MoBo replacement on Gateway PCs?

You would need about 30 amps on the 12v rails to support a 8800 GTX.
I don't think you could find a Gateway PSU that supports that for your motherboard.
I would build a brand new PC for that card.

I already pulled out the PSU that shipped with it and replaced it with an Enermax 520W power supply.

Hi csturdiv:
One of my pc's is that model. I believe it is a "BTX" case and you would need to replace the motherboard with another BTX motherboard. I think your only option would be to replace the case and get an ATX (larger) motherboard. You would be able to re-use some of your present components in the re-build but the DVD drives and card reader may not be re-usable due to the Gateway case design. Since the original pc came with an non-transferrable OEM operating system, you would likely need to buy a new operating system if you use a new motherboard. All in all, you will actually be building a new pc to use that monster graphics card! Your old hard drives, new power supply, cpu, memory modules, heatsink/fan, cables, case fans, mouse & keyboard and monitor would be re-usable in a new build. One thing though, your cpu is a Pentium D 3GHz and on an ATX motherboard the cooling fan will run faster and make more noise than the fan in your present BTX case. I went thru the same decision making process you are and finally decided to just build a new pc from scratch. It was a fun challenge and I don't regret it since I ended up with a very nice pc. You will discover that if you build your own pc it will cost a lot more than a similarly equipped OEM manufacturer sells them for though. The big plus is, if you are successful building your own, you will learn enough that you won't need the support help of someone in Delhi, India when you run into a problem!

Newnerd

Not to throw an additional monkeywrench into your plans, but I've replaced motherboards on many E-machine and Gateway PCs, and the OS is usually tied to that specific motherboard. That means if you put a different brand and/or model motherboard in the case, the OS will not start up. It may not be the case with the machine you have, but it is something to think about.

Newnerd is correct. OEMs are built with little room for upgrades. Proprietary mobo design and PSU's are jjst some of the problems. The case itself probably will not take even a normal BTX mobo. May be time to BYO rig.

As Nwnerd said, you can reuse the ODD, HDDs, your new PSU and probably the RAM and possibly your XP CD. You'll need a new mobo and I'd plug a dual core CPU in there as well. Also a well ventilated case is a necessity.

Being former gateway tech i can tell ya merc is correct. Gateway uses proprietary case designs as well to go along with their motherboards. If you are lucky to get another motherboard that fits in there fine half of the time it will not line up externally due to the design of the case.

Best bet - get a cheapo $40 case or something and move in the componants you do want to keep.

Best bet (repeating everyone else here): New case and mobo. Retail machines ARE NOT designed for heavy duty upgrading, such as a 8800GTX. Also, the BIGGEST problem with Gateways are most of them are BTX design.

OK, consider this:

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 LGA775 965 Conroe $123+6 4/02/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

Chenming CMUI-P-601AEB-0 Blk SOHO Tower w/o PSU $60+16 3/31/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

(2) Scythe 3110KL-04W-B19-EB1 80mm 1400rpm Fan $9+5 3/31/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...
or get Panaflow low speed fans when available.

Tons of room to work with. Great cooling. Easy install. Great motherboard at both stock and faster speeds. Room for processor upgrade when ready.

I'll add the P5N32-E SLI Plus for consideration Down to $186 now and has all the bells and whistles. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks for the replies. I have already decided to build a new PC around the 8800GTX video card. Now I am starting the process of shopping for components. Thanks for the suggestions of motherboards and cases. I'll look into those on Newegg.