[SOLVED] Can I put new stuff on this MoBo?

[monere]

Hi, everyone!

I've been using my current computer since July 2014 (that's almost 9 years) and I am trying to replace it with a TOTALLY NEW (Linux-based this time) rig before the 9 years are due,

However, there's a big possibility that I might not get the necessary funds to replace it and I might be stuck with my current rig for yet a few more years, in which case - if I were to upgrade this rig - would my MoBo support any of the new stuff?

I'll list my build in a moment, but first I'd like to mention that when I say "new stuff" I don't mean technologies and components that have come out this / last year. I'm aware that a MoBo like mine would probably not even work with NVMe SSDs for example since I'm not seeing any NVMe slots anywhere on it, so those are out of the question. But as long as I can replace my GPU, HDD and RAM with something better I would be OK with it if it won't cost me as much as a new rig LOL.

This being said, here is what my rig looks like:

Motherboard... GA-H97M-D3H (that would be Gigabyte MoBo)
CPU... Intel i3-4360 @3,700 GHz
GPU... Nvidia Geforce GTX 660
RAM... Kingmax PC3-12800K 8 GB (2x4) DDR3 800MHz CL11
HDD... TOSHIBA HDWD110 (Serial Number: 60C4Z6VFS, but I can't locate this HDD in google and the reason I'm mentioning this is because after 2 years of using this HDD I just noticed that it has a 64 MB buffer size / memory cache / whatever the hell this is called, and I have never, ever, ever in my life NOT purchased the HDD with the highest cache, EVER! So, I have either been scammed, or I have accidentally purchased a lower performing HDD and I'm only noticing this today FML)

Anyway, I can (and definitely will) greatly improve the speed by acquiring more and better RAM sticks, that's for sure and in regards to the memory sticks I don't need any advice as I know what to do (RAM upgrades are the easiest things ever IMO)

But what I'd like you to tell me with regards to the question I've asked in the title is what the best storage (preferably SSD if possible) and the best GPU (preferably AMD if possible) are that my MoBo supports? I just took a look at it again on the Gigabyte site and I noticed that it has 2 PCI slots. For which reason those slots exists, or even why I purchased a MoBo with PCI slots in 2014 I have no idea, but it's too late for regrets now, so we can pretend that those PCI slots don't exist 😛

So, ignoring those, the only real options I have for a better GPU are the 2 PCIe slots that I have are the PCIe x16 slot that's currently occupied by my GTX 660, and a free PCIe x4 slot that I was wondering if I can slot any SSD into and use as a Windows 8.1 bootable SSD. This is the most important question for me with regards to storage, and the main reason for which I've opened up this thread...

And with regards to the GPU, I'm not necessarily interested in replacing this GPU if it keeps working, but I would still like to know what the best (AMD preferably) GPU is that this MoBo supports, just for curiosity and in case that I do decide to replace my current GPU in the future. I just like to know what's available for this particular MoBo

As for CPU, I don't know what to say... If I'll be able to get the funds to completely replace this rig with a Linux-based one then upgrading the CPU for this MoBo won't matter anymore, but since I've purposely built this PC in 2014 to be Intel / Windows heavy, I'm having all sorts of issues with running Linux on it, issues that I think I already mentioned several years ago on this very forum when I've tried Linux for the 1st time in my life, but could only make Mint work, and only under certain circumstances. But anyway, this doesn't matter anymore...

So yeah... storage and GPU (and the RAM, but the RAM is easy) are the priorities for me for a potential upgrade of this rig, so which are the best storage and GPU options that this Intel / Windows- heavy MoBo can work with? That's what I'd like to know if someone can help with a tip or two...

Thanks in advance and I'm looking forward to your wisdom

 

[thx1138v2]

The RAM upgrade may not be as easy as you think. Keep in mind that the RAM controller is inside the CPU now so you will have to find RAM compatible with your older CPU or upgrade the CPU and RAM at the same time.

Also consider upgrading your PSU if you are going to use more power hungry components.

 

[monere]

The RAM upgrade may not be as easy as you think. Keep in mind that the RAM controller is inside the CPU now so you will have to find RAM compatible with your older CPU or upgrade the CPU and RAM at the same time.

Also consider upgrading your PSU if you are going to use more power hungry components.

good call on the PSU, I totally forgot about that

And yeah, I know about the RAM - CPU compatibility, so I got this!

Also, I need to make a slight correction as I just dusted the GPU off and noticed that it's in fact a GTX 660 Windforce (if this makes any difference).

 

[Ralston18]

The guiding document is the Motherboard's User Manual.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-H97M-D3H-rev-10/support#support-manual

(Verify that I found the applicable User Manual. Revision numbers and serial numbers may be needed to do so with respect to the time span involved.)

Second to that is Gigabytes's website - you must also check the website for more up-to-date information.

Especially to view the QVL (Qualified Vendors List). Be sure that any given component is indeed supported.

Also check the documentation for all installed components and potential replacements. Confirm that the potential components can be installed, configured, and used.

Details matter so pay attention to all caveats, warnings, "!" flags, etc..

Note: Watch out for "manuals" websites that have Gigabyte in the URL but are not really Gigabyte. Some such sites are very risky.

 

[SkyNetRising]

what the best storage (preferably SSD if possible) and the best GPU (preferably AMD if possible) are that my MoBo supports?

Best SSD ?
Basically any 2.5" SATA SSD would do. There's no point for NVME SSDs in your system.
Samsung 860 Evo 2.5" or Crucial MX500 2.5".

Best AMD GPU? That would be Radeon 7900 XTX. Probably not in your price range though. 😉
Note - minimum recommended PSU for 7900 XTX is 800W.

 

[monere]

Best AMD GPU? That would be Radeon 7900 XTX. Probably not in your price range though. 😉
Note - minimum recommended PSU for 7900 XTX is 800W.

ouch! Yeah, I'll pass...

Best SSD ?
Basically any 2.5" SATA SSD would do. There's no point for NVME SSDs in your system.
Samsung 860 Evo 2.5" or Crucial MX500 2.5".

noice! I've heard a lot of good things about the 860 (well, about Samsung SSDs in general), so I'm ok with any Samsung SSD working on this geriatric MoBo 😀

Thanks for the tips!

The guiding document is the Motherboard's User Manual.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-H97M-D3H-rev-10/support#support-manual

(Verify that I found the applicable User Manual. Revision numbers and serial numbers may be needed to do so with respect to the time span involved.)

Second to that is Gigabytes's website - you must also check the website for more up-to-date information.

Especially to view the QVL (Qualified Vendors List). Be sure that any given component is indeed supported.

Also check the documentation for all installed components and potential replacements. Confirm that the potential components can be installed, configured, and used.

Details matter so pay attention to all caveats, warnings, "!" flags, etc..

Note: Watch out for "manuals" websites that have Gigabyte in the URL but are not really Gigabyte. Some such sites are very risky.

I'm having rev. 1.1... I think 😀

Thanks for the tips, I'll check them out... and also thanks for the scam warnings as well

 

[geofelt]

In what way is your current pc not doing the job?
What is your budget?
If your cpu performance is not good enough,
Here is a list of supported cpu upgrades:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-H97M-D3H-rev-10/support#support-cpu
Your current I3-4360 has 4 processing threads. The passmark rating is 3578; that is when all 4 threads are fully utilized.
The single thread rating is 2065; arguably the more important metric for gaming:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=intel+core+i3-4360+@+3.70ghz&id=2244
The strongest cpu upgrade would be the i7-4790K with 8 threads and a rating of 2470.
It sells for $100 or so used on ebay.

In ram, 16gb is a good idea. 1600 speed is fine; in fact, that is the max speed that your motherboard supports.
Intel performance, unlike ryzen does not depend on fast ram for performance.
You could buy a second copy of 2 x 4gb ram.
But, ram must be matched to guarantee proper operation.
Intel is good with this so I give you a 90% chance of working.
To be certain, buy a 4 x 4gb whole kit.

A SSD to replace the windows C drive would be my very first upgrade.
Buy a 2.5" sata ssd to replace your HDD.
Make it large enough to hold the used contents of your HDD plus extra for expansion.
You can clone your HDD so replacing is easy.
Samsung has a good ssd mover app.
Instructions and app here:

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

semiconductor.samsung.com

Do not pay too much attention to ssd bench specs.
sata, m.2 and pcie will all appear to you to be performing alike.
These guys could not tell the difference:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

The good thing about a ssd is that it can easily be moved to a future build.

Repurpose your HDD as an external backup.

As to graphics card upgrades, here is a article on relative performance levels: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
GTX660 is not even on the chart.
Your psu, whatever it is will have a 6 pin connector for the gpu.
That should be sufficient for a GTX1650 super.
I might add that amd and nvidia drivers have different ecosystems.
Since you are familiar with nvidia, I would stick with that.

Here are the power requirements for other cards:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

 

[monere]

In what way is your current pc not doing the job?

it is doing its job. It's just that it's too slow (takes about 4-6 minutes to fully boot and load Windows)... and it bloody doesn't work with Linux, and since I want to fully and eternally commit to Linux...

What is your budget?

um, I don't have one yet. I'm only researching what the best components for this MoBo are so that I know what to expect in terms of costs. And once I have the costs for the upgrade figured out I will compare them to what the new (100% AMD and Linux-based) rig will cost me and - depending on my financial situation at that moment - I will know whether I'll upgrade this one or go with the new rig. Efficient planning on steroids, that is 😀

The strongest cpu upgrade would be the i7-4790K with 8 threads and a rating of 2470.
It sells for $100 or so used on ebay.

see? That's why I came here for my learning! To get my doze of "straight-to-the-point, no fluff" tips! Love it 😀

Intel performance, unlike ryzen does not depend on fast ram for performance.

oh, that's interesting! I didn't know this...

Although, to be honest I was planning on getting 32 GB of RAM anyway, so I don't think that I would have felt the difference between an Intel build or an AMD one with so much RAM. But good to know....

In ram, 16gb is a good idea. 1600 speed is fine; in fact, that is the max speed that your motherboard supports.
Intel performance, unlike ryzen does not depend on fast ram for performance.

Nope, 16GB is not a good idea! I've had enough of always just getting by with my PCs. In 30+ years I've only had PCs with which I barely managed to get by for the first 3-4 years (at least from a gaming perspective). And while I'm still not a heavy gamer, I - for once - want for any game that I want to play, for whatever reason, at whichever point in time, to bloody work at max settings, even if I don't need it. I think this is called vanity, right? Or maybe infatuation?? I don't know 'cause English is not my main language so I don't know all of the synonyms, but I hope that you got my point, which is: for once, I want to be able to not feel any lag, any sluggishness, any booting / loading delays, no matter what I do. And since RAM is the cheapest PC component that makes the most impact on the overall speed of the system, you can be sure that I'm going to get AT LEAST 32GB of RAM (preferably 64 GB) if I manage to mix-max my PC build / upgrade properly and save a few coins.

Anyway, speaking of RAM, I have a question if you don't mind (and if you know the answer to, obviously). But before I ask, here's the thing... I purchased this PC in 2014 (as I mentioned earlier), and back then I knew even less about putting PCs together than I know now, so I had to rely on the computer shop where I got this PC from to put it together for me since they knew more than me. And more they knew indeed! But the morons have installed the 2 RAM sticks that I have into the wrong slots (the ones that are usually reserved to sticks 3 and 4), and since these RAM sticks are meant to function at 1600 MHz I thought that by being installed into the wrong slots they have always functioned at lower speeds. I've run with this wrong setup for nearly 9 god damn years and I'm so infuriated 🙁

So anyway, last week I installed Speccy (a free software that tells you all of the important data about your components) and I noticed 2 things that caught my attention:

1) the temperature of the CPU, even when the CPU was idle, was always around 50° C, with this temperature constantly staying at 70° when the PC was busy. I don't know whether these numbers are high or normal, but I didn't like them...

2) the RAM speeds - as per Speccy's monitoring - have always been at 800 MHz, and this had bugged me so much lately that today (about 1 hour ago more specifically) I decided to do something about it. I decided to finally take them out of the wrong slots on the MoBo and put them were those computer shop "experts" should have slotted them into to begin with.

So, I unplugged and disconnected everything, vacuumed the computer for the first time in like... hmm.... I think it's 6-7 years, possibly longer xD ... and then cleaned everything (SATA cables, the PSU, the MoBo crevices that I could get into, the HDD, even the GPU I vacuumed and cleaned with a moist cloth) that I could with a moist cloth, then did the job on the RAM modules, then put everything together again, and now I'm writing this reply from a well vacuumed, cleaned of dust and mental frustration PC that has the RAM modules slotted into the right slots... for the first time in its existence LOL

And the reason for which I'm mentioning all of these is 2-fold (as per the 2 bullet points I listed above):

1) the CPU temperature - according to Speccy - is now constantly around 30° C, while, when working, the temperature rises at 50° C from what I noticed so far (but still without having put the CPU under a lot of stress, so these temperatures might still rise, but we will see).

And the reason I'm mentioning this is because I am actually impressed by how much dust can affect the smooth working of a computer. I would have never thought this, even though it makes sense when you think about it. So, this is pretty cool, I think I should vacuum my PC at least once a year, if not more often than that 😀

2) and the second point, and which is what I'd like to ask you about is that - even though I did move the RAM modules into the right slots on the MoBo - Speccy still says that the RAM functions at 800MHz. And yes, I did check the BIOS, too and everything is fine in there, as well. Everything is set to work at 1.5V and 1600 MHz, so there's nothing I can do inside of BIOS to make the damn modules work at 1600 MHz.

So, do you happen to know why Speccy always shows 800 MHz instead of 1600 MHz? Actually, I don't even care why it shows that, I just want the modules to work at the frequency they've been manufactured to work with, that's the frequency that I've paid for and I want to get everything out of it. I just can't figure out how, and it's so frustrating...

A SSD to replace the windows C drive would be my very first upgrade.
Buy a 2.5" sata ssd to replace your HDD.
Make it large enough to hold the used contents of your HDD plus extra for expansion.

yep, that's what I figured, too. I've really had enough of using HDD for 30 years, it's time to move to SSD, NVMe or not I don't care. I just crave better speeds. I CRAVE them, get it?

The good thing about a ssd is that it can easily be moved to a future build.

Repurpose your HDD as an external backup.

When I finally move to SSD I won't be wanting to have anything to do anymore with HDDs, not even as backups LOL. Besides, I already have an Adata 1TB external drive that sits pretty much unused, so I'm thinking of formatting this HDD and gifting it to someone who might need it. It would be a much better use for it than me having it as a backup when I don't really need it because I already have a better backup drive. But thanks for the suggestion regardless!

As to graphics card upgrades, here is a article on relative performance levels: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
GTX660 is not even on the chart.
Your psu, whatever it is will have a 6 pin connector for the gpu.
That should be sufficient for a GTX1650 super.

Awesome! Gonna check out this link while I eat 'cause I'm starving at the moment... And thanks for the recommendation on the GPU, as well. I have no idea how you decided that that's the best GPU for my MoBo but I'll take your word for it

I might add that amd and nvidia drivers have different ecosystems.
Since you are familiar with nvidia, I would stick with that.

Different how??

And I'm not familiar with anything, I've learned a lot of things over the last week with all of the research that I've done so I do know a few things now, but I honestly have no idea how Nvidia compares to AMD at any levels. I just chose this GPU back in 2014 based on the computer shop's "experts" and my budget of that time. But since those experts have not been able to mount the RAM sticks into the right MoBo slots I'm not even surprised anymore that the GPU they've recommended me is not even on the list you've mentioned above. And people ask me why I hate shopping offline! That's why! It's the marketers and the sellers that always ruin everything and make things ugly for sensitive people like me. And the funny thing is that I'm a marketer myself, and yet, I despise marketers like you can't imagine.... Oh well, that's a story for another day....

Here are the power requirements for other cards:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

sweet! This will come in handy after I finish eating

Thanks again for all of your replies, they're very valuable to me! Cheers!

 

[geofelt]

800 speed is what you get with just one stick.
1600 speed ram assumes that you are running in dual channel.
Run cpu-Z and look at the memory tab. If you have one stick in channel A and one in channel B then you should see dual channel operation.
Your motherboard manual will tell you which slots are preferred for installing two sticks. Windows will keep unused code around in ram in anticipation of instant reuse. To see if you are truly short of ram, look at task manager/resource manager/memory tab. There will be column called hard faults/sec.
If this is zero or close to it, you have sufficient ram for what you are doing.
If it is more, then more ram will be good.
A hard fault happens when windows needs something in ram and needs to swap old pages out and read the required page from the page file.
That is 40x slower on a Hard drive.
When playing most any game it will do fine on 16gb. If you are multitasking like streaming then more ram is good.
No idea how linux handles this.

Instead of powering down your pc, why not use sleep (no hibernate)
It puts your pc and monitor into a low power state close to full power off.
Sleep/wake becomes only a handful of seconds.

Do not worry too much about cpu temperatures.
The processor monitors it's own temperature and will slow down or shut off to protect itself if it finds a dangerous temperature.
That point is about 100c.
10-15c. above ambient at idle is good.
70c. when busy is fine.
I would not worry if it was higher.

If looking for new and interested in gaming, look for a processor with good single thread performance.
That is what games need most.
Run the cpu-Z bench test on your i3-4360.
Look at the single thread performance rating.
You should get a number like 397:
https://valid.x86.fr/bench/u2a8ct/1

I only mentioned GTX1650super as a class of gpu that might be appropriate to your pc.
it is wise to get some sort of a balance between cpu and gpu capability.
If you need to pick, buy the stronger cpu since gpu upgrades are easy.
You may be interested in this older article on DDR3 ram speed scaling:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell

Lastly, you may need to upgrade your psu.
Do not buy a cheap psu.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It may not have all safety and overload protections.
The danger is if it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability;
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive.

Do not buy one!
How can you tell quality?
Look for a psu with at least a 7 to 10 year warranty.

I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say by 30%.
It will allow for a stronger future graphics card upgrade.
It will run cooler and quieter.
Modern graphics cards can have high power demand spikes that need to be handled.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.

 

[monere]

800 speed is what you get with just one stick.
1600 speed ram assumes that you are running in dual channel.

oh, I didn't think about this lol... that kind of makes sense because yeah, I am running it in Dual Channel 😀

So they work as intended then.... good to know, good to know....

If looking for new and interested in gaming, look for a processor with good single thread performance.
That is what games need most.

I will definitely play games on my new PC if I manage to get one, otherwise what's the point of buying new tech if you don't play with it? 😛

But I didn't know that single threading is the secret to gaming happiness, thanks for sharing!

Run the cpu-Z bench test on your i3-4360.
Look at the single thread performance rating.
You should get a number like 397:
https://valid.x86.fr/bench/u2a8ct/1

nah, I'm good! I'm not in mood of testing anything anymore as I feel mentally depleted... I'll just watch something on YT and then go to sleep probably...

Run cpu-Z and look at the memory tab. If you have one stick in channel A and one in channel B then you should see dual channel operation.

This I might do as I'm interested in solving the RAM speeds mystery (well, mystery for me), but I'll do it tomorrow 😀

Your motherboard manual will tell you which slots are preferred for installing two sticks. Windows will keep unused code around in ram in anticipation of instant reuse. To see if you are truly short of ram, look at task manager/resource manager/memory tab. There will be column called hard faults/sec.
If this is zero or close to it, you have sufficient ram for what you are doing.
If it is more, then more ram will be good.
A hard fault happens when windows needs something in ram and needs to swap old pages out and read the required page from the page file.
That is 40x slower on a Hard drive.
When playing most any game it will do fine on 16gb. If you are multitasking like streaming then more ram is good.

got it!

Instead of powering down your pc, why not use sleep (no hibernate)
It puts your pc and monitor into a low power state close to full power off.
Sleep/wake becomes only a handful of seconds.

I did use sleep within the first 1-2 years of buying this computer but at some point something bad happened and I couldn't use the "sleep" function anymore. I don't remember what's happened exactly, all I know is that I've had issues with it (either crashes, or refusal to wake up, or something like that), and rebooting / powering down had been my only option to bring the computer back to life, so I decided to stop putting it on sleep. So, I don't think I'll try this again

Do not worry too much about cpu temperatures.
The processor monitors it's own temperature and will slow down or shut off to protect itself if it finds a dangerous temperature.
That point is about 100c.
10-15c. above ambient at idle is good.
70c. when busy is fine.
I would not worry if it was higher.

I don't know, I'm overly cautious because I've heard a lot of folks saying that CPUs are very sensitive to temperatures, so this had made me extremely cautious with them. And I prefer to remain cautious, but I will stop worrying so much about it next time I see it at 70° C. Thanks for the tip!

I only mentioned GTX1650super as a class of gpu that might be appropriate to your pc.
it is wise to get some sort of a balance between cpu and gpu capability.
If you need to pick, buy the stronger cpu since gpu upgrades are easy.
You may be interested in this older article on DDR3 ram speed scaling:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell

I'll have a look, thanks!

Lastly, you may need to upgrade your psu.
Do not buy a cheap psu.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It may not have all safety and overload protections.
The danger is if it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability;
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive.

Do not buy one!
How can you tell quality?
Look for a psu with at least a 7 to 10 year warranty.

I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say by 30%.
It will allow for a stronger future graphics card upgrade.
It will run cooler and quieter.
Modern graphics cards can have high power demand spikes that need to be handled.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.

I mean, after the research that I've done in the last 6-7 days I kind of know what to buy now to create a safe and stable PC. But like I said, this computer had been assembled in 2014 by the "experts" where I bought it from, and like all good retail experts that are only interested in selling you what it's in their best interest I've got my hands on a possibly weak PSU. And it's been weak indeed, because I remember that in July 2020 I've had to replace it for another one (which is also probably weak), but that's what I could afford at that time.

I don't know whether you care about seeing it, but I will show it to you regardless, so here it is:
https://www.flax.ro/sursa-delux-dlp-23d-500w-dlp-23d-500-454293

The site is in my native language (Romanian) but you can still easily discern the specs if you want to check them out, although I have a feeling that you will say that they are poor specs, which I don't mind because I feel the same, too

But yeah, as soon as I get my hands on some moolah I will definitely buy the right components. After all, researching what's best for my new rig is why I've spent so much time with this research...

Thanks for all of the AWESOME tips! I will mark the thread as solved as it's pretty much clear what I need to do from this point forward... and until I have the money I won't be able to do anything else anyway, so I think we're all good for now... Have a great weekend!

 

[geofelt]

Sorry to say, your psu is not a good one.
It is an older unit with power on 3 and 5v,, not on 12v where modern processors and graphics cards need them.
It might be a 200w psu.
It does not have even a 6 pin graphics card connector.
I suspect you are using an adapter for your GTX660 which is bad and a fire hazard.
Buy a quality replacement as soon as you can.

 

[monere]

Sorry to say, your psu is not a good one.
It is an older unit with power on 3 and 5v,, not on 12v where modern processors and graphics cards need them.
It might be a 200w psu.
It does not have even a 6 pin graphics card connector.
I suspect you are using an adapter for your GTX660 which is bad and a fire hazard.
Buy a quality replacement as soon as you can.

it's OK! I figured that for $25 that I paid for it it couldn't have been exceptional

Regarding the 6-pin connector, I think that it does have it, because my GPU is already connected to it via 2 3-pin connectors, so how could this be possible if the PSU didn't have these connectors?? But nevermind anyway! I hope to be able to replace this with a new rig anyway before July, so I'm not replacing it.

But thanks for the advice nonetheless, it's highly apprec iated!