Most renderings are CPU dependant and not all programs can utilize multi processors. AMD makes the Athlon, Opteron and the Duron. Intel makes the others. (I have a AMD Athlon 2100+) Next most important is the amoutn of RAM you have. The more the better. (I'm runnin 1 Gig of PC 2700) The Quadro 4, If I am correct, is the Gforce FX with a different set of drivers than what ships with the FX card. Unless you're a graphics professional, spending that kind of money on a card doesn't make sense. The new Radeon 9700 and the recently released 9800 are excellent cards. The GForce FX was supposed to blow them away, but after reading the reviews, it's said to be a little bit of a let down. I'm running a 3D labs Annihalator 2 Ultra w/ 64 megs of DDR. Looking to upgrade to the 9800 which sells for just under $400. Asus motherboartds are good. When looking, see if it is upgradeable, how many PCI slots are on it, how much RAM it can handle and what type of RAM, PC2100, PC2700 and so on. If you are looking to spend a couple grand on a system, you will have a nice set up. Check out pricewatch.com They will list the prices for just about every component out there.

Because I like to blow $%&# up.

Don't fear the night.  Fear what hunts at night.