the $300 also gets you:
heavier
lower battery life
less convenient portably
etc
I bought the macbook not because it was the cheapest, but because it was the smallest. Take the same $300 extra, and spend it on a 20" monitor, and bluetooth keyboard and mouse
Nate, you did have the advantage of not trying to cram 40 lbs of cat in a 10 lb box with that build There was definitely too much being stuffed in that singlepower amp.