I welded mine too, it doesn't bother me at all but some don't like it.

The only time its really noticable is during low speed sharp turns the inside back tire will chirp/spin like having a spool in a rwd car.

The key to keeping drivetrain strain to the minimum is keeping tires of equal diameter at all four corners. What I do is air up the tires so that they are of equal diameter, front has a little more air due to the weight than the rear, when the car will easily roll by hand while in neutral I know my tires are roughly the same diameter.

The stock center diff has a tendancy to break when encountering wheel hop during a hard launch.

With the welded center diff I get pretty vicious wheel hop at all four corners but damned if the diff will break, axels are another story.