Advice needed: upgrade GPU or PSU (or both)?

fmcco

Hi folks, need some advice on a possible upgrade. PC was not built as a gaming rig but is getting some usage as one from kids. When playing e.g. Just Cause or Team Fortress, black lines appear on teh screen at times. They are maybe one pixel wide and a few cm long, and 'point' at the centre of the screen generally. I've looked online and some people blame the GPU, some the PSU. Current specs on both are below:

GPU:PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition, 1GB GDDR5
PSU:Corsair Builder Serie CX430 V3 Non-Modular 80+ Bronze, 430 Watt

So I have 2 questions:
1) Will upgrading the GPU and/or PSU fix this and which should I start with?
2) My eldest is keen to build his own gaming PC, but can't wait to get all the components. His plan is to start with a better GPU for the above rig. If this goes ahead, I'd like the thing to last. Should we go straight to a 4GB card (e.g. msi-radeon-r7-370-gaming-4gb-pci-e - I would link but I'm not allowed!) or would 2GB be OK? If we go for that type of card, will we need a new PSU anyway?

Thanks in advance for any pointers you can give.

Digital Solitude

If you want to carry the PSU over, I'd go for an nVidia card.

Right off the bat, I'd say pick up something along the lines of a GTX750Ti or a GTX950, both of which are capable gaming cards, for about €140 or €170 if you want to carry over the graphics card to the new PC too.

What CPU is in the current machine?

fmcco

Cheers DS, the CPU is an AMD FX 6300 / 3.5 GHz.

Digital Solitude

Nothing wrong with that, stick a more powerful card and an SSD in and you've a gaming PC

fmcco

OK that sounds like a plan... Thanks for your help!