Can upgrading a prebuilt "all-around" pc cause major issues?

[malistaticy]

Can upgrading an all-around pc like the type you pick up from wal-mart damage the motherboard or gpu, or otherwise cause problems? 

I was playing some Project M a while back, when this guy who said he was a hardware engineer or an electrician or something along those lines says in the global chat lobby that upgrading prebuilts is a recipe for disaster.

He said that it could completely ruin components beyond repair. This is a problem because my 3 year old ASUS M51AC-US004S is really underpowered for games past 2011, and I was planning on upgrading it. From what I heard, the real bottleneck is the graphics card, so I opted to replace it with a GTX 970, and by extension replace the psu with a 550W XFX TS Series P1550SXXB9 to keep it running.

Does this really have a chance of ruining my pc, or any other pc?

I would really rather not spend ~$400 and potentially waste it along with any of the original components.

 

Thanks

[Trevor87]

Every thing looks good I would just get more better power supply 650 to 700w will do nicely and your good. 

[sapphirethunder]

No, there is no way to ruin the components on upgrading unless you physically do so.

 

[matrix07012]

19 minutes ago, malistaticy said:

I was playing some Project M a while back, when this guy who said he was a hardware engineer or an electrician or something along those lines says in the global chat lobby that upgrading prebuilts is a recipe for disaster.

He said that it could completely ruin components beyond repair.

This goes to the Experience with non-techies thread.

Answer:

Just do it. It will work. It will never break your components.

 

BTW: That prebuild is utter shit. i7 4470, 16GB and a GT 620, the iGPU is better than the GT 620 for fuck sake!!!! No wonders why it can't handle new games.

 

Spoiler

Low end GPU rant Num.1

Low end GPU rant Num.2

 

[Johannes_Lazor]

It wont break, A prebuilt system is just an computer but with lower bang for the buck. Just get the stuff you want and throw it in there, And Boom, Instant Gaming performance.

[malistaticy]

5 minutes ago, matrix07012 said:

BTW: That prebuild is utter shit. i7 4470, 16GB and a GT 620, the iGPU is better than the GT 620 for fuck sake!!!! No wonders why it can't handle new games.

Trust me, I can tell you first hand that its no good. Why do you think I am upgrading it? Anyway, I got it as a gift because I was running on a <$200 laptop.

[malistaticy]

11 minutes ago, sapphirethunder said:

No, there is no way to ruin the components on upgrading unless you physically do so.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Johannes_Lazor said:

It wont break, A prebuilt system is just an computer but with lower bang for the buck. Just get the stuff you want and throw it in there, And Boom, Instant Gaming performance.

Thanks, everyone else in the chat was denying him too but I had to have closure

[matrix07012]

4 minutes ago, malistaticy said:

Trust me, I can tell you first hand that its no good. Why do you think I am upgrading it? Anyway, I got it as a gift because I was running on a <$200 laptop.

Sorry, I din't want to insult you. It was more of a rant aimed at companies that offer these unbalanced pre-builts.

[Naeaes]

Over the years I've witnessed compatibility issues a bunch of time. Most commonly with CPUs and RAM obviously, with the lack for BIOS support. But GPUs are known to do that too. Simply not post even if on paper they should. And it happends even with reputable manufacturers like Asus. The prebuilt manufacturers only suggest using their own replacement parts for this and a few other stupid reasons and there are no works/doesn't -checklists for aftermarket parts. With that in mind, make sure that you buy the parts from a retailer/online store that will refund them if they turn out to be non-compatible. Also, while Asus is not a problematic manufacturer in this sense, double-check anyway. The parts can look ATX-compatible but in fact aren't. Check that the sizes are right and that there are the right number of mounting holes. 

[papapoi]

45 minutes ago, malistaticy said:

Can upgrading an all-around pc like the type you pick up from wal-mart damage the motherboard or gpu, or otherwise cause problems? 

I was playing some Project M a while back, when this guy who said he was a hardware engineer or an electrician or something along those lines says in the global chat lobby that upgrading prebuilts is a recipe for disaster.

He said that it could completely ruin components beyond repair. This is a problem because my 3 year old ASUS M51AC-US004S is really underpowered for games past 2011, and I was planning on upgrading it. From what I heard, the real bottleneck is the graphics card, so I opted to replace it with a GTX 970, and by extension replace the psu with a 550W XFX TS Series P1550SXXB9 to keep it running.

Does this really have a chance of ruining my pc, or any other pc?

I would really rather not spend ~$400 and potentially waste it along with any of the original components.

 

Thanks

late post but idk what bs that guy was trying to feed you, but i have bought a few off lease pc's from dell, upgraded them and resold for a profit, even some slim line ones, maybe he threw in an off brand psu and fried his own pc and is now jaded, some pre-built pc's have better motherboards than some custom built.  just stick with a good reliable psu like you would with a custom build and make sure there is adequate cooling in your system(if not thats why there are drills, dremels and extra fans) and you should be good