Got the following:

Broadband (512k)
Computers with 10/100 Network Card (x2)
8-Port Hub

can i have both the computers networked and
also have the broadband split between them
running on the network - ie. have the broadband
cable plugged into the Hub and the 2 computers
too and still access the internet etc.

any info thanks, :)

You can certainly have both computers sharing the internet connection but I'm not sure the above setup will work. You say you want broadband cable plugged into the hub, well this depends on what type of cable you have. If its ethernet cable then its ok but if not you'll need a modem. Or do you mean plug the cable from an NTL/Telewest set-top box into the hub?

The easiest way I would do it would be to have the cable internet plugged into one pc and that connected to the other pc with the hub (or crossover cable).

You can plug the broadband from your modem into the "upload/download" port (if it is labelled) or port 1 on your hub. You should have Cat5 cable with your modem to connect the two. Then connect the two PCs to the hub and run Home Network setup in Windows. You can also use Internet Connection sharing but this affects some multiplayer games so I have been told.