4 Responses to “Will it be easy to add a video card to this quad core pc?”

1. Jamfo Says:
   March 24th, 2010 at 2:31 am

   Yes… you could add a video card fairly easily as that computer has an open PCI-E 16x slot… however, the power supply is my biggest concern (read to the bottom for that issue…)

   Just make sure you buy a video card that will fit in the case size-wise… when you take the side off, measure the available space around the PCI-E x16 slot… many times these budget cases will have the hard drives mounted toward the bottom of the case limiting the length of the graphics card you can install. I’d hate for you to buy a good graphics card and then have it too long to fit inside.

   Also make sure the video card you buy is 64-bit Vista compatible, with solid drivers, as this computer comes with 64-bit Windows Home Premium installed.

   Now… as far as the power supply… that unit only comes with a 300-watt power supply, which is far too little for any good graphics card. Normally I would say go ahead and replace that power supply with any good off-the-shelf power supply of 600-watts or greater. You can find tons of those, fairly inexpensively, at NewEgg.com or any computer parts retailer.

   However, and I don’t know if Gateway still does this, Gateway used to be notorious for using customized power supplies in their systems. You will DEFINITELY want to find out if this is still the case, or if they are now using standard power supplies in their computers. If they are using a custom supply (in other words, they modify voltages and pin placement from the standard industry specs), you will have to order a new power supply from them. If they are using standard, go ahead and buy anything you like. I would simply call or use the on-line chat feature to talk to a Gateway rep and ask the question.
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2. xsageonex Says:
   March 24th, 2010 at 3:08 am

   yes, but look at the answer to your other question
   References :

3. JoelKatz Says:
   March 24th, 2010 at 3:31 am

   Don’t waste your money. There are cheaper computers that beat this computer across the board.

   Don’t get suckered by the fact that it’s a quad-core. A dual-core with cores that are twice as fast will outperform this machine easily. The 9100e CPU in this computer has a PassMark CPU rating of 1,950. And you won’t even see that unless you have applications that can take full advantage of all four cores, and most can’t.

   Here are some Intel dual-core CPUs and their PassMark ratings:
   E7500 2,099
   E8400 2,144
   P9600 2,092

   I’m not saying this is a bad computer. Just that you can do better. If you really do have applications that can take advantage of all four cores, it might even make sense.
   References :

4. Mark N Says:
   March 24th, 2010 at 3:53 am

   If you are already planning to install a graphics card and power supply, then why not go all out and learn how to build a computer for yourself. If you learn how to install a graphics card and power supply, you are basically doing the necessary steps in the process of building a complete system. Just go to you tube and look up things like installing a motherboard, installing a CPU, and spreading thermal paste. You will find many helpful videos. Now I am going to take your $500 budget and maximize it with parts from newegg.com… That system you want from best buy is crap for gaming. 1.8ghz isn’t nothing when you want performance in gaming, why blow your money needing more to begin with…
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121001 case $40 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347 Asus motherboard $97 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057 q8400 $185 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241 4gigs 1066mhz $50 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 640gig hard drive $75 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030 DVDburner $24 shipped
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488 OEM x64bit vista $99 shipped
   There you have a complete system for $580 shipped that will run circles around the Best Buy system… Now all you need is graphics card and PSU…
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337 4850 $120 shipped this is a good card if you want good graphics at only rather high settings such as a 19" monitor up to a 22"…
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 4870 1gig ram, $190 shipped
   I have a 4870 running on my 61" HDTV and uses 1920×1080 resolution. Plays games on high settings.
   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159085 700W PSU $60 shipped
   This PSU is a little overkill, but it is at a very good price.
   The case I chose is one I own and it can handle a front and rear 120mm case fan and you can remove the bezzle on the side cover and install a 92mm case fan then mount the bezzle onto the case fan to direct air directly to the CPU heatsink.
   Read up and learn to build and actually get much more value out of your dollar than letting someone charge you double for your systems value…
   If you have any questions feel free to email me…
   References :

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