Rapture Pro is a unique synth because of its extensive modulation and step sequencing options. Therefore, it's absolutely essential for some people doing some types of music, and useless for others. Check out the demo and decide where you fit in that continuum. Personally, I use it all the time but I do a lot of very electronic + dance-oriented music. 
 
Also consider that the lifetime update is a limited-time offer. You can always pick up the rest at your convenience, and after trying any pertinent demos.

Thanks Craig!
 
Yeah, I'm already sold on Rapture Pro.  I've heard the sound demos and I'm right there with it.
 
It's TH3 Overloud that I'm vacillating on right now.  It adds $150 to the price of my upgrade, which is a bargain compared to the straight-out price from TH3.
 
But it still adds $150 to my price, and right now money is tight.

For mp3 conversion I prefer dBpoweramp ($39) which rather than being a one-trick pony, offers all kinds of mp3 conversion features as well as being a full-blown CD ripper. 

I'll second dbPoweramp.  I purchased it a few years ago when I started ripping my entire music collection (a two year process that I just finished).  It includes several useful utilities, including a robust converter that will convert about anything to about anything.
 
 

Picked up Rapture Pro a few months back when they had a special on it for $50.  Have played around with it but haven't really used it in any projects.  So guess my two cents are moot. lol

I went with platinum+Rapture Pro and the MP3 thing.  I skipped TH3, because it would have made my bill over $400.  Can't do that.  Maybe there'll be a sale at Christmas.

Positively Charged
Got busy with other stuff but now I'm back and looking at this again.  The addition of all three add-ons raises my upgrade price to over $430.  I'm feeling a little whiny about that.
 
I'm thinking of leaving TH3 off of the order.

The MP3 encoder finally worked for me. Cakewalk told me that I had to run some authorizing program instead of just inputting a serial number. I told them they should incorporate it into Command Center because I would have never known to do that.

Waves GTR3 is on sale for only $49 right now and IMHO is better than TH3. By better I mean specifically those elusive in between tones. High gain and clean are good on both programs and If I hadn't gotten GTR3 as part of a bundle I recently bought I would still be using TH3 since I thought that was the best up for me until that time.