I will help but not a whole lot, at least I don't think.

I wouldn't do it, way too expensive and I'm not sure you a NEED 256MB vid card.
I would go to [invalid URL removed]this card. Hell you could probably even go down to a 64MB card and be fine.

You MIGHT need a new power supply, but I dunno, I'd have to know all the components, as well as the PS's current wattage.

"The universe is hostile, So impersonal. Devour to survive." - Tool

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It will only give back the memory that would be stolen by graphics anyway. If the display is not that important, then I think its waaaaay to much to pay for a low end card. That NVidia they suggested is over $200, which is outrageous. Tell Gateway to get their damn hands out of your pockets.

[invalid URL removed]newegg has it much cheaper

The first one listed is only $68. Newegg is a good place to buy computer parts.

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Are there any differences between AGP and PCI video cards other than the mode of interface? What is the impact of the interface, if any?

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If you don't so a lot of graphics-intensive stuff like 3D image rendering in games or video playback then the real world performance increase would me minimal.

The nice thing about a grpahics card upgrade is that it can be removed and installed in a different system of you decide to upgrade your computer at some point.

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There probably isn't any need to get one with more than 128MB of RAM. The hardcore gamer types can debate the various merits of all the available chipsets and other choices until the cows come home, but for your purposes, it's not going to matter all that much exactly which card you buy. The one thing I would suggest you pay attention to, however, is getting one that has a plain heatsink on the graphics chip, as opposed to a fan-cooled heatsink. (While you would want the additional cooling a fan would provide if you were doing graphics-intensive things, they're *noisy* little buggers.) You can tell just by looking at the pictures - e.g., [invalid URL removed]plain vs. [invalid URL removed]fan

If you have any interest in possibly using the computer with a digital flat-panel monitor, using multiple monitors, or in hooking it up to your TV, you might want to pay attention to which kinds of outputs the card you pick provides.

There is no reason to buy from Gateway. These things are basically commodity items.

As to the power supply, I would be very surprised if just adding a non-bleeding edge video card would overtax your existing one. I wouldn't buy a new one unless the machine starts acting flakey after you add the video card.

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I'm going to pick up one of the lower-end AGP cards, one without a fan. (Unfortunately, I don't have any PCI Express slots, so that's not an option.)

For that matter, I don't think I've ever disabled my software modem. How do I do that?

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Some manufacturers sort of hide the BIOS stuff with a graphic screen or something, so you may not see it. I think the usual thing is to press the F12 key if this is the case, but someone will correct me if I'm wrong. If you still have a manual for the machine, or can find it online, then it should tell you how to get into the BIOS.

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[invalid URL removed]How to Install a Video Card

Integrated video can be a pain in the ass to over-ride depending on the motherboard. Do you know the make and model of motherboard you have so we can help you spot any pitfalls? Some motherboards require the video card to be installed in a specific slot (pci). If you're going with AGP it may make it easier.

To uninstall and disable your modem :
1) look for fax/modem/voice software in add/remove programs and uninstall it.

If your modem is integrated :
2) To disable the integrated modem you need to go into the BIOS like Harri said. During bootup there will be a message to press XX for setup. It could be F1, F2, F12, DEL, etc.

3) Once in the BIOS you should see a peripherals tab. Each BIOS is different so you'll have to see what's going on. Find the tab with Integrated NIC, Modem etc and disable it.

If your modem is not integrated :
2) turn off the computer, unplug all power, open the case, take out the modem.

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You can get around the motherboard/processer compatibility issues if you get a drop in Socket 423 to Socket 478 Upgrade Adapter from powerleap.

It's about $260. You will see a difference.

[invalid URL removed]PowerLeap

That being said, here's a thought for you.

With new computer prices dropping through the floor you can pick up a decent new computer for under $500 it boils down to budget and/or convenience.

Don't want to back up all your files and reinstall everything? The above upgrade just "drops in" - take it to your local computer shop if you have never noodled around under the hood, but it's an easy job for a do it yourself-er. Swap out your hard drive later on and you can make it a couple more years, easy. (Get a western digital raptor that spins at 10,000 rpm)

But for about $150 more you can buy a brand new Dell Dimension E520. It's [about] the same processor. Add another stick of ram and you are good to go.

Just for giggles, I customized one with a 2.8 Ghz Core Duo (not a Celeron - has 2 cores) GIG of Ram and a 256mb Nvidia GForce 7300LE, 160GB Drive and I was at $664 out - the - door.

This is a respectable system that would BURY the system you have even after you upgraded it with the adapter.

That said, I would wait...about another 6 months until Windows Vista actually ships in the spring. Upgrading your operating system sucks big time.

Hope this helps.

Uni

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I had much more noticable differences in speed by upgrading video cards than I ever did upgraded system RAM.

Whether it works for you, or how well, depends on what the bottleneck in your system is. But if you can get a good video card for a reasonable price, I'd definitely try it.

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I can see a definite improvement in my computer's performance.

Thanks for the input everybody!

Unicorn,

I appreciate your advice about the Socket 478 Upgrade Adapter from Powerleap. I'm going to look into it and figure out whether it makes sense to use it to upgrade my CPU.

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