For whatever it's worth, I bought a Gateway FX7026 (2.5hgz quad core, 8800gt, 4gb ram, 64-bit vista, 640gb hd) and a 19" LG LCD monitor. This setup cost me $1400. The game even recommends to me that I play it on very high. It plays without any lag at all, though I have no fps numbers for you. This is a great budget system that should last you a while.