Hello,

I currently own a gateway and want to upgrade it slightly, just to get some more 'oomph' out of it. I have been doing some extensive research on the latest video cards and benchmarks the past few days, and it seems the best card for under 200 is the 8600gts (EVGA). I won't bore you all with my rambling, so I will get right to the questions. Firstly, here are the links to my PC specs and the parts I want to add, respectively;

My CURRENT PC specs; http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1009400/1009400sp2.shtml

GPU; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130086

RAM; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145527

PSU; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

Also, a link to an excellent article I found regarding the 8600GT vs GTS, including detailed benchmark graphs;

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/426/

OK, so now you know my PC specs and what I want to add, so I have a few questions to ask;

1. I am pretty sure, but I just want to triple check (and get a pros opinion) that the GPU, RAM, and PSU will all fit and be compatible with my computer.

2. If I add 2x1GB of RAM, will the current 2x512MB of RAM currently installed work with it, or will I have to remove it?

3. How hard are PSU's to install. I am buying a new one because my current is 300W, and I just want to make sure everything is safe.

4. Do you feel these are good parts, brands, etc? I don't need a high end gaming rig, because I really only use the PC to surf the web, check email, watch TV, and OCCASIONALLY play a game or two. Right now I'm really interested in running Hellgate:London with decent fps and high settings with those added parts. I should be good for that right?

I really think that's it, so basically just gimme your input, lemme know if 100% for sure these 3 parts will fit and be compatible, and if they are good performance (unless you STRONGLY feel I should get another vid card in the same price range, I really find this to have the best performance on every article I read).

*I would like to make the purchase in the next hour or two, so any immediate help would be awsome. Thanks gamespotters!

Much appreciation!

are these simple to install, basically opening the case, adding them to their appropriate slot (without removing old parts) and presto I'm golden? And will I notice a significant increase in speed, FPS, whatnot? Basically I want to upgrade this gateway to run games like Hellgate until I create a gaming PC later this year, so as long as I can get decent settings with the extra ram and cheap card I'm happy.

I'll leave this short and sweet:

Will this computer;

http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1009400/1009400sp2.shtml

Be compatible with this ram;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145527

And will I notice a difference (going from 1GB to 3GB), mainly on videogames and use of the internet. Seems a good deal.

It's kind of like saying, should i get the car with 200HP or 205HP? When the 200HP car comes with a turbo.X360PS3AMD05

Thanks. Made it much clearer :)

I'll probably piece this all together late Sept-early Oct...Hopefully prices will drop a few hundred by then, as I have no need for a new pc until then.

Who knows how long that will take, but it looks like you have the money so why not get a quad?X360PS3AMD05

Well what I was asking is the quad has .6 less MHz than the duo, but it's a duo. Since I don't feel like overclocking as that seems complicated, I was wondering if the less MHz makes a major difference, or if the quad is still worth it over the duo.

So the quad 2.4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017) is 290 while the duo 3.0 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115028) is 320. For gaming, does the extra cores offset the extra MHz for a better deal?

What is this B3 vs. GO nonsense I am reading about?

Duo has a 2 core micrprocessor. Quad has 4.ifYour gonna dump $2000 in your rig then get the Quad Core. There arent any software programs or games that utilize the extra 2 cores, howver you'll be safe in knowing your ready to go when they do. Probly 6mths to 1 year away. Multi core cpus allow you to multitask many programs at once without seeing any lag or slowdown. For example 1 core might be utilizing the internet and downloading. Then the other core might be installing a game or program at the same time. All while you might be watching a DVD movie. All at the same TIME. Trust me it is GREATCracker__Jack

You have no idea how easy you just explained this. Thank you so much. Gamerwiz's setup seems really good, been researching all day, however the motherboard had some bad feedback. Seems Asus is the best in this category, but what do I know hahah. With this much crap in a pc do I go water cooling?

Thank you SO much guys. Just researching these parts I brought myself up to speed (slightly) on the modern technology.

One question I have, is what is the difference between manufacturers? For instance, the 8800GTX, is made by ASUS and EVGA and several others. Is one better than the other, or is it all about price and favorite brands?

How much difference do you guys think is between the 8800GTX and the Ultra, and would SLI configuration with either or be worth it or is that overkill as you wouldn't even notice a difference?