I finally got a Windows box so I can install SC and start playing. It's a bit older and slower, so I'm curious what folks think would be the best route to start upgrading to get the most out of it. 1) Asus P5K Premium WiFi ATX motherboard 2) Intel QX6700 quad-core @ 2.66 Ghz 1,333 FSB 3) 8 GB RAM 4) XFX GT8500 512 MB 5) 1TB HD I've been researching the mobo and it seems I found a bit of a gem. Asus says it can be upgraded to a QX9770 @ 3.2 Ghz and the board is designed with overclocking in mind. The QX9770 can run 4.0 Ghz stable... assuming you get the right chip. But even the stock 3.2 Ghz seems like it would be fine. Even the QX6700 that came installed can get up to around 3.7 stable with good cooling. So I may not swap the CPU at all. I think the RAM is more than sufficient even though it's only DDR2 at, I think, 1,066. I'm almost certain the graphics card is the weak link right now and probably where I'd be best off starting the upgrade. I haven't looked at the power supply yet to see how much headroom I have or what connections are available. I'm still waiting for the DL to finish so I can try the system out. So I don't currently have any idea what the performance is like. Honestly, I'm worried that my internet connection is going to be the bottleneck. Anyhow, I bought this rig because it was $140 and pretty much set up right to begin with. I'm hoping to avoid throwing too much money at it right away. But I think I can easily spend the next year or so upgrading it as need be.