Don't worry, you would just be starting a flame war not participating in it! Just sit back with the older tech heads, who have come to realise that brand names really mean squat, and toast some marshmallows. Asking which is better: N'vidia and ATI is a good place to start if you want to see the flames fly... even though neither is really better then the other and both brands are quite excellent in producing fine video cards. Yet I have friends who would rip my eyeballs out for using 'the wrong type.' I just don't' tell them what I am using....
I've been out of the tech game for so long but whenever I upgrade I always look at what requirements my games.. well require. Then I go out and find the hardware that matches or excels over that. Isn't too hard to compile a list, starting with the most recent and working back a few generations to get a card that is a good 'middle price range' and still much suited for the use your putting it in. I do suggest to go for some name brand stuff, but just what name doesn't matter. These days most named brand components are just as cheap as the non-named brand so why not?
I would start with motherboard, Ram, CPU and video card. These will be your most costly components. A cheap case, PSU, DVD drives and peripherals.. and vola, you have a computer that is more then likely better then any packaged deal you can get, and usually cheaper too.
Just a word of advice, don't let family talk you into getting a more expensive component simply cause they can get a store discount on it. Oh sure the 9800 GX2 serves me quite well and I was one of the first in Queensland to own one at the time... but damn it cost more then the rest of the computer combined and very few games require a video card larger then many laptops!
I could of easily been happier with two cheaper cards.... Oh well, at least I can say I own a brick of a video card.
