What should I buy first ?
I'd go with the RAM, even tho stock anything is a freakin gamble. At least you can enjoy some games until you buy a better PSU.
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RAM. Adding more RAM will make little difference to your power usage, but make alot of games more playable. A better PSU will only really help if you're adding a graphics card with high power usage, or if you already have a high powered GPU and the PSU can't keep up.
That's the order I'd do it anyway ;)
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+1
Unless you're upgrading / overclocking your computer in such a way that it needs more power, RAM is going to make a much larger difference in performance than the PSU.
Unless you suspect your PSU is failing / faulty, RAM is the way to go.
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How can I know if my PSU is failing ? Got little bit scared when reading stories about PSU failures.
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So I should buy a new PSU whenever I see any of these signs ?
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Well blue screens can have all kinds of reasons but if you already have doubts about your psu and you notice a lot of freezes, shutdowns and/or bluescreens, it might be time for a new psu. The smoke was obviously a joke.
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The smoke was obviously a joke.
no it's not.. had that before, it happens too. even while the unit still functioned. ofc it didn't for very long after that.
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If your pc starts burning then its your PSU :P (or your cpu without cooling xD)
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+1
The only reason I voted for PSU in the first place is because I'm upgrading to a better GPU.
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Same for me, getting a 1070 next week but I still have a 500 watt Corsair psu. It's the minimum wattage for the 1070 so I should be good but I will get a new psu in the near future.
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Doesn't really gain me anything, just a little bit sense of relief since I've been using the stock PSU for a while now. Just got really terrified of reading comments regarding PSU failures.
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as long as you don't use sli etc., there's little to worry..
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just because its a stock PSU it doesn't mean it has do be that bad.
Would be quiete interesting: how much Watt does your PSU provide, and how much does your current hardware need at a maximum. (especially CPU and GPU are the main electric consumers).
In my old rig the PSU died after 10years, and nothing happened, Usually there are more then one safty on MoBo and PSU itself which prevents fatal damage to anything else.
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Does it smell when your computer is under load? if not, then go for RAM first.
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Never really encounter any under load moments. So I guess it's safe to assume that my PSU is fine?
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With under load he means when your pc is working hard, for example when playing a gpu and cpu intensive game.
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LOL, I didn't really know the meaning of under load, so I assume that under load was some type of error. :)
But if he means by that, If I remember correctly I've never really smelled anything during times like that, But I guess I should really take safe precautions if I ever encounter any odd smells coming from the PSU.
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No need to get all nervous about your psu now, as you said before that your pc works just fine. Just put in some more ram and keep on enjoying it.
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Assuming you're going to play modern games, if your PSU starts smelling like a burning metal, which a lot of stock PSUs tends to do, then replace, otherwise spend the money on something else.
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Ram would be a good choice because to play today's games 4 GB of RAM is not a lot.
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If your PSU is working without problems, why to buy a new one? Also RAM arent this expensive. Buy both at the same time or save your money for something else.
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What everyone said, go for some RAM as it won't affect your power usage much. However, if you're planning on upgrading your PC soon or you feel that your power supply is worrisome, better be safe than sorry and get a better one. But by the sound of it, you have been using your computer as it is for a while and nothing happened yet, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
I blew up a power supply once when I bought my new GPU (well, almost blew up). The specs were all wrong, I since bought a EVGA and it is extremely efficient. Point is, don't upgrade anything major like the GPU without first upgrading your PSU. RAM on the other hand won't cause any major issue.
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Just curious here, when your PSU blew up did any of your computer components survive?
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Yeah, but it didn't really actually blow up. More like started overheating so I shut down my computer and then the PSU was dead. Disaster averted?
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in my experience, the came-with-the-case power supplies are fine until they die, which usually comes sooner than it would on a power supply bought separately. at some point you'll need to replace it, but for now you'll see more benefit from adding ram. of course if it dies a week after you bought ram and you don't have enough money to replace the power supply that would really suck.
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Voted for RAM. Even though stock PSU is shit, it will probably last you some time until you can afford a new one. My "budget gaming PCs" (before current one, which actually has a nice PSU) never had a fancy PSU, and they worked really well, as long as the wattage is enough and some more just in case.
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From what I've read, 8gb seems to be like the minimal requirement for most of the games now. But if there's not really a difference in performance I guess it's time to upgrade some parts.
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If using Windows 10 (which is absolute shit, wish I had never upgraded from 7), you want 16 GB minimum.
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I'm going to be the guy who says new PSU should be the first concern.
Buy a good unit (SeaSonic only). The games can always wait, but if you're strapped for cash you can't afford to replace your
entire rig if the PSU blows and takes your components with it.
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and how much power (Watt) does the current PSU supply at a max. ^^
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I'm currently using a i3-4150 and a gt730 ( yeah I know this gpu sucks but it's kinda better than nothing )
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You might even want to upgrade your GPU, maybe to a GTX 950 which you can purchase used for around $75.
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Buying used GPU seems like a big gamble to me, because I've never really have any experience in buying used parts so I'm really worried something bad might happen.
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ram = more comfortable
good psu = safety
unless than generic psu is a "good one" (if that even exists?)
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I'm going to say RAM, but don't skimp on a PSU, either.
The PSUs that come stock with most cases are utter trash and should be replaced. The PSU is the backbone of your system, and when it fails, it can take a lot with it. Once you get your RAM upgrade, I'd be sure to upgrade the PSU before anything else (at least to a quality PSU).
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The most likely thing (by a wide margin) that happens when your PSU dies is that it, well, dies, without frying your motherboard. Unless you're pushing the limits of your PSU already, or it's been having issues, go with the RAM.
Also, when you decide to buy yourself a new PSU, don't buy a monster PSU. Buy what you need, not what the internet tells you that you need (luckily this whole monster PSU craze has been dying down).
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I say go with PSU, without a reliable PSU there won't be anything left (even though chances are low but why take a risk). If you don't trust stock PSU that is. I also had monetary concerns so I went with PSU first. Nowadays you don't have to go for high capacity power supply like back in those days where graphic cards were power hungry. I had to buy 850W power supply.
Nowadays even GTX 1080 can be powered by 600-650W power supply. In the future there will be even more improvement in power consumption.
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Go for more RAM.
A stock PSU is not the devil some may make it out to be. You will need to most likely upgrade it if you install some power hungry items (water cooler, new GPU [sli/crossfire], a power hungry cpu, or maybe you want to power a dozen hard drives, I don't know. If you have not gotten any power failures or errors by now, then you are good to go. Another stick or two or RAM will barely increase the power consumption at all.
When you do buy some RAM, make sure to match it up (speeds and timings) with what you already have to get dual/triple channel speed.
In the end, you will want a good PSU as well but unless your PC is randomly shutting down or having trouble POST then you can make do with what you have while you save up for that later.
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I'm currently in a dilemma, in what should I prioritize first, buying a new PSU or buying more RAM?
Should I just ignore the fact that I'm still using a stock PSU that came in with my case and buy more RAM? Because I seriously need more RAM to play modern games I only have 4gb of RAM
Or
Should I buy a more well-known brand PSU and worry about my RAM later on ?
I'm currently in a tight budget right now because I can only buy one part at a time.
Please, strangers of SG, give me you opinion.
Sorry English isn't my native language. Hope you understand my question.
GA [lvl1+] : https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/UMmfQ/pineview-drive
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