Hi, I have a basic acer pc and I don't use it for much more than the internet and school. The specs for it can be found here: http://www.compusa.com/applications... ools/item-details.asp? EdpNo=3930595&SRCCODE=CNETC I was given BioShock as a gift but I can't play it because of my video card. I'm planning on upgrading but I'm not sure if it will work because my video card is integrated into the motherboard. Would that cause any problems? If not, I was planning on either getting ATI RADEON X1600 PRO or ATI RADEON X1950 XTX. I don't really know much about video cards so I was wondering if anyone has done something similar? Also, if anyone knows about a better card for around $100 that may work better, I would appreciate the suggestion. Thanks

Well, given the specs on the link you provided (Acer Aspire AM3100-U3401A), you have one PCI Express ("PCI-E" or "PCIe") x16 slot. This means just about any modern video card can go in that computer. You can shop around yourself on computer part sites (for example newegg.com, tigerdirect.ca) for PCI-E x16 video cards to get a good idea of the types of cards you'll find...features they offer, variations in specs, etc. RE: your question about compatibility. In the vast number of cases, your integrated video will automatically be disabled when you install a new video card (so you would use the monitor connector on the new card, not the one on the motherboard). If you're planning to buy your card online, you can probably find a bunch of cards in the $100 (US or CA, doesn't make much difference) range. In major chain stores, you're a lot more limited I think. Try local "small" shops which custom build computers...you may be able to find a really good deal, and in some cases might even find installation included in case you're a little wary about doing it yourself. Cheers Edit: I believe this should have been posted in General Hardware. Keep it in mind for next time :)

Your integrated video card may automatically in Windows, but not in the BIOS. You can to have the BIOS setting changed to "disabled", for the video card to avoid IRQ resource issues, etc. Jarvis-Technician TekTime www.time4tech.com

I haven't seen that since Pentium I motherboards...every modern system (and I use 'modern' very liberally) I've seen automatically disables the integrated video. That said, it doesn't mean such an option does not exist in some cases. Don't despair if you can't find such an option, it might not exist, but it's still a good idea to look for it in case it does.