"...dumb is buying a Mac and using Windows on it, like you do. It's common knowledge that Mac hardware is much more expensive than the corresponding PC hardware."
Wrong again. Your "common knowledge" is just that -- yours.  before I purchased the Mac I checked:  a) building my own 8-core PC,  b)  A build from Dell, c)  A build from HP.  The Mac was ~ $1000 USD cheaper than either the equivalent Dell or HP, and even beat-out my Newegg DIY rig.

However, the Apple upgrade costs for memory and HD were/are ridiculous, but considering how easy it is to add HDs and memory, one should buy the basic Mac, then do the upgrades themselves.

Since the Mac hardware is pretty much the same as a Windows PC, what is so silly about buying a Mac Pro that can also run almost any OS?  The Mac OS side has much better movie making capability out of the box, as well as music, and a slew of other quality applications.  I can run the ZD Net software overclock utility on the Mac side (no voltage increases -- little chance of damage) and stably run the Mac at 3.2  GHz (vs. the native 2.8 GHz).

I don't start out with a "My 2 cents," then state; definitely by a Mac, or definitely buy a PC.  Hardware bigots are all the same ilk as any other  bigot -- as far as I'm concerned.  When the Macs ran on Motorola CPUs, it was pretty valid to demonstrate some passion in favor of Win-Doze PCs, but with the Macs on Intel -- it's a hollow argument. Read the Consumer Reports articles on computer owner satisfaction, reliability, and service response.