If you have the time and skills, a home-brew hackintosh tower can deliver both savings and performance. For mere mortals that just want to get work done, far and away the best approach is to go for a refurbished Mac Pro — same configuration, same AppleCare warranty and free shipping.

• [10] Mac Pro 2.8GHz Quad-Core Xeon, $1,819 (2499)
— 3GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

• [12] Mac Pro 3.2GHz Quad-Core Xeon, $2,139 (2499)
— 6GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

• [n] Mac Pro 3.2GHz Quad-Core Xeon, $2,139 (2499)
— 6GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program
— Amazon Prime

• [10] Mac Pro 2.4GHz 8-Core Xeon, $2,649 (3499)
— 6GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

• [10] Mac Pro 2.66GHz 12-Core Xeon,
— 6GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

 • [10] Mac Pro 2.93GHz 12-Core Xeon, $4,799
— 6GB, 1TB, SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

• [12] Mac Pro 3.06GHz 12-Core Xeon, $5,269
— 12GB, 1TB, 18x SuperDrive, Radeon HD 5770 w/ 1GB
— Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

The absolutely lowest prices on a used/refurbished Mac Pro can be found at Mac of All Trades, with a quad-core 2006 model selling for just $449.

[10] 2010 model year, [12] 2012 model year, [n] new in box 2012 model. Listed new and refurbished Mac Pro configurations in stock when published.

image News.com

Related posts:
— Mac Apps: Geekbench 2.4.2, Firefox 19.0.2, CleanMyMac 2 + Mac Coder Party Tips
— Mac Deals: MacLegion Spring Bundle Goes Live
— Refurbished MacBook Pro from $1,019; Retina, $1,779
— Refurbished iPods Up to $25 Off at GameStop
— Mac Games: Assassins Creed, $7.49; Civ V, $7.49; More