SINEtist - What software are you using that you don't LUST after more screen space ? In any event, I have found after building 4 DAW's (3 for me, 1 "consumer" PC for a friend, tweaked for audio) that if you want a "serious" stable machine for audio you need to build it FOR audio. Pick all components for stability and "lean-ness", follow all available widely accepted "tweaks", and then if you HAVE to use the same machine for other stuff, create a separate Hardware Profile for the other use, enabling whatever hard/software is necessary. Just one example - my music machines have all been set up to dis-able NIC's, modems, etc. in the "Music" profile, so there can be no calls for un-necessary interrupts.
Back to the original question - Given your statement about "occasional" gaming,I personally would get one of the Matrox cards, hook one monitor up to the primary out and live with "slightly less than blazing" game performance, knowing that when I ran out of room on the first video output I could hook up a 2nd monitor (or even TV on the newer G550). This is the way I'm going on the DAW I'm just starting to build. The G550 now supports up to 1600x1200 on even the second output, EVEN in TV mode, so I'm going to see what it looks like on a 27" TV/Monitor before I plunk down $800 on a second 21" monitor. An added benefit (to me, anyway) is that the larger screen can go farther away and still look as big - this may help ergonomics of the new mix station as far as equipment positioning vs. early reflections from near-fields, etc.
Don't mean to ramble, it's just that my head's so full of crap on so many fronts after all the research I've done to avoid un-necessary spending on this major upgrade, it's sometimes difficult to close the valve once it's been opened - So, wipe your shoes, throw out the stuff that doesn't help you decide, and lol.... Steve

I mainly use FruityLoops. I use a wide arrange of plugins and VSTis within that host. I also use Cubase, but just for guitar playing and processing. My plan is basicly use fruity as my sequencer, and then mix in some turntable-isms.

Is't not really that I can't benefit from having dual displays, it's more of a budget issue (and I'm a little picky). I don't want another crt display, and I can't afford the flat display that I want. I really haven't said to myself "I really wish I had another monitor", so I'm gonna hold off. I could go ahead and get the dual output video card, but I'll need one with digital out, for future upgrades.

I still want the asus Geforce 2 gts, but I really don't play games enough for the performance degradation (if one exists with this card) to be worth it.

Here's some choices, the only personal experience I have is with the Matrox G450 dualhead(polished professional drivers and highly refined display software) about $79.00 [="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=48&manufactory=1291&DEPA=1"]newegg.com[/]="http://www.newegg.c…"]newegg.com[/].

The ATI RadeonVE 32MB dual display with CRT and DVI outputs about $55.00 [[url=http://="http://www.newegg.c…"]newegg.com[/]="http://www.newegg.c…"]newegg.com[/]
I haven't used an ATI card for a while, their driver developement team was schizoid a few years back. I'm sure they've improved by now.

Any Nvidia Geforce2 32MB MX200 from about $45.00 [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.newegg.c…"]newegg vid card selector[/]="http://www.newegg.c…"]newegg vid card selector[/]Some are dual display, but the Nvidia solution has been less than perfect as far as dual goes. Gaming is nice though, I have a few of these.

No, I don't work for newegg, but they are a great company,a good place to start for parts buying.
By the way check out thier refurb section, my Matrox G450 was only $59.00 with free shipping, and no tax to NY. Refurbs show up daily, but disapear instantly.

If the links to bargains are not permitted someone please let me know.
Tommy P.

EDIT : fixed links

SINEtist - Know what you mean about the budget thing - check out matrox.com if you haven't already, there are some versions of their dualhead cards that work with both analog and digital (don't remember the exact ones) that way you could use analog now and digital later, or (I think) even one of each.
On the "gamer" type cards, there are a couple of possibilities to look at if you really want one - Some video cards don't even use accelleration methods if you work at 256 colors or lower - In my first DAW (Pentium Pro 200, 64 megs, 8 meg Diamond Viper V550 video) I ran at 1280x1024, 256 colors, and it made no difference whatever whether I turned accelleration off in the card's control panel or not. (In some other cards, this may not be true) Samplitude's help file (I think that's where it was) mentioned pulling back the accelleration on the video card if there were hiccups in the audio - This is also worth a try. Main thing with a music machine is to dis-able everything that doesn't matter, at least in the Hardware Profile for Music. I'd flip a coin for you, but they're all spoken for by music stuff... lol... Steve