Two hundred and fifty quid for what?

So I’m still pondering the best desktop set up for me, work-wise. At the moment I run an old G4 (1.2Ghz, 2GB) as a desktop and VNC my MacBook (orig 1.83 CoreDuo) so I don’t have to mix up my two Mail.App installs and because I want (need ;)) dual displays. I’m not unhappy but nor am I happy with this, so I am pondering how best to move on.

Thought 1 was to by an iMac and hang my exiting screen off it, then somehow sort my Mail.App mess out, freeing up my MacBook to be a laptop infront of the sofa and ‘lugabout’. Then Apple brought out Santa Rosa on the MacBook and, you know me, I started thinking again. Thought 2 then was to upgrade the MacBook and keep the G4, though I am unsure how this helps! Ho-hum. So then I saw these Asus eee PCs, leading to thought 3… all I need for sitting about is a web browser, a terminal client and the ability to connect with Juniper’s Network Connect VPN client. So, buy an Asus thing and an iMac. This means that I’d have my MacBook for meetings etc. I don’t need so many machines though, so sell the MacBook and swap the iMac for a MacBook Pro, which is thought 4. I wouldn’t have to sync Macs, I could take the MBP to meetings etc and have the eee PC for quick browsing etc on the sofa, or indeed round and about.

This leads to my wondering though, what the heck, other than .2GHz more CPU and 128MB more Graphics RAM, does the 250quid difference (HD size excluded) get me between the two 15″ MBP models? I am puzzled.