Amd doesn't currently have a hyperthreading equivalent  so some loss there. But that is always weighed against cost and performance. Ram on video doesn't help unless you are using cuda or opencl, so 512mb would be good, this would make previews a bit better. Get at least opengl 2.0 compliant. Get at least 4gb of ram, more if you want.

No need to think outside the box....
    Just make it invisible.