Zeke,
I'd strongly advise against Xeons, it's...not something  you should mess with if you don't know what you're doing! :)

Stick to normal PCs, Xeons are special, they use two CPUs on the same motherboard and this adds vastly to both price and troubles you may have.
Trouble = bad, if yer not a technical guru.

Go with the PC designs I suggest, and have them built to order, by a reputable company in Australia, and shipped ot you. I know of such companies in the UK, but not Australia I'm afraid.

Do not build it yourself, WAY too much hassle and likelyhood of screwing up if you aren't used ot it.

Not something you want some nitwit to screw up (plenty of folk SAY they can build PCs, but doing it reliably as a commercial concern is another matter), nor do you want to send a LOT of money to a company who maybe fraudsters and disappear with your money, etc.

It's important to pay by credit card, so if you DO get ripped off, you have protection.
Though what I o is, I know a locla reputbale company, I put a small deposit down, and pay cahs on dleivery (and I check what's inside is what I actually ordered!)

You could ask around about reputable PC buidling companies in Australia, I'm sure such exist in Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne, I don't know about the North and West coast.

Try asking on the Poser forums here in Renderosity about a suitable company, or maybe some Australian forum/group who'd know??
I saw a company in England specializing in exactly this kind of thing, by the way, for UK folks.

Hm, does Dell or the like sell in Australia and offer a suitable rig, I wonder?
I preffer custom builds as stated above, but you have to find a suitable builder ot make them for you, otherwise, stick to Dell or similar company as they are large, and while they won't have exactly the same stuff a cusotm build can give you, you are going ot get reliability and customer security!

So, your options are:

a) Find a good, reliable, trusted PC buidler in Austrlia who cna ship to you.

b) Look at Dell or similar company who's PCs could be suitable, if not as ideal.

You cna post and ask about PCs you see Dell etc having, and what we think of them :)

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