I Really Need Your Help AGAIN ASAP

Hello just got a few questions for you guys and Im hoping i can get some answers or advice.

Here is MY COMPUTER specs so dat you know EVERYTHING you need to know about MY SYSTEM.

Ok, heres the thing, i know that most games require a powerful graphics card but what i dont know is:

1: Do i have an AGP, PCI, or PCI-EXPRESS slot available
to use a graphics card?

2: If i do, which do i have AGP, PCI, or PCI-EXPRESS?

3: If it is a PCI-EXPRESS is it 2.0?

4: If i do have a slot available for example a PCI-EXPRESS slot, what do i have to do then?
do I just buy a powerful graphics card e.g. Sparkle Geforce 9800GT, a few fans to cool it down and just put it in my PCI-EXPRESS slot and start playing?

5: Is it that easy? if i have a slot available can i just buy any powerful card that fits it and start gaming?

OR...

6: Would da powerful cards not be compatible with my motherboard? which in case that is true.. i would need for sumbody to tell me the the most powerful card i COULD get that WOULD be compatible.

thanks for reading and i hope to hear from you soon.

 

According to the specs, you have a PCIeX16 slot available. It is 1.0, not 2.0, though.

If you get a video card, it would be best if you had a friend install it. You can watch him/her, and learn how to do it. You will then be able to replace the inards, on a computer, on your own.

 

First, I would recommend a new power supply. I don't know what Gateway has in your system, but odds are that it is not a good one.

As for PCI Express, the PCI 1.0 vs. 2.0 probably doesn't matter. Any difference will not be noticeable.

For the Video Card, I would say the ATI 4850 (same price but faster than the 9800 GT), but if you prefer nVidia, go for the 9800GTX+.

Also, you could get a more powerful Video card than the 4850, but your system is not fast enough for it (also anything better than the 4850 will be over $200).

You will get a performance boost from some extra RAM. 1GB or 2GB extra will do fine. Right now you have 2x512. I would recommend adding 2x1024 (2GB) as there is not much price difference.

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272
or: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231018
or: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141199

Total cost about: $250

I am not too familiar with the 945G chipset, so wait for more feedback before you make a decision on the RAM. Also, if you want to get more serious into gaming, for now, do the Video Card upgrade and the PSU upgrade. Those can be taken into a future system, so there is very little risk in buying those.

Oh, you may also need a heatsink and fan for the CPU. I would not know what to recommend for that as some of them are pretty large and may not fit in your case. Also, pick up some arctic silver when you get a heatsink and fan. If you play games a lot, you want to keep your CPU cool to keep the PC from freezing.

Eventually, you may want 4GB of total RAM. It is not expensive to do today as it will only cost $60 - $80 total for 4GB of RAM (two sets of 2x1GB). You do not want your RAM to overheat while playing a game as it will annoy you as the system will constantly lag.

If you plan on keeping this system for a long time, get all of the upgrades you can afford and upgrade as soon as you can. This way, you will have a fast PC from the beginning and you will get the most out of your system for its entire life.

The Power Supply is the most important. The power to protect your system from parts getting fried. Next, is the video card in order to be able to play newer games. Next would be RAM (the first 2GB set). This will improve lagging a lot and you will be able to add some extra details. Next, the heatsink and fan for the CPU. This will extend the life of your CPU and allow you to play games longer. Finally, swap out the 2x512 RAM that came with the PC for another set of 2x1024. The RAM will perform better since this will be higher quality. Until you get all the upgrades, do not push your system to it's limits.

Overall, it should be a very nice system

 

Alright thank you guys so much for your answers, you guys were very helpful. Over the years i have learned just about everything i know about computers from this website, i was actually just a guest tho til now, and i am very glad i decided to join the team, both of you helped me out a lot.

But about the video card, I mean... i just dont know.. there are so many out there and so many people recommend so many different ones that i just dont know what i want anymore.

To put things simple, all i want is to be able to play most games.. like crisis, call of duty, brothers in arms, world of warcraft, splinter cell.. but im confused because i checked out the requirements for some of the games and its like:

"NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800 OR GREATER" and then its says something like "NVIDIA GEFORCE 7200, 7500, 7600, NOT SUPPORTED" (<<<i dont remember which numbers it said that it does not support, i just used those numbers as an example)

But its like.. u can play the games using a 6800 but u cant if u have something that is even BETTER!? what type of crap is dat? u know... and also i dont want to get a card that wont be compatible with most games either.

So in simplest terms, i want a card that is not only GREAT on GRAPHICS with MOST games but, that its ALSO MOST COMPATIBLE with MOST games AS WELL.

So can you guys PLEASE recommend me a graphics card dat is compatible with my system PLEASE. any comments or advice will be deeply appreciated plenty. thank you guys and I hope to hear from you soon.

 

And also let me state.. when it comes to the video card i would really like it if it wasnt too too big, because i would hate it if it did not fit in my case, or if it blocked off some of the slots that i need for example the slots for the memory cards or something.. JUST A THOUGHT.... i mean i bet they are all huge.. but if there is one that fits my criteria, and my case, and it did not block off anything that i need then that would be a must have..