Recommendations, please.

[AlecWest]

This is my current system:

AMD 450 K6-2, 96 megs RAM, Win98SE (USB port currently open)

Using TMPGEnc and VDub, I've been able to create VCDs from various downloaded file types. My RCA DVD player recognizes them and they look just as good as (or better than) the VHS tapes I own. Now, I'd like to capture some of these VHS tapes for VCD creation purposes. I realize the first thing many of you might say is, "Upgrade to a faster system." However, I'd like to hear recommendations of what I can do with what I've got right now. What capture cards (or devices) would be friendlier to my limited system and encode in either a ready-for-VCD MPG format or a format that could be successfully converted to ready-for-VCD MPG format with TMPGEnc and/or VDub? I'd also like to hear about cards/devices I should avoid like the plague. Thanks in advance to all who reply.

[AlecWest]

P.S. I noticed that the Kim Komando radio show was on and gave her a call. She said my system wasn't good enough to do video capturing. However, some friends have said otherwise. Frankly, I don't know who's right and who's wrong. But, she offered what might be a "workaround" and I'd like to see if others have tried this. She recommended I buy a digital camcorder (or other digital recording device) and input my tape player output into the camcorder/device ... making a digital file I can import through my USB port and later convert to VCD-ready MPG with TMPGEnc.

Frankly, I'd rather do this via a video capture card -- or some external capture hardware hooked up to my USB port. And, if I can do it this way, please make recommendations of cards/devices. But if I can't do it this way, are there any reasonably-priced digital camcorders allowing external input ... or digital recording devices I can hook up to my VCR output?

Thanks in advance to all who reply.