and everyone saying hackintosh is the way to go (building a pc as close to apple specs as possible and installing osx). Fun, and very cool -- try it - it is fun. Not good on a production computer. I did it for two and a half years. Wicked cool, and lots of fun and I had a blast running the system. However it's a timebomb waiting to happen. OSX is simply too structured for the specific hardware lines apple uses.
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