With Wii pre-orders on the horizon (Friday, at Gamestop and EB Games), and rising discontent with my computer's video card, I find myself in a dilemma. Should I pre-order the Wii, by dropping $100 down on it tomorrow, or should I save up for the more expensive CPU upgrade?

You're probably asking yourself, why not just do both? Well, under normal circumstances, I would. Unfortunately for me though, I am in an awkward upgrade position with my PC.

Currently, video card tech has progressed to the point that PCI-E is generally affordable, and AGP cards are starting to become more rare, and more expensive… which means if I choose to get a new video card, I'll also need a new motherboard. And a new motherboard probably means that I'll need a new CPU as well. So my desire to upgrade my video card unfolds into a string of necessary upgrades, all of which I would not make much sense to me unless I get something that's going to last me for a while into the future, to justify the purchase.

I don't really have any "killer apps" that I want to make the upgrade for - I just want to finish up my game of Oblivion in style, as well as have a much smoother experience with Counter-Strike Source, etc. once they start upping the graphics a bit and adding HDR to all the maps.

On the other hand, I'm looking at the news for game consoles today, and I see that the Wii is going on pre-order tomorrow at a few of the major retailers. They require $50 to do it, but I figure if I put down $100 now it will lessen the blow when I actually go in and buy the console. The Wii isn't the most technologically advanced console to hit the market this November, but it's got a lot going for it, and I am excited about it. Being able to play some of the games that I wanted to play for Game Cube, but didn't (since I haven't owned a console since the N64) sounds great, as well as the new Zelda game, new Mario game, virtual Console games, and all the other new Wii games and other stuff are things that I am having a hard time ignoring. It all sounds fun!

So what to do, what to do? I could very well go ahead and get both, but I would feel guilty for that. I am currently saving my extra money for a new-ish, better car than my '87 Volvo, and there's always bills, rent, etc. that need to be paid… plus, Christmas season is getting dangerously close for a lot of expensive extras to be put on my credit card.

Ah, well… I suppose a pre-order could always be cancelled if I really wanted to cancel it. And tomorrow could be a one-and-only chance to scoop up a Wii if there is anything near a shortage ahead, though from all the reports I have read, that will not be the case. And who can pass up the new Zelda? But then again, a new video card and CPU would be fun too. Hehe, well it looks like a pre-order is in order, and if I somehow come into some extra cash , which I am going to try to make happen with a side job or two, then perhaps I will be doing both. We'll see though.

Anyone else pre-ordering tomorrow? What are your thoughts on how the system will do? Or how many there will be? On a side note, the videos they just released on wii.com seem very genuine, and only reenforce the fact that it looks like it's going to be fun for me. Hopefully it is!