For years the Mac for me was just an object of pure frustration. Gfx designers / Illustrators probably like them because out of the box, they're easy to use and look pretty. In reality though, they're the less stable than a man with one leg and a small foot.

A decent setup on a PC is more stable, more compatible, more upgradable, and generally they're a bit cheaper. I haven't installed Linux myself so I can't comment on any difficulties there, I don't even have it at home yet. My 3d training centre uses it though, and they say probably about 95% of top studios use it. That's reason enough for me to look into getting it at home too, but your requirements might be different. For example Linux isn't as compatible with games and other things.