1) You don't need Cyanogen on the Galaxy Nexus.
2) Hardware wise the NOTE is best, then Gnex, then Captivate Glide, then RAZR Maxx............then N9
3) Putting CM9, ICS or MIUI would make the NOTE superior to the Gnex, and having chroot Ubuntu is just for the N9 to make it JELLY
4) Its your money...if you make a bad purchase only you will experience the buyers remorse