"I would like to get a graphics card that is, say, middle of the road; providing high performance with as low a cost as possible." IMHO, the Radeon 9550 128MB/128-bit is NOT! middle of the road. You simply don't build a 64bit rig and top it off with a $70.00 card. B4 you criticize a bigger man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you're a mile away, and you have his shoes.

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Okay, then please state what you would top it off with.

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With that system I'd say a geforce 6600gt, they are your best band for buck right now. It would go down well with World of Warcraft for sure. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-140-047&depa=1 A 100bucks more and you will get some longitivity out of this card. Radeon 9800 Pro 128Mb AMD Barton 2800 Asus A7N8X E-Deluxe 512 DDRAM PC2700

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Yup, I was going to suggest the 6600GT (PCI-Express) too. You are getting a PCI-E board right? B4 you criticize a bigger man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you're a mile away, and you have his shoes.

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I sure intend to, I want the max upgradeability I can get right now.

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If this is your first build, then I would suggest getting something cheaper, a little older, and have less complex components, almost just to practice with. That's what I did-and I was gratefull. Even though it wasn't the fastest PC in the world, now that I look back on it, it was a good starter mobo and CPU. Oh-here's the stats of that PC: AMD SlotA Athlon 700 Shuttle SpaceWalker mobo(AMD chipset) GeForce2 MX400 64MB 256MB PC133 SDRAM It added up to ~$200(US) It was no hotrod, but it played Quake3 excelently. Setup was easy becuause the motherbord was of very simple design and all of it's features were printed directly on it. Like the pin cluster for plugging in the power button, leds, PCspeaker, etc had a config diagram right next to it. Perfect for beginners, like me. The inexpensiveness of the components meant that a screwup wasn't as earthshattering. Also, CPU slots are more forgiving that sockets. With sockets, if you bend a pin or apply too much pressure, it's done for. Keep in mind that I'm not promoting a config that will be able to play games like HL2, just a good starter one. If this wasn't your first PC to build yourself, I would suggest something much faster and complex. But better safe than sorry, esspecialy when money's short.

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Unless you can't follow directions, I don't see how building an Athlon 64 could be dangerous. Even the heatsink and fan is rediculously easy to mount now. Buddy of mine just built his own box, and never so much as installed add on cards prior to that. If you want practice, disassmeble and reassemble your old computer. That way you don't spend $200 on old crap. ;-) "...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

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Sounds like a good idea psycho, depending on what kind of computer he has. Not necessarily "old crap", just stuff that isn't as crucial if it's accidently damaged. What I was getting to was the whole experience of putting together new parts that you're not familiar with and setting up everything anew. But it's your computer and your money Baravis-do what you wish. :) Socket CPUs are somtimes tricky, that's why I spent $5 to have the guys at the other end test my mobo/CPU combo before shipping. That way they had to install the CPU for me. There was no danger of me damaging it, which I probably have done, I dunno. But some companies don't do that, but it's good when they do. BTW: partspc.com is where I got my mobo/cpu combo.

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Mitch - Retail boxed Athlon 64 CPU's, if you manage to damage it while mounting the heatsink, you had to something REALLY stupid...like for no reason use the CPU as a hockey puck. The heatsink you slip the clip over the notches on the socket on both sides, and then push the plastic arm down. Seriously, a five year old could do it. The CPU's auto detect in the motherboards, so you don't have any jumpers to set, or things to set in the BIOS for the CPU specifically unless you're overclocking or something like that. I wouldn't even pay them to pretest the combo anymore. Even the Athlon XP's have those horrid clips you have to use a flathead screwdriver to put enough pressure on the clip to get it secured, and if the screwdriver slipped, say bye bye to motherboard, and possibly CPU. You had to have a certain amount of confidence and skill to do some of those right. Not the Athlon 64's...and I say that's a good thing. And yes, anything older than three years ago is "old crap". I got tons of old crap I still use, but it doesn't change the fact it's old crap. ;-) "...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

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You're still using your "old crap" for a lot of useful things, right? So don't knock me about it. I almost destroyed my mobo trying to install the heatsink on my new AthlonXP, I'm just glad I've done such things before, giving me more experience and confidence in the proccess. It's easier to install a heatsink on a SlotA because you clip it on BEFORE you secure the CPU to the mobo, making it more unlikely for you to damage it with the massive pressure required to install the heatsink. Having a successful intallation instills confidence in the first-timer. It can be a nerve-wracking experience. I know I've been there! Chaintech 7NJL3 mobo nForce2 +MCP 400 chipset GeForce FX 5700 LE 256MB --- Feel the Force

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So how would installing a Slot A CPU and fan help you learn how to install a Socket A, Socket 754, or Socket 939? I don't get it. The process is so different, none of it applies. And like I said, Athlon 64's are incredibly easy to install, so I really don't see the use in wasting his money on something obsolete. "You're still using your "old crap" for a lot of useful things, right? So don't knock me about it." Now who takes everything seriously? LOL. "...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

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