[crazygringo]

I think your main choice is primarily just condenser vs dynamic -- for budget, that means something like a Blue Snowball vs an AT2005 (similar to the Shure you mentioned).

And that's ultimately a question these days mainly of aesthetics -- how do you want your voice to sound? I personally prefer the condenser for being a bit more "full-range" (brighter, more sensitive = more realistic) but plenty prefer the dynamic precisely for being less sensitive so it picks up less background noise.

[justincormack]

Choice also depends on how much you use it. I do a lot of calls so I gave up on the mic on a stand that needs to be moved in place and mounted a small condenser on a boom above my head so its not in the way of the monitor and is always in the right place.