I'm not ashamed to admit that the primary impulse was to improve my -- how shall we say -- "gaming experience". On average, I'm getting 6 -10 x my previous frame rate in Second Life, at a higher graphic setting. And "Beyond the Red Line", the Galactica-based FPS, looks like an episode of the TV series by comparison to the previous FoxBox.

But there are practicalities. No, really. See my root post, about working from home in AutoCAD, and being "64-bit ready". Also, this box will remain upgradeable (if need be) for a while to come. The last one was nearly obsolete when I bought it four years ago, for the very basic reason of having PCI expansion slots, not PCIExpress.

And... I could afford it, in cash. And... I could commission a friend to assemble it, and get a better machine for the same total outlay as I might've paid Dell, or someone like them.