I think BitTorrent is quite active soon after release date. And because it's network based in stead of server based, you could be downloading earlier than 2 - 3 weeks after release.
The download just takes a little longer, other than that there is no downside. And if you leave your machine open, others will profit too.
Also, I'm not quite sure how the BitTorrent gets started (but it always does).
I wait after the download a week or so, for the initial problems to subside.
Greetings Guus:
I think that the Torrent is great for large software releases, such as Fedora Core or OpenOffice, as it spreads the stress across the network and I think that Fedora Core 2 was on the torrent about a week after release. I usually get the original release after a few folks have retrieved it and installed to see if the release .iso files are good. I understand that torrent programs exist for FC2 and should work under FC3. We will have to wait and see what happens in the first week after FC3s release and when it will become available on the Torrent.
James McKenzie