Cheap GPU improvement

[Zalastax]

My computer is a Compaq Presario CQ 5145SC.
http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetPDF.aspx/c01797177.pdf
I want to speed up my gaming performance but I don't want to pay a lot.
I'm wondering what would be the cheapest alternative(the gpu is nvidia geforce gt 220 and the motherboard is an Intel® G31 Express). Would it be possible to ad another cheap gpu someway? Maybe via the PCI port or the slower PCI express port.
When I comparison gt 220 with the speeds of other cards it will often be in the class of many 200 $ cards but with the price 80 $ so it seems like a waste to throw it and pay a lot for a minimum boost of performance.
Am I right?

 

[jerreece]

The GT220 is more of a Home Theater type video card. Designed for Blu-Ray playback and such. Not a great card for playing games with.

In the US, $200 would get you a GTX 460 768MB video card, which would DESTROY the GT220 performance wise. You could also get an ATI 6850 for $180. Depending on your monitor resolution though, both of these may be more than you need.

Also, to clarify, the PCI-Express is the FAST video card slot. "PCI" is very, very outdated for video cards. This is only used for USB ports, Audio Cards, and that sort of thing these days.

Your PC uses an Intel E6300 processor, which isn't spectacular by today's gaming standards, but could get the job done for mid range gaming performance. The big question is power supply stats. The spec sheet you linked to is great, however it does not detail your power supply.

You would need to open up the PC and read the label on the power supply to see two things:
1) Max Continuous Watt output.
2) Max Amps on the +12V rail.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Hey Zala -- Check out Tom's "best GPU for the money article on the home page.

You do not want to spend $200 on a card as was implied above, but a $100-$140 card would be a gigantic step up. Sell the GT220 to someone and get a 4850, 5757, or 5770.

 

[wa1]

HD5670 for just about $70-$80...
E6300 at stock speed 1.8GHz can be OCed at 2.7GHz without raising the VCore in case you want to OC it, with a better cpu cooler too...
That's should increase your performance.