I hava a Dell Computer Corporation Dimension 2400 Desktop. Its specifications are as follows:

Processor:
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.20GHz

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version - 5.1.2600

Local Disk:
Total Capacity - 74.47 GB
Used - 20.52 GB
Free - 53.94 GB

Memory:
256 MB
Maximum Memory - 1 GB
Architecture - DDR SDRAM
Connectors - 2 (both in use)

Video Card:
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller

Expansion Bus:
Bus Type - PCI
Bus Speed - 33 MHz
Connectors - 3
Connector Size - 120 pins
Connector Maximum Data Width - 32 bits

I think that is all you need to know.

I suspect this is a very stupid question, but I am very ignorant in this matter:
Should I upgrade RAM to 512 (or higher), or get a new video card?

There are budget limitations regarding the upgrades, I am not paying more than $120 US, enough to afford an ATI RADEON 9200 128MB DDR AGP Graphics Card (which I think is not compatible with my computer). This is coming out of my own pocket and is going to leave me broke for a while, so it better be worth my money, or there will be bloodshed. A less arrogant way to put it: My birthday is not until next December, so please recommend something worthwhile.

avoid the radeon 9200 cards, either get a radeon 9000, which is cheaper (i got one for $145 australian dollars, 128mb ddr, pixel shaders, vertex shaders, the lot)

or, if you can, shell out for a 9600, just a normall generic 9600, but avoid nVidia, they've been quite dissapointing recently, stick with Radeon, they have the best cards, and you can get a good one for a good price

EDIT

dont worry about the Ram, their cheap, and you can get another stick later on, your main priority is a video card right now, your processor is more than capable to run anything,

Is there an AGP slot on the motherboard? it would be thetop slot, and would be above the PCI slots, usually a different colour from them.

yeah, its like the lowerest slot in the motherboard, youll recignoise the motherboard...its a big mother....board.

but yeah, check the manual for the motherboard to see if it has a AGP slot...if your unsure and willing to blow more money, check with a specialist. (dont)

A video card is definitely in order. More memory wouldn't hurt either if you've got the cash for it. I'm assuming your FSB speed (33) is a typo that should have read "333"?

As for video card suggestions, IMO, one of the best deals out there would be a Radeon/ATI 9600 Pro. For about $150 you're getting a LOT of card. If that's more than your budget allows drop down to a plain vanilla 9600. The rest of your set up (processor and such) seems pretty solid.

A decent video card should be priorty one, and another memory stick, priority two.

I listed all the expansion bus specifications from the Specifications section of the owner's manual. There was no mention of an AGP slot, and the bus speed is not a typo, at least not on my part.
I suppose an AGP slot is needed in order to get a decent graphics card, right?
*Adrian is suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of dread*
Are those expensive? As in "$200, a quarter liter of blood, and my left nut" expensive.

My mistake... I thought you were referring to your Front Side Bus as being 33Mhz; and that's just unpossible.

You COULD get a PCI video card, but if your motherboard supports AGP, then there's no point in going the PCI route. AGP = Advanced Graphics Port, and they don't call it that for nuthin' honey. If you want to play 3D games you're going to have an AGP card. End of story.

As for cost, well you can get dirt cheap AGP cards, since the term "AGP" really only refers to the interface type. I was running along nicely on an nVida MX440 for a long time (that I paid about $80 for three years ago), but then along came Morrowind, and I knew it was time for something better.

Depending on your budget, I might suggest either a GeForce FX5200 (nVidia card) or a Radeon 9200 (ATI card). Both can be had for less than $100 on "NewEgg.com". Either one of those would play MW nicely. These are NOT absolute, cutting-edge-tech cards mind you - they're good, solid cards that offer pretty darn good performance for your what you're dishing out.

EDIT: Found a heck of deal on good ol' New Egg:

GAINWARD GeForce4 TI4200 Video Card, 64MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 4X AGP, Model "GeForce4 PowerPack! Ultra/650 TV/DVI GS" - $89.00 RETAIL

- Specifications -
Chipset/Core Speed: GeForce4 TI4200/270MHz ...... :!: Nice!
Memory/Effective Speed: 64MB DDR/570MHz ...... :!: Holy cow!!
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video)+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®8.1, OpenGL®1.3
Cable/Accessories: 1 Cable, 2 CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@60Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details)

Model#: GF4PP Ultra/650TV GS
Item#: N82E16814128133

Only problem is that only carries 64Mb of memory... Still, it's fast!

I was refering to the AGP connection itself being expensive, my motherboard has none, or at least the owner manual does not mention any. I don't think it is possible to get and install one into my computer's motherboard. That card you mentioned looks good, but OhGr insists nVidia cards are not as good as ATI cards, and I can afford a Radeon 9600 (but it will require waiting longer to buy Deus Ex 2).

oh shlizen, deus ex 2, this game can make a computer get down on its knees and beg for mercy, my friends p4 1.6, 1gig DDR ram, 80gig 10,000rpm kingston HD, radeon 9700 256mb ddr, he throws everything on, shadows, high everything, 1600x1200 with 2x anti aliasing and 16x anistropic filtering, and it begins to drop under 30fps in areas with many people, my strong suggestion, considering your CPU and all, save up for a radeon 9600 or even a 9700, both will do you justice, and as i said, avoid nVidia right now, if your willing to wait, then wait till their next line of cards, because the fx series just brought them a little closer to radeons card range, still beaten as well, although, if you wish to play doom 3 then go with nVidia, just avoid the fx series or mx series, if you with to play half-life 2 (cough, crap, cough) then go for an ATI radeon 9600...you know why, because they come with a free copy of them, well, not right now, they come with a peice of paper saying you can get that game for free for buying the video card, but id wait personally.

One way to find out - look on your motherboard. A typical motherboard looks something like below (here it is orientated so the back of the board is at the top of the picture)



The yellow slots on the top left are the PCI slots (they may be white on your board) and the offset brown slot to the right of these is the AGP slot. If you have a similar slot in the same position on your board, you have an AGP slot of some kind. If you have any more problems, see if you can find the make and model (normally printed on the front of the motherboard manual if nowhere else) and post it and I'm sure either me or someone else can find out for you.

EDIT: Thought I'd better add that sometimes shop bought systems warranties are invalidated if you open the case, so I'd check if that's true with your PC, and, if so, if it's still within its warranty before you open it up.

thats funny, mine are black, probably because i have an old A-Open motherboard, the oldest, its only AGP2x...which explains why.
the diference between agp2x and 4x are large, yet 4x and 8x are minor, its quite strange.

No AGP slot, but I saw a weird arragement of metal things in the position where the slot is supposed to be, they where arranged in a rectangle the same size as an AGP slot. This leads me to believe that, while the motherboard does not have one at the moment, and AGP slot can be added.

AGP ports cant be added to a motherboard as they are soldered directly onto the motherboard. And it would be cheaper to buy a new motherboard than to pay an electrician to solder a port on, in the off chance it would work. (ohh if you decide to get a new motherboard, you will also need to get a new power supply unit as dell like to change the wire configurations for the ATX power connectors so you can only use dell motherboards with dell PSU's and vice versa)

Since you dont have an AGP port you are limited to a PCI graphics card (which is not good for gameing). If you do decide to get a PCI graphics card dont pay anything over $90 for it as PCI graphics cards are crap and not worth paying over $90 for.

Also if you get a cheap PCI card get yourself an extra 256mb of RAM as that will increase performance of your comp !

It sounds liek it was taken out at the factory :S

Yep, by the sounds of it, thefunky1 has it right. You would need to get a new motherboard in order to get a decent graphics card. Some graphics cards (such as the GeForce FX 5200) come in an AGP and PCI version, but the performance of the PCI version is generally poor compared to the AGP version. However, that may be an option if all else fails.

ahh, get a AMD athlon , their cheap, very cheap, get a cheapo AGP 8x motherboard, try to score a AMD athlon 2200+ or better, and a new powersupply, then go for a video card, if you dont want to spend over $150, get a radeon 9000, in australian dollars though, although, mine was $145, but their cheap, and very effective, they can get the same frame rates as a geforce ti4600 in a pixel shader test, which is why using a radeon has no pixel shader performance hit, or, go for a geforce fx5200, some say their crap, i say their a cheaper alternative, they can still play games like deus ex 2, smoothly, with anti aliasing on, and everything high, just not as fast as some of the much more expensive cards.

powersupply =
that self-contained voltage box in the upper-rear of your computer case. It has its own fan and supplies power to the motherboard, drives, and case fans through these wired plugs.

edit: case fans can also be powered by the motherboard too. The power plugs are usually clear or white plastic and about two inches wide.

Okay, how do I know if the motherboard I am considering to buy is compatible with my current power supply?

The short answer is that a power supply will work with any motherboard... *if* and only if your new motherboard will fit inside the case that contains the power supply. You need to verify if the *case* and the *motherboard* are of the same form factor. Usually the form factor will be "atx" or some derivative. If you have a custom-made case however, you might have problems, so you better check the documentation sent with your computer and verify the "case's form factor". If the form factors match between case and board, then the power supply should also match.

That doesn't mean you don't have to worry about the power supply however. Well, a power supply has a certain capacity of Watts (which is the power supply's measure of total power). The more internal devices you have (DVD drives, CD burners, Hard drives, Zip drives, floppies, etc), the more Watts you need. The more Watts you're using, the more case fans you need--if you don't want everything to melt.

How much watts you need per device is another question... I don't have the specifics on me at this time. If you only have four devices (which is all your motherboard can handle without buying a SCSI card or an ATA100 card), then your current powersupply should suffice.

You know, if you want to speed up your computer for free, you should read my post about tweaking.