What oh what to get...

Note: I'm hoping I posted in the right forum...

So midterms are over, and my parents promised me something if I did well on them. Originally, I wanted Half Life 2, but now I see 2 reasons against buying it: it's somewhat lost it's appeal to me somehow...and it runs like a snail on my laptop (or the other way around).

So, i've resorted to buying something that's actually productive instead. And it just so happens i'm stuck at 3 choices:
-TSE
-RTS Starter Kit
-Synapse Lighting Kit

I think I'll list the pros and cons I personally see with each...please, don't let this bias you, as this is written completey from a somewhat newbish point of view...

-TSE
pros: ummm...it's TSE! It's like super-real graphics and stuff! Plus it's at a pretty good Early Adopter price...
cons: when I tried to run the dojo demo earlier this week, i realized that my laptop my not be up to par with the hardware specs....so that's sorta a big downer...

RTS Starter Kit
pros: I love rts's. I've been monitoring it for a long time now, and my mind is just fantasizing
cons: I don't know exactly how extensive changes will have to be made. Plus, even though I love rts's, i frankly suck at playing them. Will this be the way when making games? o.o

Synapse Lighting Kit:
pros: fantastic resource. Just plain fantastic. I ran the demo and I was awed.
cons: How much exactly do I need it? In my current project, there's not that much demand for special lighting really...

so you see, i've run into somewhat of a trilemna. Can anyone who has bought these give me input? It'd be really appreciated! Thanks