You love that "old" thing, don't you! lol
I knew you had personal experience. And I never said the Stage 3 HOLDS more power.. I said if your goal was "the most power" then I would recommend a 3 vice a 3+. While the 3+ is rated at a higher threshold than the 3, those who are shooting for goals that exceed "more power but driveable" are probably shooting for goals of max speed, max power, or drags. Why ELSE would you need MORE than 500+whp? You have that much, and you obviously want it to use it, at which point "drivability" concerns have long since been eclipsed by the desires for attaining your goals. In that case.. a 3, with its 6 puck design would stay cooler (as you noted) grip quicker, and provide the extra strength needed if you were in a drag/power situation/competition.
Again, as you were, I'm just speaking from experience.
Really, to break it down to the "average" user.. If you are in the realm of NEEDING a 3 OR a 3+, you're likely to have ALREADY done your homework and already
know what you want or will benefit the most from. In the case of the OP, I would think a 3+ would be the best fit for his desires; after all that is what its all about.. matching your desires with your goals and then finding the optimum setup (equipment, costs, ease of use) to match or closely approach those desires/goals.
There is a time and place for both the 3 and the 3+. Neither can be excluded in a lump sum, such as was being started in this post, which is the only reason I bothered to jump in with my side of the situation.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled questions...