I am so confused right now

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aquamaster12

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Okay so i am looking towards buying a new gpu but everytime i ask people they reply once and then leave me hanging with questions so could someone please help me decide,

PC specs:
Cpu: intel i5 4440 3.1 ghz
Gpu: geforce gtx 745 oem
Ram: 8gb.

if u need more specs let me know. im currently looking towards a gtx 1060 or a rx 480 my budget is 300 for the gpu and 100 for extra parts. if it goes much higher i think id rather build a new pc from scratch. thanks in advance
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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I would recommend a 1060 and an upgrade to 16 gigs of ram. I have a PNY 1060 and I couldn't be happier with it. I managed to get mine for $228 from Jet. Make sure you have a quality PSU that has enough power to handle the 1060 though.
 
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aquamaster12

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Is my RAM really that bad? ive played with 8gb for 3 years and only capped it once when i was playing the early early early version of ARK survival evolved, as for psu i know its bad
 
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aquamaster12

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it is a prebuild machine though most parts do their job, my gpu is just quite bad for some games i play and i knew with gpu came psu for me. just wanna know what parts MUST be upgraded to function properly
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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Your ram isn't bad, you can definitely get by with 8 gigs, but if you have a little extra money for upgrades 16 gigs of ram wouldn't be a bad thing. Newer games are using more ram, and if you want to get the most of your system, 16 gigs is the way to go.

EDIT: As far as what parts MUST be upgraded for it to function with a new graphics card, all you really need to worry about is your PSU. The 1060 will have a higher power draw than your old graphics card. Check the make and model of your PSU and post it on here, we can let you know if you'll need to upgrade it.
 
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010010

010010

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Jun 29, 2016
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You don't have to upgrade but if you're getting expensive components you really don't want to be using those bad PSU's that come with pre-built machines. What model(s) of RAM is in the system? 16GB isn't neccessary but getting good quality RAM can make a difference in performance.
 
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aquamaster12

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because it is a prebuild stuff like RAM and PSU would require me to open up my pc which im not very confident with atm. the ram seems to be fine though never had problems but i guess if it does become a problem i could replace it. as for PSU id rather buy a new one that is for sure powerfull enough than getting on the edge with it.
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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Opening your case is very easy to do, and you'd be hard pressed to break your pc doing so. Replacing RAM is also a very easy task. Assuming the ram works and is compatible with your motherboard, it only requires you to pop out the old ram, and put new ram in. But if you are fine with 8 gigs, then stick with it until you need to upgrade.

Here is what I would recommend at this point. Open up your case, check and see what your PSU is, and post it on here. For all we know, it may be fine for a new graphics card. If it isn't good enough for the new card, we can recommend a better PSU for your needs.
 
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-Fran-

-Fran-

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You are not making sense, aquamaster.

Are you going to ask a 3rd party to assemble whatever you decide to go with? Are you going to puts the components on your own into your PC?

I ask that, because the most critical piece of information we need to make a good recommendation is the PSU you have. We cannot recommend either card without knowing if the Power Supply will be able to cope with it or not. You *must* get that information somehow.

If we have to go "blind", then we can't recommend neither the 1060 3/6GB nor RX480/470. At best, we could recommend the GTX950 with no external power, 750ti or the RX460 with no external power.

Cheers!
 
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Faux_Grey

Faux_Grey

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You'd have to open up the computer anyway to upgrade the GPU.

If you've never opened it and it is an OEM machine, it most likely only has a 200~w power supply.

In that case you'd need to upgrade the power supply.
 
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aquamaster12

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Im currently at work and will be home in about 2 hours, i have somone who could help me opening it(has all the tools im not allowed to get near because of.... things) then i can post it on here so could you check back in a few hours?
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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Yeah, that's fine, but you really shouldn't need anything at all to just open the case and check your PSU. There should just be two thumbscrews on the pack of your case holding the side panel on. Undo these, and slide off the side panel.
 
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aquamaster12

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yeah sorry, its just atm lots of stress been going on so i didnt want to go beserk in my pc for no reason(dont ask me why) i will open it up later today and try to find the psu. im pretty sure it doesnt give enough power but ill try to get the results here in a few hours

 
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aquamaster12

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kk i will post the results as soon as i get them

 
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aquamaster12

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i got that on my pc guess i could run it when i get back, as i said ill post all the results in a few hours when i get back from work
 
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br00n0

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Looks like the specs of an Alienware X51, similar to my son's. If you want to upgrade the GPU in it, you must know what power supply (power brick) you have. It's either a 240W or 330W. If you have a 240W, you will have to use a card without a 6-pin PCIe power connector, such as the GTX 750, GTX 750Ti, RX 460, GTX 950 and sonn the GTX 1050. We upgraded to a GTX 950 and it works like a charm. With 330W, you can get that GTX 1060 or RX 480. Good luck!
 
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aquamaster12

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ugh just tried opening up my pc but it feels like id sooner have my pc trip over than me getting the screw undone, got the person that made it that tight to come over and open it up but he wont be here for a few hours. so the psu has some delay as for my RAM here is a screenshot of what cpu-z told me: http://prntscr.com/cn0so3
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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Well I don't see how you are unable to get the screws undone, but I won't press it. Like I said, just let us know the make and model of the PSU as soon as you can get the case open.

As for the ram, it looks like you have standard 1600mhz ddr3 ram, and like I said earlier, nothing wrong with running a system on 8 gigs of ddr3 ram. However, if you have a little extra money you don't mind spending on pc upgrades, a 16 gig ram kit would be a worthwhile investment, assuming your motherboard can support it. However, I would not recommend just adding 8 more gigs, as there is no guarantee that this will work, and even if it does, it will more than likely not perform as well as a matched kit would.

EDIT: Please tell your friend to not torque down on the case screws so hard, there is absolutely no need to have your case thumb screws so tight that you can't unscrew them with your fingers.
 
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aquamaster12

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I will look into more RAM but atm it mainly upgrading for better gaming with what i play which is stuff like Overwatch. and yeah i will tell him i dont understand why he made them that tight.
 
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aquamaster12

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well i was looking between gtx 1060 and rx 480 but i looked at both and saw so many people having issues with the rx 480 and only really positive stuff about 1060. so pretty much the GTX 1060 just need to decide on which version of the 1060. any recommendations on that?
 
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aquamaster12

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Well this will take a while, i finally got the damn screws out but the plate itself is so stuck it wont budge, and yes i know i have to slide it in a certain direction but trust me i tried every direction at every amount of strength and it wouldnt move an inch, now my hard drive randomly got stuffed with 5gb of nothing pushing the hard drive into red so my list of things to buy is expanding by the second
 
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