Return to Amazon and choose to upgrade or...
Return to Amazon and choose to upgrade or...
I upgraded my motherboard, CPU, and RAM recently. My old gear sold faster than expected. Now I have an extra $175 to invest in my PC. I’m still within Amazon’s return period. I can send back any or all of the new items and add their value to the $175 from the old parts. This would let me upgrade to better components. Or I could just spend the money on a new PSU. The original parts from my 2015 build that I still have are: Corsair Carbide 300R Case, EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650 80+ Gold, Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4 GB, Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 7200RPM. The new returnable parts are: Ryzen 5 3600 @ $194, X570 Aorus Elite @ $136 (open box), TEAMGROUP T-Force Dark Pro DDR4 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) at 3200MHz CL 14 for $119. If I returned everything, the total would be $624 plus the $175 from old parts. Thoughts?
I’d consider replacing my GPU with a 5700(XT) and list the GTX 970 on Craigslist. I’d also suggest using an affordable SSD boot drive around $20 to boost performance significantly.
I own a 250gb SSD for the boot drive. From real EBAY listings, my GPU would cost about 70-90. Adding that to the 175 gives me roughly 255 for a new GPU. Would that be sufficient for a meaningful upgrade from my current GTX 970? I intended to upgrade in a few months. Then I’ll have a larger budget around 400. Perhaps it’s better to invest in a better PSU now and get the GPU later. Instead of choosing a less powerful GPU right now, that might not be ideal.
Come back and purchase during Black Friday. It wasn't a good decision to buy them right away. Please mention others if you'd like them to respond.
Your PSU appears to be functioning properly unless it's producing sounds or experiencing crashes. The idea that you require more than a 650W unit is unrealistic given you're using a single GPU; a decent 450W would suffice. A higher wattage PSU wouldn't affect performance significantly. Regarding your monitor, do you currently use 1080p at 60fps? If it's basic, consider upgrading then. For more advanced displays, focus on the GPU power requirements instead.
I believe extra power means running smoother with less strain, which reduces fan noise and boosts efficiency. Around 50% seems ideal. I’m planning to upgrade the GPU to a more demanding model, expecting it to push me toward or below 50%. Also, I’ve heard some scary tales about PSUs failing and damaging other components.
It looks like you're weighing a few options. The board and RAM you mentioned seem solid choices, and you're thinking about swapping the CPU for the Ryzen 7 3700X. However, benchmarks don't show a big boost in gaming performance, so it might not be worth the change.
This claim seems inaccurate at first glance. A reduced wattage rating doesn’t necessarily mean less power consumption; it simply reflects the total continuous power capacity. Perhaps you intended to discuss a lower percentage of rated power, but that wouldn’t explain why heat or noise would drop significantly when using a 550W PSU versus an 850W one. All standard ATX PSUs typically share the same fan design (quality and sound vary), yet this remains unclear. This idea was once misleading, especially when PSUs were advertised with efficiency curves showing lower performance at 50%. That just indicates drawing less power from the wall outlet, unless you're focused on cutting costs. It’s important to note: people often overestimate a PC’s energy use, ignoring factors like Moore’s Law and advanced manufacturing that affect efficiency. More to consider: if you’re planning to upgrade your graphics card, it still requires more power than a high-end GPU demands. Be cautious of exaggerated assumptions about modern hardware consumption. For further insight, read up on these points. If your PSU is functioning properly, there’s no need to panic—just ensure it meets your needs.