thanks for all the advice here

I recently upgraded my old Windows 7 desktop; installed (free upgrade) Windows 10 and added/replaced the hardware;
GTX 970--4 GB Nvidia graphics card, a Shark 600W PS, and added a second SSD hard drive. (still have a 1TB HDD). The SSD really is super fast!

I can download multi-GB stuff in no time at all! I don't care about noise, personally I never found my HDD loud or bothersome in the slightest. I did have to fashion my own method of securing the SSD into my PC. (I didn't feel like buying a custom caddy to install and was too impatient to figure that out anyway). All I did was drill new holes into the existing HDD caddy. The SSD is so small!
The graphics card is working just fine for all my games! I can play anything now, no problems

I'm glad I didn't spend more money on a 1060 or above, didn't seem to be necessary.
My only remaining concern is the heat. The GTX is huge; larger than what I expected, so the inside of the PC is now getting pretty cramped. The PS has a fan on the internal side of it (instead of on the outside like old one's I'm used to). I currently have it so it's directly facing the fans on the graphic card. Meaning there is a linear air flow from their to the PS and out; just not sure that is the best set up. The only other option is having it face a vent on the ceiling of the PC; drawing air from outside, but this really blocks air flow from the card. I can always adjust things later if I really have to.
Someday down the road--if I have the need-- I might upgrade the CPU and RAM but as of now there's really no need. Everything is fast enough for me. So now I have a 10+ year old PC going strong and performing up-to-date
