oh man. i really feel for you then! My computer feels ancient. I do have a video card but I don't know a whole lot about them or what impact they have on performance in graphics programs.
Yeah it does run pretty slow with painter but it's not to bad. To tell you the truth I don't know a whole lot about video cards either I just know that it'll help your computer run a bit better than usual.
yeah most of painter isn't too slow. But using the Watercolors (not digital watercolors) takes FOREVER. Try it with a big brush on a high resolution image.