Mate, I am running SH4 on a AMD 1800 (thats 1.5Ghz) and a ati 9800 Pro - and it runs fine. And I have less than a gig of memory! However, like you I will be upgrading soon. The question is - how much horsepower do you need?
For instance - my next rig is going to be a mid level machine - Intel dual core 2.13 running 2gigs of ram with a X1650 vid card. Dual HD's, a DL dvd burner, required floppy, motherboard, case, additional fans and power supply - everything I need to build the box. I already have a licensed copy of XP so I dont need another.
Cost of parts - all from Newegg - last I checked was 797 plus 36 for shipping and such. Its not a monster rig - but more than capable of running SH4 maxed out.
Dont spend $2k - if you dont want to do it yourself then get a local PC outfit to do it - or heck - I'll put the thing together for you if your willing to pay the shipping.
Going with an off the shelf product does have its advantages - its warrantied and you can take it to the store if it breaks - but if your going to go that route - I suggest Dell. They will send a tech to you if your system breaks under warranty. But if your going to drop that kind of cash into a system - either build your own screamer - or get it from a company that is going to provide uber-support - and dont allow them to put all the gunk on it - tell em you want it WITHOUT an OS instaled. Otherwise shelf companies add in all kinds of crud that sucks up performance.
Its a tough choice - you will get alot more bang for the buck if you do it yourself. Either way - enjoy!
Good Hunting!
Captain Haplo
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