# Why does my Half Life 2 keep laging



## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

Guys i know a little about computers but can u help me. When i play Half Life 2 it works fine when i am in a nice closed in shady area, but when i get outside it cant stop laging. it really anoyes me. If you can help i will love you. I bought a $40 game for nothing. Please help.


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## steveb1492 (Nov 5, 2005)

I'm assuming you are playing an internet multiplayer game - not just the solo version??? You are getting further away from the wireless router, and therefore, your computer is recieving a weaker signal. I dont know your setup, but you may be able to reposition the router closer to the place you like to go outside (or just get a really really long ethernet cable).


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

its really just the single player


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

can you help anymore


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

maybe because steam is a online thing so, but i have optimun online


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## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

If you mean "outside" in the game perhaps more items need to be rendered slowing things down. What are your system specs?


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

say what


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

when i do the "check if your sytem is ok to play" it says it passes but minum


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

do i need to update my video card and where would i do it


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## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

Again what are your system specs--which CPU, how much RAM, which video card etc.? If you just have the minimum specs try playing the game in a lower resolution and shutting off some of the extras in the option menu.


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## Rumpo-Stiltskin (May 9, 2006)

Read the rules before posting.......

http://forums.techguy.org/games/479156-help-half-life-2-extreme.html

_Multiple Postings - It is simply not acceptable to post your question more than once, or to post it in more than one forum. Choose the forum that your question or post best fits in, and place it there and only there. If, after posting, you feel it should be in another forum, use the "Report Thread" button at the bottom of the post and we'll move it. We also reserve the right to move posts to other forums and delete duplicates._


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

CPU
Minimum: Pentium III or Athlon
You Have: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
PASS 
CPU Speed
Minimum: 1.2 GHz
You Have: 2.40 GHz
PASS 
System RAM
Minimum: 265 MB
You Have: 509.8 MB
PASS 
Operating System
Minimum: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP (95 & NT not supported)
You Have: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
PASS 
Video Card
Minimum: DirectX 7 compatible Video Card
You Have: Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller (Intel(R) 82845G Graphics Controller)
PASS 
Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card

Video RAM: Required - 16 MB , You have - 64.0 MB
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes

Video Card Driver Version (DirectX)
Your driver version number is: 6.14.10.3722
FYI: Make sure you have the latest driver for your video card. Click 'Free Driver Update' and we'll direct you to your video card manufacturer.	
DirectX Version
Minimum: 7.0
You Have: 9.0c
PASS 
Sound Card
Minimum: Yes
You Have: Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device
PASS 
Sound Card Driver Version
Your driver version number is: 5.1.2535.0
FYI: Your sound card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper sound card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product. 
Free Disk Space
Minimum: 4.5 GB
You Have: 59.2 GB
PASS


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## riddlebox (Jun 29, 2006)

are you using a router? If so what brand and speed is that? And how far away are you from it when you are "outside"?


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i have optimum and i'm right near my router


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## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

Once and for all can we clarify what is meant by "outside"?


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

yea thank you


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

what does it mean


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## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

Do you mean that you are playing the game and the scene is in an outside environment as opposed to you are in a building. Or that you have a laptop and have gone outside, like sitting on your deck and are playing the game there?


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

like when i'm playing the game " in the game when i'm in a closed in area it runs fine with little lags." " But in the game when i go it to a big open area its laggs so much. smae thing with cs source when i'm in a small level its fine but when i'm in a big heavily lighted level it runs so crappy.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

do i need to change my graphics card. pleaese help


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

how do i update my drivers


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

http://forums.techguy.org/3739910-post12.html


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

can anyone help with my lag


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

please help do i need a new graphics card or what


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i8 just want an answer


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## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

I did give you an answer in reply #10. You have onboard video never a good option for gaming. So yes a new video card would be a major improvement. However you may or may not have an AGP video slot on your MB. Do you know or give us the make and model of your system.

Edit: I think we could have left this in hardware since it is not a problem with the game, but with the posters hardware.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

gateway xp home edition


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

okay, first of all dont post 9999 times if you dont get your answer 30 seconds after you post 
I agree with norton, the integrated video card is definately not sufficient for gaming.
Do you konw if your pc has a agp or pci-express slot? If it doesn't, or only has pci, don't bother with an upgrade, but if it does, you can go and buy a graphics card which will drastically improve your gaming performance.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

do you know where i can buy an awesome but cheap video card


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

Well, first we need to know if you have an agp or pci-e slot?
Then tell us your budget and we can find you an
"awesome but cheap video card"
Try downloading cpu-z http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpu-z-135.zip
And go to the "mainboard" tab, at the bottum there should be a box saying "graphics interface" tell us everything in that box.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

why what does it do. how can i just tell u if i have a agp or pci_e slot


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

can i just buy a video card or does it have to be gateway. and how in the hell would i install it. would the company.


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

You would install it, trust me, i've done it a million times it's quite simple! And no, it doesn't have to be gateway, (gateway doesn't make video cards)

Here is how to tell

Open your computer up look on your motherboard it should have anywhere from 1-6 regular pci slots, but above those there should be one (or two) slots that look different, you may not be able to identify them, so you can either use the links i provide, or take a picture and post it. Downloading cpu-z would be a much easier way of doing things. What the program does is take an inspection of your computer and tell you what is inside (cpu, memory and motherboard info) It is a compleately legit program (no viruses, spyware, malicious files) so don't worry about that. Just run the program, go to the "mainboard" tab, and tell us everything that it says, most importantly the stuff in the "Graphics interface" area.

If you insist of opening up your computer to tell what graphics card to get, here are some links that will help you idenify the agp or pci-e port.

Here is what an agp slot looks like:
http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpu-z-135.zip 
(the regular pci slots are white)

And here is what a pci-e slot looks like:
http://greyghost.dyndns.org/pci-express/pcie-slot-medium.jpg
(the top one)


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

do i click cpuz or latency


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

click on cpuz, latency is a dos program


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

now what


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

do u have an aim


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i want to talk to you quickly


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

I have msn messenger, but no aim  sorry

But at the top of the window, (in cpu-z) There should be a tab that says "mainboard" Click on that, then look at the bottum of the window, and there should be a box that says Graphics interface. Post here everything that is in that area. (or just post everything on the page so we have an idea of your motherboard and chipset, as well as what graphics card it supports)

Also, after you have posted that information, tell us how much money you are willing to spend for a new graphics card? So we can have an idea of your budget when we look to find you one


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

its blank


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

theres no graphics interface


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

Hmm. If that is so, then you dont have a pci-e or agp, go ahead and post the following:
-Motherboard Manufacturer (If any)
-Motherboard Model
-Motherboard Chipset
-Motherboard Southbridge
Cpuz may have made a mistake, but chances are that your board doesn't support agp or pci-e cards, which leaves you to a pci slot if you want to upgrade, which would give you a performance benifit, but you won't be able to expect to run half-life 2 at the highest settings, even with the top pci card. 

Also, what type of case do you have, is it a standard atx computer tower, or a smaller case? I know gateway sometimes has funky case designs that do not support full expansion cards (like a new graphics card)


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

whatever i give up but if u can help me anymore just keep talking to me


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## riddlebox (Jun 29, 2006)

We can not help you if you keep seeming like you do not want help. I know you may not know what were talking about but try to listen. Also instead of posting 5 questions in 5 reply bows, post them in one. And stop asking you need help. That is what everyone is here for but don't expect your awnser as soon as you post. Ok you have a gateway.. is it a laptop or a desktop?


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## durant125 (Aug 15, 2004)

I just don't think his specs are good enough. Half Life 2 is a pretty robust game for only 512mb of RAM and onboard video.


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## durant125 (Aug 15, 2004)

oops my bad disregard my last post.( i need to reead farther down than just the first page of posts.)
And Cool guy remember this is FREE help you want on demand bring out youre wallet and call a local Computer Tech!


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

desktop. i found out i need a new videeo card. do you know any that are really good but cheap, my price range is from 0 to 50 dollars.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

where can i find a new graphics card thats cheap


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## SquirrelNinja (May 17, 2006)

I got a nice one at circuit city, but you could probobly find a cheaper one doing allitle shoping online, if thats an option for you.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i'm looking for a gaming graphics card that can definitley play half life 2 and counter strike source


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## riddlebox (Jun 29, 2006)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Lprice=50&Hprice=99.99&Nav=|c:1558|c:1826|&Sort=3&Recs=10

one of these its the best your going to get around $50 but these will only work if you have a PCI slot instead of an AGP


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## saltydawgs (Oct 10, 2005)

thats great rumpo...
anyways, if its not laggy until you have a larger background (outside) it definalty has to do with your system specs


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## saltydawgs (Oct 10, 2005)

im going to guess your video card is internal...thatd probably be causing the problem
internal video cards are not the right choice for gaming


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## saltydawgs (Oct 10, 2005)

wow looks like this has all been discussed...lol everyone goes for the easy ?'s...


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## saltydawgs (Oct 10, 2005)

CDBongo said:


> Try downloading cpu


WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD CPU?!?!!


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## saltydawgs (Oct 10, 2005)

coolguy204 said:


> whatever i give up but if u can help me anymore just keep talking to me


nice effort!  
listen, were all trying to help you, its not going to be as easy as 1-2-3...get it through your head

BTW have you even tried turning down the games graphics, resolution, lighting effects?!


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

yes and it says the game has encountered a problem. hey riddle box is the HIS Radeon X1300 HyperMemory / 512MB GDDR2 / HyperMemory with 128MB / PCI Express / DVI / VGA / HDTV / Crossfire Ready / Video Card comptible with my system. and how do i find out


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

I've split these posts off and moved them to hardware as they deal with a different topic from the other thread.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

does any one know a good cheap gaming graphics card


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

For AGP or PCI-Express? How much are you willing to spend?

Have you looked at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=48

And take a look at some benchmarks: http://www.tomshardware.com/site/vgacharts/index.html


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

0 to 50


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

To COOLGUY and anyone else that wants to help him:

Please stick to the thread that was created for you. You posted this kind of request in another thread that wasn't even yours. Now you have your own thread to talk about getting a new video card. And please stop posting every few minutes. It makes me just leave the thread when you are posting impatient posts.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

I've merged two threads together. Please do not start more than one thread for the same issue.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

$50 won't get you anything decent.

What model of Gateway do you have? This is very important, we know to know if your motherboard only has PCI or if it has AGP.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

how would i find y model. would it be located on the computer tower


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Yes, its usually printed on the front, side, or back. Also post the serial number of the system.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

is their a way that i can just update my video card from the gateway website


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

You can update the driver but the hardware will not change. And integrated Intel video isn't good for gaming.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

ok but on the gateway website where would i update my drivers


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i think i have pci slots


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## phil676 (Jul 5, 2006)

u deffo need a new graphics card m8, iv had same problem in past. make sure u no the slot u have b4 buyn lol if u dont wana spend rediculous money on 1 ad go for the geforce 6600 gt or jus the standard.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

is the radeon x1300 a good one


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## ramrohan (Sep 24, 2004)

yeah the radeon X1300 is good but the 6600 GT is worth the money ...


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

is it alot though how much is it i really only want to play half life 2. is the raedon x1300 a pci slot


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

No, PCI is the worse slot to use for a video card. The cards that are available in PCI aren't very good, there's no point as PCI is too slow for the bandwidth requirements of todays video cards. 

I've asked before, but I'll ask again. What model of Gateway do you have?

The Geforce 6600 is a better card then the Radeon X1300, and cheaper in most cases.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

are u sure, then how would i get a good video card for a pci, mines a pci slot


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## phil676 (Jul 5, 2006)

they still make decent cards for PCI slots, they now have PCI express cards also.
AGP is just a better interface and information is passed through quicker


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

ok thank you


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

PCI Express > Agp 8X > Agp (2/4X) > PCI

If you are sure that you need a pci card, then your $50 budget is not going to cut it.
For $50 you can get a Geforce2 mx400 or a Geforce4 mx4000, my computer had the 4000 and now has the 400, and it would collapse at the sight of half-life 2 or any other modern game.

Since you are limited to pci then you're choices are limited already.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143059

This is the best pci card, it's $60 so not too over your budget. This will give you a significant gain over your integrated graphics card, and depending on your resolution it should eliminate your lag!

Also, like others said, you will need an upgrade in ram, so if you would kindly tell us your system model (what type of gateway it is) and/or motherboard (what type of motherboard it is) we can tell you what kind of ram to get as well, but if you can't afford a video card and ram, then just stick with the video card I posted.

P.S. You should be able to find the motherboard, and system model in the cpu-z program. I am signing off so someone else will have to help you now.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Can't seem to get at Newegg at the moment, but the BFG Geforce 6200 256MB video card is the best you can get for PCI.

http://www.bfgtech.com/6200_256_PCI.html


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

They are not at newegg, nor at tigerdirect.
But yeah if you COULD find one it would be better than the fx5500.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

is there a difference between the GFG GeForce 5500 and the GFG GeForce FX5500. or are they the same


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

same card bro
it's really the 'nVidia GeForce FX 5500'


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

Thanks, is that a good card for a pci slot.


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

It's the most powerful card that i can find right now. (For pci)
It should give you a big improvement over your integrated video (at low resolutions)

It's a good upgrade for $60.

But I wanted to mention one more thing:
If you system has half-height pci cards, then you won't want to buy it, normal cards are about 4.75" tall, you don't want to get a full height card for a computer that only supports half-height cards. I got stuck with that problem with my old small gateway computer.

A good way to tell if your computer supports half-height cards or full height cards is looking in your case. I suggest you do that just to get a feel for whats in there, and you might possibly find that you have an agp or pci-e slot (slim chance but why not try)

If you have a digital camera, you could take some pictures of the inside of your case and post them here, then someone from this forum could tell you if your computer supports the full height pci cards.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

how do i open my case, isn't that like really bad to do, and do i really have to open my case is their a program i could just RUN to tell if i have a pci or agp, and how do i know what size.(this is to much of a hassle.)


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

Well if you remember the program said that you didn't have apg or pci-e.
But thats not the point, forget i even mentioned it. The point is that you need to figure out if your computer supports full height pci cards. Since the case is not a hardware part of the operating computer, there isn't any software you can just download and tell if a full height card can fit in your computer. 
You will have to look inside the case to figure that out. Now depending on what computer you have, you might be voiding your warranty, but if you plan on buying a video card you are going to have to do that anyway. Just make sure that if it is your parent's computer that you don't screw anything up with them, and if possible, you might just want to contact gateway and ask them what type of card your system supports.
It's a common misconception that opening your computer is really bad for it, but thats far from the truth. (I in fact never close my computer  )
You would probably just remove the screws in the back of the computer and then slide the panel off, but if your computer isn't a standard atx case then it might be different. Just look for screws and unscrew them 
Look for the pci slot, when you find it, look at how much clearance you have between that and the side of the case (or top or front depending on your case) if it looks to be about 5 inches, your good, but if it is only like 3-4 then your computer only supports half height.

Also, you could just tell us the model number of your computer and/or take a picture of the inside of your computer and post it here and have someone from this forum tell you what kind of card you need. 

And if you have the manuals for your computer, they should tell you what type of pci/agp/pci-e slot you have.

The people at this forum have no idea of what kind of computer you have which makes it very difficult to find you a graphics card.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i have the Gateway 500S RETAIL


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

There appears to be models with an AGP slot and ones without an AGP slot. I guess you just have to open up the computer and see if the top slot is brown and off-set more then the white slots.

What video card do you have now? Is it the Intel graphics or an Nvidia Geforce2?

And how much memory do you have? The base computer shipped with only 256MB of Memory. And thats the minimum thats recommended for HL2.


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i dont know what video card i have


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

He has intel graphics, look at page one.
I don't know why that would matter too terribly much, an agp or pci fx5500 would top either one.
But if you have agp, which i suggest you check. that would give you better performance.

P.S. And please don't ask how to check how because it has been told to you many times already


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

yea i have agp and i'm gettin one


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Well who can follow a thread that repeats over and over again and goes almost no where. Actually I guess there's two threads.


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

More than two  
But anyway, if you are sure that you have agp, and want to go with the $50 budget, go with either the nVidia GeForce fx5500 or the ATi Radeon 9600XT.
Or if you could spend any more look for a ATi Radeon X1600pro, or a nVidia GeForce 6600gt
Just make sure whatever you get has 256mb of ddr ram (gddr2 would be better,) and a 128bit interface
If you really have an agp slot, then you should be good to go with installation. Just make sure and uninstall your old video card drivers first (at least thats what everyone says, i never do and i'm just fine)
But for a first timer, it would be best to follow the "rules"
My computer(right click) > properties > hardware > device manager > display adapters
NOTE: only do this if you plan on installing the new video card on the next startup
i.e. the last time you shut your computer down before installing the card

The X1600 pro will give you very good results, possibly on highest settings depending on your ram and cpu, but if you are on a budget the 9600xt will give you superior performance to the integrated chip you have been using. Based on your description, if you can play some parts at an acceptable frame rate but other parts have lag, either card will definately eliminate the lag and possibly let you step it up some more with the graphics.

Good luck, hope your gaming experience is improved


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

i'm getting the XFX GeForce 6800XT


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

good choice


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

is it really


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## CDBongo (Sep 23, 2005)

yes, imo it's an extremely good card 
the only people that will tell you it isn't are the people who cant stand for anything but those $600 new graphics cards.
But i might say that it is a bit of overkill if you only have 512mb of ram, and i don't know what cpu you have, but it may be a bottleneck too,
make sure you have your other components squared away before you go and get a killer video card
but as for the card itself, it is a very excellent card which (with cpu and ram equivalent) will run any game out there, some at amazing settings and resolutions.
i myself am contemplating putting one in my new killer ($300) computer that i will hopefully build soon (just that next paycheck  )


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## coolguy204 (Jun 28, 2006)

good luck


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