Yes!  Thank you *very* much.  Bummed about power supply cost but I'm still
ahead of the game (as compared to buying a new PC).  I'll put the 1G's in
slot pairs "1" and the 256k's in slot pairs "2".  Machine has NO video card
so I'm not sure if ATI or NVIDEA matters, although I recall at the time of
purchase (4 years ago) that you could upgrade on the Gateway website to an
NVIDEA card for their machines, thus, I'm guessing that the NVIDEA might be
a better match (although it's really just a guess).

With a 19" LCD screen (no TV tuner, no DVI, no HD, etc.) I'm not sure the
higher end video card will make that much of a difference, except for the
memory buffer on the card.  Since my current PC isn't all that fast, it
seems that perhaps the 7200GS (smaller and slower) will work as a better
match than the 9600GSO (where I might have compatability issues, but again,
that's just a wild guess).

Off to Digilink or Newegg (I can't believe how overpriced Best Buy is on all
this stuff).
again, many thanks (my daughter is excited and is using some Christmas money
to pay for upgrades, pretty neat...).
lp

On Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 11:54 PM, d doran <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> RAM should be purchased as matched pairs. I would get two matched 1G
> modules for the system for 2G. If your planning on keeping the 512M, then
> you need to match the RAM to the existing RAM specs, speed, latency, brand,
> etc... For WoW, it's pretty intense and you might want to think about a 3G
> or 4G configuration, but make sure that you have matched pairs. 2x 1G pair
> and 2x512M pair or 2x 1G pair with a 2x 1G pair. Your memory should be
> placed in order in the memory banks, ie... 2x 1G in the first bank and
> 2x512M in the second bank and that should work. Since it's a proprietary
> board you might want to contact the vendor to be sure of memory
> configuration.
>
> Mixing RAM can have unwanted results.
>
> You need to decide on which video card you want to run. If you have an
> existing NVidia card then stay with NVidia, if it's ATI, then stay with ATI.
> It matters because of the onboard chipset and again you can have unwanted
> results.
>
> After you decide which video card you want, you need to check the Amps that
> the card will require. You'll definitely need to upgrade the power supply
> for either of the cards you mentioned. Generally speaking, the Amps on the
> 12V supply will be pretty high. I have a NVidia 7600 GT and it requires
> 18Amps on the 12V output, so I needed to upgrade the power supply I had to
> run the card.
>
> Watts shouldn't matter too much ( I say shouldn't ), the wattage of a power
> supply that will provide the 18A to 24A requirement of the video card,
> should be pretty healthy. I think mine is a 600W or 650W and supplying 18A
> on the 12V. Better power supplies generally provide higher Amps on all
> outputs than the less expensive ones.
>
> I use a plantronics headset, mine is an "over ear" design, but some people
> say this design makes their ears sweat. It completely covers the ear instead
> of resting on the ear, if that makes sense.
>
> I hope that I covered your questions, and that all goes well with your
> upgrade.
>
> > Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:46:11 -0500
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: [PCBUILD] Determining Proper Power Supply
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > The family purchased WOW for my daughter for Christmas - she is very
> excited!  But I need help upgrading the computer - especially the memory and
> video card.  Gateway 420GR Computer currently has Pentium 4 2.3-ish
> processor 512k RAM with a 305w power supply.
> > Memory:  I have 2 available RAM slots (SDR DIMM) and am planning on
> purchasing 2 1g DIMM modules.  Do they need to be "paired" or "matched"?
>  That is, could I buy a 512k and a 1g?  Does it matter?  Video Card:  I'm
> planning on either going cheap with a $59.00 Nvidia 7200-ish OR a high end
> NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO 768MB DDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card that is on sale
> for a great price ($100.00). Does it matter?  Do I have enough power to
> supply all the gear?  How do I determine the current wattage drain of my
> system?  Do I need to have more power than constant draw capacity (are there
> peak power demands for equipment like there is say, in the audio world?).
> She also wants a headset to talk online with Uncle who will help her.... any
> thoughts?
> > Just a normal Dad trying to help out his kid... any assistance welcome
> and would be most appreciated.  Many thanks.  Lanny
> >
> >         The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on our website,
> >            web based bulletinboard for questions and answers:
> >               Visit our sister website at http://nospin.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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