PC Upgrade Academy
Practical explanations designed to help you understand, troubleshoot and safely improve a gaming PC.
What PC part should I upgrade first?Upgrade the component that is actually limiting the games, resolution and frame-rate target you use rather than simply replacing the oldest part.GPU upgrade checklistA graphics-card upgrade can produce a major gaming improvement, but power, connectors, case dimensions and CPU balance need checking first.CPU upgrade checklistCPU upgrades require more platform checking than most GPU upgrades because socket, BIOS, motherboard power delivery, RAM and cooling may change.RAM upgrade checklistChoose capacity, generation, speed and configuration that your motherboard and CPU memory controller support.When should you upgrade your PSU?Consider a PSU upgrade when new hardware exceeds safe capacity, needs unavailable connectors, or when the existing unit is old or poor quality.When do you need a new motherboard?A motherboard change is often necessary when moving to a different CPU socket or RAM generation, or when required expansion and connectivity are unavailable.