(October 30, 2021 at 2:34 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: Upgrading a graphics card is probably not a good idea for someone who is "an idiot when it comes to computers." For starters, a new graphics card may not even result in any performance increase if you PCIE bus or CPU can't keep up with it. Secondly, your PSU needs to have the proper power connections for it and must be able to supply it with all the current it needs. It sounds like this may not be the case.
You're still using a mechanical hard drive? A solid state drive would be better. Grinding noises are definitely not good. You can back up data with a USB flash drive. They are available just about everywhere and are relatively inexpensive. You may need several depending on how much you have to back up.
My graphics card vastly improved my performance. I installed it six months ago. But now performance is beginning to wane. I meant to upgrade the power supply but everything was working fine so I figured it was okay.