>I also note that Rambus (RDRAM?), AGP4 and 133mhz bus are right around the corner, so a small wait while I investigate more deeply may be worthwhile.
>

RDRAM and the 133MHz FSB are here now; the newer Pentium IIIs up to 700MHz use it, and these boxes require RDRAM. There's good coverage of these at http://sysdoc.pair.com

>Its also going to be my first venture with a NT Server system. Maybe a somewhat longer wait, for 2000, is in order too.
>

February 17th is the official ship date; you can get the RC (Release Candidate) now for a nominal charge, and it comes in the MSDN Universal subscription and TechNet Plus subscription (and is being given away at most MS conferences, too.)