Time for me to get a 360... what model do I get?

[shams]

I have always intended to get a 360... someday... and I feel that day is now approaching.

My birthday hits in about 2 weeks - and I can feel a 360 brewing. There are just enough games out now for the 360 to make me want one / need one - and some of the online services (such as movie streaming) are also very tempting.

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A few of my friends have 360's - so I won't have any issues getting access to games.

The question is - do I start with the Arcade model - pocket the remaining money, and just restrict what I can play - or shell out another $150+ for a Pro model?

$399 for an Arcade model - hopefully a reliable model...? Can I buy an external hard disk for this later on? 

$549 for the Pro model - the only extra thing it comes with that I need, is the HD/AV cable. I don't care much for media playback on the 360 (have a DVD player that does everything). But this might change with streaming movie support?

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I might even look on Ebay for a decent package. The objective is to get a "working" 360 for as little as possible - so I can play a few games (Mass Effect, Banjo Kazooie, GTA4, RE5 and a few more... online gaming is not a priority).

 

Any comments or suggestions? (and don't bother suggesting I get a PS3 instead - it doesn't have most of the games I want, and costs a lot more)