[Crazydave]

Also, whatever machine you end up getting, you might want to look into getting one with a quad core CPU which should help with video editing and other multi-threaded tasks. It should be doable within the budget you specified, but if you are not ready for that yet, I would recommend at least a dual-core or other MP machine.

[Crazydave]

I am able to run AE on Vista just fine, although my system currently runs XP faster. However, keep in mind that since Vista was just released, driver/app support is not quite there yet. Once the drivers/apps mature, Vista will look a lot more attractive–especially the 64-bit version, which will be able to take advantage of large amounts of memory with compatible 64-bit apps.

I can run everything I need to on a PC; some people need/want a Mac–it’s just personal preference. The new Mac Pros are a great way to get the best of both worlds.

[Crazydave]

There is a tutorial here on the COW about using Wave World+Caustics: https://www.creativecow.net/show.php?forumid=2&page=/articles/tierney_jim/caustics/index.html It’s by Jim Tierney who does the Digital Anarchy plugins, hosts the Bay Area AE user group (highly recommended if you’re in the SF area!) and is an overall great guy. Hope that helps!