Ok Capt MattJ, I did some research on this as I must admit that I built my own machine around a similar time to you purchasing this computer but I went down the Intel Core 2 Duo route (E6600 2.4Ghz oc'd now to 3.2Ghz). So I am not overly familiar with AMD from this time scale of 2008.
You have a Gateway desktop machine with a AMD Phemom X4 9150e CPU clocked at 1.8Ghz. Firstly the e in the spec denotes that it is an energy efficient CPU. It is a quad core but has a slow (laptop style) clock speed of only 1.8Ghz. Your motherboard is a Gateway RS780 which is based on the AMD 780G chipset.
I searched for your motherboard spec online and I think that I have found it
here. The important spec to take from this is:
Quote:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI conventional
|
So we know that you have a PCI Express x 16 slot for a graphics card. Hence you are good to go to install a graphics card in that x 16 slot. Now the questions that you need to ask is what type of graphics card do I need in terms of performance? For a start looking at your weak CPU clock speed and the fact you use a 19" monitor you don't need any super dooper new fast graphics card. That would just be a waste of money. As others have mentioned you will need to also check your power supply to make sure it has the specs to cover the install of a graphics card in terms of wattage, 12v rail, and also 6 pin graphics card power connectors. Also you will need to make sure the graphics card length is not too long and that it will fit in your case. What is your budget to spend on a graphics card?
If my post doesn't make sense then excuse me as I am somewhat bleary eyed and tired.
