I have a Radeon 9700 and have no complaints. My benchmarks for ut2k3 are always higher than the GeForce4 that I see posted in forums.I would stick with a CRT, IMO viewsonics are the best. You could always go with a
pioneer plasma tv .
If you are going to get the Radeon 9700 you need to get a decent system to get your $ worth.
I have the new altec lansings speakers they sound pretty good. I just use the sound card that came with my mobo.