I might be possibly be thinking about hopefully considering maybe a PC upgrade. I wouldn't need everything top of the line, just something that can get me playing The Witcher and some current FPS games. Crysis does not need to be the bar to reach. If it'll be too costly it's not that big a deal to me that I have to play Crysis. I really want to be able to handle Audiosurf at super high settings, and everything else at a comparable rate to PS3/360 games. Here's the PC I have right now. Tell me what I'm missing.

Product MPN
MPN	GT5411E
Key Features
Processor	Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz
Chipset	Intel 945G
Installed Memory	1 GB (DDR2 SDRAM)
Operating System	Microsoft Windows Vista Home
Recommended Use	Home Use
Processor
Processor Type	Intel Pentium D
Processor Speed	2.8 GHz
Processor Manufacturer	Intel
Max Processors Qty.	1
Motherboard
Bus Speed	400 MHz
Video Output Interface	PCI Express
Memory
RAM Technology	DDR2 SDRAM
Installed RAM	1 GB
Max Supported RAM	2 GB
Number of Memory Slots	2 x DIMMs
Supported RAM Speeds	533 MHz
Installed Cache Memory	2 MB
Technical Features
Integrated Input/Output Ports	USB 2.0 x 6 • RJ45 Lan Port x 1 • PS/2 Mouse x 1 • PS/2 Keyboard x 1 • Parallel Port (ECP/EPP/SPP) x 1 • RJ11 Phone Jack x 1 (Input) • Serial (RS-232) x 1
Expansion Bays	1 x 5.25" External Slim Line (1/6H)
Expansion Slots	PCI Express x16 x 1 • PCI Express x1 x 1 • PCI x 2
Memory Card Slots	Memory Stick • SmartMedia • Memory Stick PRO • xD Picture Card • Micro Drive Memory Stick • MultiMediaCard • SD Memory Card • Memory Stick Duo • CompactFlash Card type I • CompactFlash Card type II • Memory Stick PRO Duo • Mini-SD Card • RS-MMC Card • MultiMediaCard Plus
Other Features	15-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Hard Drive
Hard Drive Capacity	250 GB
Hard Drive Interface	Serial ATA II
Hard Drive Rotation Speed	7,200 RPM
Controller Type	Serial ATA II
CD / DVD
Optical Drive Type	DVD±RW Dual Layer
Optical Drive Read Speed	16x (DVD) • 40x (CD)
Optical Drive Write Speed	40x (CD-R) • 16x (DVD+R) • 16x (DVD-R) • 4x (DVD+R Dual Layer)
Optical Drive ReWrite Speed	24x (CD-RW) • 8x (DVD+RW) • 6x (DVD-RW)
Audio / Video
Graphic Processor	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Video Out Ports	15 Pin D-Sub VGA port x 1
Audio Input	Microphone Jack • 1 x Line In
Audio Output Type	Headphones
Integrated Audio	Intel High Definition Audio Subsystem
Modem
Modem Type	Fax / Modem
Networking
Networking Type	Integrated 10/100 Network Card
Data Link Protocol	Ethernet • Fast Ethernet
Dimensions
Width	7.25 in.
Depth	16.5 in.
Height	15.5 in.
Weight	23.4 lb.
Miscellaneous
OS Certified	Microsoft Windows Vista
Product ID	40955970

I'd say you need more RAM. 1 gig is kinda the minimum for Vista, I hear. And RAM isn't horribly expensive nowadays.

Also, how would it be with a video-card?

Max supported Ram 2GB, that seems rather low.

ya throw some RAM in there, try to get up to 4 GB

As far as I know it'll only support up to 2 GB. I hear 4 GB is unnecessary anyways unless I'm heavily multitasking.

I know I need a videocard also, so I'm willing to hear some good options for those in the know.

I heard the new Radeon cards of around $160 are completely adequate.

Come on PC guys. Where's the help at? I was expecting a little more enthusiasm to get another to join the ranks. Where's Shio, Ben, Squilliam, Vlad, etc.?

Start with the budget: how much do you want to spend?

For the least amount of $, your best bet is a simple RAM upgrade and a VGA card upgrade.

That would easily be under $200.

You can buy matched 2GB sticks of DDR2 6400 RAM (compatible with your MoBo? check first) for under $50 if you find a decent deal (NewEgg). At that price, it doesn't even matter if you're using a 32bit X86 version of Windows that can only address less than 3.5GB of memory.

A 9600GT can be bought for around $100. A 9800GT can be bought for maybe $120 w/ rebate (sometimes instant rebate).

ATI has fallen back into favor since the intro of the 4000 series and has an excellent range of VGA cards that are comparable with Nvidia's line up at all price ranges.

The 4850 is probably the best bang for buck these days, but still tends to run about $150 w/ rebates or big discounts. There are cheaper cards from ATI ranging from $100 to $130, (4830, 4670) that offer good price/performance.

Choosing ATI or Nvidia will often be a matter of best available deals, or preferably a close examination of benchmark tests (Tom's Hardware) to show which cards run which games best.

For a bigger upgrade: Intel Core2 CPU, 775 socket PCIEx16 MoBo, RAM, VGA card.. Price would vary greatly depending upon individual components sourced.

Around $200 does sound nice. If it's going to be too expensive, it's just not worth it, since I could just be spending all that money on games for my current platforms.

What would be the cheap end of the bigger upgrade you mentioned at the end? Roughly of course.

If you say exactly $200, I can find some good deals for you currently (or you can save the trouble and check NewEgg yourself!).

Even a difference of $20 can make a difference when it comes to VGA cards in terms of what you can buy.

If you find a GREAT deal at NewEgg, try to find a Radeon HD4850 for around $150.

It will probably require a mail in rebate at that price, so it's not the initial price you'll be running on your credit card.

Typically, when I'm sourcing parts, I try NOT to count the rebate as a part of the build price since rebates often take a long time to process, and sometimes don't get approved (currently waiting on a $40 rebate for a HD4870 that would be a great bargain at $225 w/ rebate).

As for RAM, I've seen DDR2 8500 (1066mhz) 2x2GB kits going for under $50. If you can score a deal like that, you're set, even if you are using a 32bit OS that won't address the whole allotment (at that price, who cares?!).