I want to buy a video card for a Gateway tower that was given to me. I'm confused, even after some Google research, about the PCI/PCI-e/PCI-Express business, so what kind of video card would fit into this computer? Would this one work? Also, the power supply, I think, is only 160W, does this mean I'll need to get a new power supply (300/400W) too?
i bought a new graphics card awhile back for an older desktop only to discover that i needed a new power supply and after i had ordered both of those i found out that my motherboard couldn't support the graphics card either so i basically ended up building a new computer and just moving my hard drive over.
you'll definitely need a new power supply for the graphics card and it just depends on what kind of card you're looking to get whether it will fit. i'm not an expert by any means but those look like normal PCI slots and most new graphics cards are going to need at least PCI-16 slots. for a new graphics card you'd need a new motherboard/processor at which point you're basically building a new computer. if you want to do that i can help, i built a pretty sweet one for around $500.
You are probably tettering right on the edge of power consumption with 160W. The card maxes out at around 70W, an older desktop is going to use around another 80-90W at peak. You would probably be better off getting a new power supply and a new fan as well.
Tavish wrote:You are probably tettering right on the edge of power consumption with 160W. The card maxes out at around 70W, an older desktop is going to use around another 80-90W at peak. You would probably be better off getting a new power supply and a new fan as well.
What would happen if I don't replace the PS? Would the computer blow up or something? Can I get any old power supply, or do I need a certain one for this tower?
Tavish wrote:You are probably tettering right on the edge of power consumption with 160W. The card maxes out at around 70W, an older desktop is going to use around another 80-90W at peak. You would probably be better off getting a new power supply and a new fan as well.
What would happen if I don't replace the PS? Would the computer blow up or something? Can I get any old power supply, or do I need a certain one for this tower?
It likely wouldn't blow up, but it might not boot, run sluggish or constantly restart itself when trying to draw power that isn't available. Typically it will be the first since power usage is highest at boot. You will need a power supply that will fit into the tower and make sure it has the correct output connectors for your harddrive (to make things easier).
Alright, I bought a 350 watt power supply and I bought a video card with 512MB of dedicated RAM. The picture quality is much better, but I still have the same problem. When I watch any kind of video (Hulu, Youtube, etc.) the video is really choppy. My internet connection is fine and this connection is wired. I watch Youtube and Hulu on my laptop and the family desktop with no problems. So is this a RAM problem (the soon to be PVR only has 512MB of RAM)?
UPDATE: I watched a DVD using the tower and the video quality was great, nice and smooth
Cafe Home
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
by sox 06 » Thu Jun 24, 2010 3:50 pm 
