New Computer ... need advice - updated. Thanks Everyone!

[jsalemi]

but in the US it can be very expensive to get rid of an old monitor (it's considered hazardous waste),

Goodwill Industries (which are nationwide) will take used computer equipment - including monitors. 

And many local communities have started accepting electronics as part of their hazardous waste collection/recycling.

[Ambular]

but in the US it can be very expensive to get rid of an old monitor (it's considered hazardous waste),

Goodwill Industries (which are nationwide) will take used computer equipment - including monitors.  My local store charged nothing when I dropped off my 19" monster monitor, which I had replaced with a flat screen. 

http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about

Yeah, if it works. If it doesn't and if there's no place locally that takes dead ones for recycling, you're pretty much SOL.  :p

[cassblonde]

Not without problems, because you completely ignored the advice about not buying an Nvidia card.  These are known problems that stem back over a year.

Why do people even bother to ask if they are going to do the opposite? 

I listened...that was the card that came with the system and I will just have to deal as best I can with any conflicts that come up. I do, however, thank you for the heads up ahead of time.

Also what model of Intel Core 2 Duo is it?  Not that it really makes a difference to whether it will play the sims but I am interested.

I would have gone Intel and ATI not Intel and nvidia too.  And if I were you I wouldn't use McAfee for virus protection.  On a plus side you have a good amount of RAM, fairly decent size hard drive and you'll have XP instead of Vista.  This will probably run TS2 fine providing you don't run into Nvidia problems. 

How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind my asking?

The model is: Intel Core 2 Duo E6320. Not that I have any idea what that means.
I really don't plan on using McAfee ... I have my home computers on a network so our router protects us from a lot. All the other computers just have AVG on them.

I didn't pay for it. This is a once in a lifetime chance(hence I'm not looking the video card in the mouth to count the teeth it has to bite me with - Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.) my Mother won a fairly hefty chunk of cash and when she asked me what I wanted I said a top end computer. She paid $1700CDN for it from a store we trust that has done excellent service on our other computers in the past.

I do thank everyone for their information but again plead lack of tech knowledge in most instances. I think I will be happy with the new machine and if I'm not you won't hear me complaining because it was a gift and no one is likely to buy me such a pricey gift again for a long time, if ever. I'm very lucky as an adult to have such a giving Mother still willing to treat me like her 'little girl" and shower me with gifts(She also got my husband and I a new bed & bedding) when good fortune strikes for her.

Cass