I am very happy with the setup I bought at the Guitar Center.
I picked up a little preamp, the brand is TUBEPre and the model TP1. It has drive and gain controls and a VU meter. It allows balanced inputs and phono inputs. It plugs neatly into my Audigy2 sound card line jack.
The Mic I bought is the MXL 2001 from MXL, a division of Marshall Electronics. It is Cardioid with balanced output to my preamp.
I find it quite easy to work with. Add a nice stand and a pop screen and you are all set for under $150.
I write out a DVD without sound, and I have a rather long cord, so I can stand in a room away from the PC fans and watch it on the DVD as I record direct to the timeline to a PC in the other room. I have to set it up and then walk over to the mic, but it is easy enough to deal with a few seconds at the beginning and the end. Notice I said stand, and not sit. You will sound better in most cases.
Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com