Maxxed out iMac or entry level Pro?

I am not a power or sophisticated user, just someone who wants enough machine to last a while, horsepower-wise.

It looks like the advantages of a basic Pro would be better ventilation/cooling, effectively infinite expandability, and discrete components (allowing targeted upgrades and easier repairs). Would the appx $1K difference in price (w/screen) buy anything else?

Conversely, are there any advantages to the iMac even though it costs less?

Thanks so much.

The biggest advantage to me is the all-in-one design. After many years of Dell/Gateway and something else I can't remember, it was great to not have the box.

Another Mac Pro voter for future upgrading with four hard drive bays, tray loading optical drives, two if need be, more memory and graphics upgrades. Also CPU's can be upgraded if need be.

Thanks, guys.

A related question: when researching either machine, I keep encountering cautions to avoid the Seagate 1TB hard drives that Apple fitted recently---or maybe just a certain production run of them?---and to get confirmation at order time that one of the problem-prone units is not what they're going to ship.

Does anyone know how to do that when dealing with the online Apple Store? I can find no "comment box" sort of thing that allows any communication beyond ticking the BTO spec boxes.

Thanks again.

The model with that problem was the 7200.11. Phone the Apple store and ask for a machine with a Western Digital drive fitted and see what they say.