As far as burner's are concerned, I think you'll find that most people are relatively happy with what they got. If you're doing 5 gallons, even the cheap 'turkey fryer' burners you see everywhere in November will do the job, I have one and it works. Of course, I should mention that I never use it but that's because I upgraded to the Hurricane. It's more powerful, quieter, and it runs on natural gas.
For me, noise is a huge issue. Running a high pressure burner for 1.5+ hours while trying to enjoy my afternoon was an impossibility. The noise just really got to me after awhile. For some, that might not matter. My Hurricane is so quiet, the noise of the actual boil drowns it out.
EDIT: I should point out that I'm not recommending the turkey fryer burners. They are ok for turkeys, but the other equipment is near useless for brewing since the pot is often too small. You're better off going with a real burner and buying your pot separate.
