Go for it, I'm a casual X-Plane enthusiast, along with ARMA 3 and a few other titles. Loved Elite when I was a nipper, and current embodiment is shaping up really very well. I've been on board through later beta stages of ED, and found a lot of cross over from flight simming etc. Learning curve with ED is moderate compared to an aviation simulator, and it has those elements that use your imagination and patience to make it rewarding over the longer term. You system specs will probably run it very well, and any pedals, yokes etc will come in very handy.
Great forums and tutorials out there, and some excellent add ons down the line by the sounds of things. Everyones different, but i would recommend even pre release. Maybe catch you out there Commander...