Half-Life 2: The hardware path

Are you one of those poor people who looks on enviously as the hordes play Half-Life 2? Wondering if your weak little system can handle it? Don't want to suffer the humiliation of single figure framerates and load times long enough to make a cup of tea?

Never fear. Hardwareanalysis.com have benchmarked a bunch of hardware in an effort to help you, the consumer, figure out where the best spot for that ludicrously expensive upgrade you can ill afford is so you can run the game that some people are saying is the "best game ever". (At least until the next "best game ever" comes down the pipe.)

As an aside to those in the know, which game is heavier on the hardware? Doom 3 or Half-Life 2? Inquiring minds want to know. (As in me.)