You're both right about the MoBo--it uses an AGP slot (currently sporting a factory-installed GeForce 5500 ). So my rig really is obsolete--probably the only things I'll salvage from it are the sound card and optical drive, and no meaningful upgrade can be made. I can't complain too much--I got it almost four years ago, I've upgraded RAM, got a soundcard and replaced the DVD drive, and haven't seen any deficiencies until the last few months.

Looks like the wiser course is to save up and get the new rig all at once down the road (hopefully by the time Spore comes out ). I don't need bleeding edge, but it's reached the point where I'm bare minimum or below specs for anything new, and I'm cludgey for some online content.

At least I'm edumucating myself in the meantime.

Any recommendations on PC-building info, tutorials, etc? So far I've relied mostly on Newegg reviews and MySuperPC, plus random surfing of reviews and manufacturer sites.