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Thanks for the suggestions guy's - still hanging in there for the right card. This machine will be used primarily for minecraft (client) , and I'm sure some other games, no need for the high end. But MC has changed a bit and requires quite a bit more to overcome the leaks of java. I have been harassed long enough - so the local MC server is up, his friends are kickin' chicken remotely, and he's using his old dell D810, which is awesome running school work w/ centos / libreoffice ect - but java, not so much. So I gathered up what I had around here, an Intel board w/ a 2.8 Ghz proc windows 7 and were golden aside the video card. Found a brand spankin new saphire 128 MB card in the pile, but the damn thing was obsolete when 7 came out. He has the PS3 and 3DS-xl so hey, not quite ready for high end on the PC.

for a performance/budget gpu i recently had a friend buy a HIS 7870 ghz edition for just under 200 bucks. thing is a champ although slightly on the loud side because of the fan. well, searching for a link it apparently went up in price, but either way here is the one he got. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161411

now days mudman. shaders and VRAM type and memory capacity are more importent then the days of core and memory clock speed give this a quick read mudman it lists all the popular cards from this year and gives a quick rundown on performance to dollar http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

It's a little more expensive but Apple's referb program is awesome. I got my mini from that program years ago and it never had a single issue. ... that machine has been turned off only twice in the past ~4 years. I highly recommend going that route for a headache free transaction without the risks private party purchases have. You have to keep checking back and grab the computer your looking for as soon as you see it listed. It took me two weeks to find the mini I wanted but I saved a couple hundred off the normal price... Sometimes referbs are better because if they were returned for an issue they get sent back out with updated, better parts. Sometimes they were never even opened, for instance, a Grandpa buys his grandson a mini but the kid wants an iMac... Apple takes that return and resells it as a referb even though it was never opened. Like I told you... I'll help you with it. You just need to save up at least half. Just make sure you keep your grades up and stay out of trouble. Which is easy for you.

I forwarded this to my Nephew Darrick, he knows a lot about current video cards... he should reply soon.