Hi all, I am looking to buy my brother an upgraded video card so he can play better games. This is what he currently has: Pentium 4 3ghz, 512 mb RAM, NVIDA GEforce FX 5200, HP PAvillion a562n Any suggestions on cards (anywhere from $50-$300) or multiple suggestions within that range would be a big help. I have no idea about gaming cards. Thanks so much, Tara D.

Three things: 0. What slot (AGP or PCI-E) ? 1. You considered doubling the ram (1GB) ? 2. Do you have the current PSU's specs ? My sig is on sabbatical.

Tara, Your brother's HP Pavilion a562n has what is called an 8X AGP slot for the graphics card. The card you buy should be an AGP card. You'll need to double the amount of RAM on his system to 1024 MB (1 gigabyte) in order for him to be able to effectively play the newer games he undoubtedly wants to play. His computer has one available DIMM slot, and you need to buy a 512MB PC3200 DDR1-400 SDRAM 184-pin memory module to put into that empty slot. Here is a link for a $58 memory module specifically for his machine: http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=B59024C4A5CA7304&WSMD=Pavilion+a562n&WSPN=CT390474 His HP was shipped with a 250W power supply and this is a little low for the type of graphics card you will want to buy for him. I suggest buying him a larger PSU. You will need to buy a ATX12V power supply unit of at least 300W, PS2 Form Factor, five output unit with remote on/off, UL, CSA, CE, TUV. Here is one for $35: http://www.apactonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=191_194&products_id=228 Finally, given the upgrades above, I strongly recommend the nVidia GeForce 6600 GT 128MB. Technically, it will state requiring a 350W PSU but will run just fine on the 300W PSU above. It will also keep him playing the games he wants to play for the next 2 years for sure. Here is a quality manufacturer of the 6600GT for $139: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220&ATT=Video+Cards&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&srccode=cii_5784816&cpncode=11-3326839-2 Good luck and Happy Holidays, f i r e f i g h t e r @ g r a f f i t i . N E T

Wow, thanks for all the help! On the video card, is that the best one or if I spent like 50 bucks more would I get a significantly better card? Thanks again and happy holidays.

It's never worth it to spend more than $200 on a graphics card update. The technology changes too quickly and the prices drop with each line introduction and innovation. I should stress that he really does need the RAM upgrade and PSU upgrade described above. If you are a good shopper, you can get those items cheaper than my hasty search last night encountered. In fact I just bought the same 512MB memory module for a Pavilion for $9.99 after rebates. The PSU you could pick up for $25 or $30 probably. If you want to get him the best card that is best-suited for his machine, I definitely recommend the BFG 6600 GT OC 128mb. It is available for $194 here: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=326006 It is the fastest 6600 GT in production, will sustain him for the next couple of years, has a lifetime warranty, and is overclocked by the factory to be the fastest, most efficient 6600 GT GPU in production anywhere. On the other hand I should mention another brand of 6600 GT for $100 here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150098 All in all the Xmas package for him would/should run between $230-$260. If you need help on being a good geeky tech shopper, just email me f i r e f i g h t e r @ g r a f f i t i . N E T

Hi, Thanks so much, When I went to buy the additional memory, it recommended this card: http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=A9231FC6A5CA7304&WSMD=Pavilion+a562n&WSPN=CTVX800PRO256MB Obviously it is more expensive, but do you think it is worth it? Thanks again!

That 256mb X800 is only a slighty better card. It is however certainly not worth $209 more than the 6600 GT. It's also not worth $100 more than the 6600 GT! (I am pretty shocked that Crucial is charging that much for their version of the 256mb X800.) If the 6600 GT is a score "100", let's say, then that particular X800 would be about a "110". The problem with the X800 and X850 line is that they are massive power hogs. A lot of people can't use them because they require so much power. Note that your brother's Pavilion is severely power deficient with regard to this card. The other thing I don't like about the X800/X850 line is that they do not support Shader Model 3.0, which is the next generation of 3d pixelation modeling. (It supports only up to SM 2.0) All-in-all, with a proper PSU upgrade, he will enjoy the X800. Just please don't pay that much for it. Visit Pricegrabber.com and search for ' Radeon X800 256 ' .