Can i upgrade my nvidia geforce 8500 gt ??

First of all, your memory can't be dual channel with 3GB.

The 8500GT is most likely PCI-express 16x. If it is, you can upgrade to almost anything. Let me know what you would like the video card to do, and I can recommend one to you. Also, a budget would help.

If the video card is PCI, you really can't do anything.

hears a pic of it !!!



<a href="http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/3made/?action=v..." target="_blank"><img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/3made/004-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/3made/004-2.jpg

i'll pay $125 or so

Good News! It is a PCI-express 16x.

It'd still help to know what you'd be using it for, but here's what you can get for the money. They'd all be significant upgrades.

HD4830 - $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HD4850 - $134
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Geforce 9800GT - $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HD3870 - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The HD4850 would be the best out of these. The next step up would be to the $200 area.

i got ddr2


it's for ddr3 will it work ????????


the HD4850 ??????????

Whoa, back up there a minute please Dougx.
3GB could easily be dual channel; 2x1GB + 2x512MB
That Gateway's PSU may not be capable of powering even a 4830, let alone a 4850 or 9800GT.
Most likely it will handle a 4670 though, which is still a lot better than that 8500GT. Unlike those others, it does not require auxiliary power.
3made, how many watts is the PSU, and how many amps are on the +12 rail(s)? A pic of its label would tell us.
Also, the type of memory on the graphics card (e.g. GDDR2, GDDR3, etc) need not be the same as is on the motherboard.

Yes, it will work. DDR2 is old and slow for graphics memory. Whatever card you choose, make sure it has at least DDR3 memory on it. GDDR4 or GDDR5 would be even better if you wanted to pay for it, but GDDR3 will be fine.

You will notice huge improvements in video intensive applications with the HD4850.

jtt283: Thank you for pointing out my errors. It is possible that it's dual channel.

But more important, the Gateway only has a 300W PSU. This will definitely affect the video card selection. It would be easy to upgrade the power supply, but it would take more money. An HD4670 would still be a big improvement. You just saved 3made a lot of hassle. Thank you.

http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1014735R/1014735Rcl3....

I found the specs here: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1014735R/1014735Rsp2....
With a 300W PSU, the 4670 is the best you can do. It is still a huge leap over the 8500GT, and costs about $80.

Hmmm, you're quite welcome; I didn't mean to come off like a tremendous walrus. Those systems are often very difficult to upgrade to better-than-original due to bare minimum parts, like the PSU. With a budget of $125, unless you find a great deal on an Antec Earthwatts (Newegg often has one, but not at the moment), you won't find a PSU worth buying that will leave enough to get a decent graphics card; even a 4670 will be out of reach.

Well jtt283, you just proved me wrong on everything. At least you saved him from buying a video card he can't use. Thanks for humbling me. I mean that in a good way.

3made: Sorry I got your hopes up. Hopefully, you'll find a video card that will work. Good luck.

Working with other OEM PSUs over the years. I have to say that anything like a 4670, 3850, 8800GS, 9600GSO should all be in good standing. Although you will most likely have to procure a dual molex to 6 pin adapter (comes with most video cards).

Yes, speaking from my computer, you can run 3gb in dual channel mode. This is dependent on matching the alternate pairs, not the quad.

The 4670 won't need a power adapter, which is just as well because I wouldn't be certain the OEM PSU has even the extra molex connectors.


Oh, and no worries. It's late, and I need to get to bed...

i have the same comp and was wondering if the hd 4670 is the best choice without buying anything new?
i'm not much of comp genius and don't want to mess with anything that might screw the comp