PSU = Power Supply Unit

Adding ram is still one of the least expensive upgrades that will help your system work better. 

It had all ready done bad things to the motherboard Doc or I would have looked at doing that.  I'm not much with the hands on fixing stuff when it comes to computers. 

Goes without saying that if you buy more PSU capacity than you need, you may spend a bit more but it's less likely to overheat and become inefficient,  Generic power supplies, despite their low cost, tend to give a false economy except on low-end computers.

The GPU I eventually settled on is so mid-range it doesn't need the extra power connector, never mind coming close to taxing the more-than adequate power supply that I got.  But I have the option to upgrade if I really want to.

I hope the computer comes well packaged as my experience with UPS brings a whole new meaning to "drop shipment"! UPS delivered an oxygen concentrator for my wife's jewelry business that had obviously been dropped. When I stated that I wanted to open and inspect the contents to see whether there was any damage, the driver said he wouldn't wait. Well, it was damaged and UPS wouldn't accept responsibility, so I had to pay to have it returned to the manufacturer who very nicely sent me another one at no charge.

UPS - we're not responsible for what we do.

If you don't have a good surge protector (not to be confused with a power strip), get one. Don't skimp on it, good ones are worth the money.

Before installing anything at all, make the system recovery discs and a repair disc. This will take 3-5 blank DVD's and one CD

If you wish to be cautious: Download the AV you want to use now, save it on a flash drive and install it before even going on the 'net.

Check the manufacturers website for any updates to your rig. Some may have been released since the unit was built.

I would wait until the rig has been used at least a week before cracking the case open, btw. It will function fine with what it came with for that long.

Most electronics will either fail or display any issues by that time and if you need warranty service, it's best that it hasn't been opened up and modified/upgraded.

Not to be confused with my earlier comment regarding UPS the shipper, get an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). A UPS will keep the tower from being crashed due to a short power outage and it provides surge protection as well. The bigger UPS have a serial USB interface that will notify the computer when the battery is getting low which then will allow a proper shutdown or hibernate.

I have two UPS units, one on the file/print server which also powers the network hardware and the wireless. The other powers the media center in the great room.

That sucks... Ya I just lost another harddrive, all my homework was backed up. Man this 2nd custom was hungry 1 mb and 2 hard drives. Hopefully its done eating parts. 

Get a UPS. A surge protector helps only if there are surges. An Uninterruptable Power Supply will keep the computer running if the power fails keeping the hard drive from landing so that it is messed up and a few other dozen things bad. They will keep things up long enough for the power to come back on, or the software to turn the computer off, or for the human to turn the computer off. I once survived a two week power outage (lived way up in the woods) by using my computer conservatively. That was back in modem days.  If you live in an area with crappy power, like I do now, get a line conditioner/UPS. This way if the power goes down, you are covered. If the power goes brown, you are covered. If the line goes hot, you are covered. Both of these devices have surge protection but I get a surge protector too because I'd rather the surge strip got burned up than my line conditioner. The sad thing is that from 2 to 5 years after you get a UPS or conditioner the battery starts going bad and you gotta buy a new battery or device. *eyeballs 5 year old line conditioner* I got mine on sale at NewEgg quite some time ago, dunno who has the sales ATM. Amazon looks to be even better source now.

The 1350Va 850W is mine. Use more or less the same selection rules as for a UPS. Generally you can get a few less watts.

 http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1000AVRLCD-Intelligent-1000VA-Tower/dp/B000QZ3UG0/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1350664021&sr=1-5&keywords=line+conditioner

The 1,000W has nine, count them, 9 receptacles in the back. Remember, this is also a surge protector. Some had front, some have rear plugins. (not going to spell that other word a second time) I see at least one that looks like a beefed-up power strip.

I wanted to make SURE they were seen. Besides, nobody nags like a woman.

So in light of this is there a program to tell you if your PSU is dying?