put some towards paying off my student loan, some towards savings, some towards a cintiq, and some towards an amp head/cabinet. that was easy my advice for you however is to save it for the time between college and job if you want to be able to live during that time without needing a job.
I wouldn't spend any more than the amount needed to upgrade your graphics card. But if you're happy with your current setup, I would save all the money.
- Save it for after I graduate and need money between school and job Unless you live rent free, in which case probably learning materials/workshop and student loan payments. Your comp sounds decent enough, so a laptop seems a waste.
Definitely best saved for between school and a good job. If anything, hopefully it will carry you until your next return and you can ride it a little longer. I had a crap job between school and work, but it was easier to build a portfolio back then, the work was easier.
I'm suprised no one has suggested the conceptart.org workshop. You won't have to spend any travel/lodging fees since you're in dallas, so it's already a deal, and the amount of inspiration you'll walk away with from that will be fuel to last you quite a while. You'd be able to still save/upgrade/travel/do something else…
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure a crappy temp job is in line for me once I graduate. Granted i'm saving up for an Intuos now and will be getting a place with a few friends within the next half year, so I'm gonna be short on cash pretty much from once I get my tablet till I graduate >_< Money is teh sux
I would suggest a 9800gtx, the prices are low for them and it would be a sizeable increase in graphic performance for you. It should run you between $150 and $200. If you can get a 1gb version then that would be the best. If your Motherboard supports SLI then you can always add another one later to get a little more of a…