Hi y’all,
i used to be so prolific at the whole pc building thing. but now i’m out of the game with age and not buying stuff in a while.
so here’s my question:
my PC is fine and i upgraded parts of it during the years. but it may be time for a new motherboard, since mine only supports 32gb of RAM which isnt enough anymore.
what do I need to do to replace my motherboard?
I guess, i’d have to re-install everything, right? Isn’t windows and all the software kinda bound to my motherboard?
since i’m fine with my 2060Super, i guess getting a new PC is not worth it, my case and hard drives are fine. i will need new RAM and SSDs.
So what should I look for in a motherboard?
i guess I would. my CPU is as old as the MoBo. its a I7 4770K (which came out in 2013 RIP), i think that proves i made a great investment back then for my PC to still run great after 10+ years Oo…
Really depends what you have now and what you are looking to achieve. The “core 3” i call it, are mobo, ram, and cpu that needs to be generationally compatible. These tend to but not always be purchased at the same time.
If you are keeping your C drive, then no, you dont have to reinstall everythimg. Windows licensing is weird now. I think its supposed to be transferrable if you disable the previous computer since it is account bound. Someone else will need you comment on that. That is a ‘legit’ license issue. Most other software wont care if your cpu or mobo changes.
If windows is installed on a harddrive and not an ssd, then i would strongly reccomend you do a fresh install on a new ssd. You can plug in your old drive after install to transfer files. Then wipe it and use as storage.
As long as you pick a compatible mobo. Theres not really any difference between them for most people. Mostly just IO differences.
thanks for your comment. windows is on a ssd, but i’d like a second one to load some stuff faster. my stuff was bought and configured 10+ years ago so my SSD is 128gb
Doublecheck whatever new mobo you get supports your video card (extremely likely, I only mention as a formality.), your ram (since you’re replacing nbd just match the ram to mobo), your cpu socket (depending on age could be an issue), and the amount of SSD action you want to have.
Windows will prob need a reactivation (obligatory linux wouldn’t have this issue plug to save someone a comment) but the rest of your software likely won’t unless you got some pricey bois in there. Reinstalls shouldn’t be necessary.
Be sure to buy thermal paste with it unless you remember where a tube is.
great points. thanks! would you know a price point i should have in mind for a mobo? i am not playing the latest and greatest games and not rendering videos, would like upgradability especially with ram.
The last one I got was 270, prior to that the previous 2 were sub 100. TBH my most recent one (in 2020) was overkill for the time, but I wanted some futureproofing. 150-200 range would prob do you fine and then some
thanks! I wasn’t sure what to expect when asking this. i feel very old and i’m happy that nobody made fun of me but you’re providing help to me in a kind and generous way! have a good one
Go to https://pcpartpicker.com/. Create a build with all your existing hardware. Delete the motherboard. Search for a new one using the site. They’ll show you compatible options.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !pcmasterrace@lemmy.world
A community for PC Master Race.
Rules:
No bigotry: Including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
Be respectful. Everyone should feel welcome here.
No NSFW content.
No Ads / Spamming.
Be thoughtful and helpful: even with ‘stupid’ questions. The world won’t be made better or worse by snarky comments schooling naive newcomers on Lemmy.
If you aren’t upgrading your CPU, make sure the new motherboard is still compatible with it.
i guess I would. my CPU is as old as the MoBo. its a I7 4770K (which came out in 2013 RIP), i think that proves i made a great investment back then for my PC to still run great after 10+ years Oo…
Really depends what you have now and what you are looking to achieve. The “core 3” i call it, are mobo, ram, and cpu that needs to be generationally compatible. These tend to but not always be purchased at the same time.
If you are keeping your C drive, then no, you dont have to reinstall everythimg. Windows licensing is weird now. I think its supposed to be transferrable if you disable the previous computer since it is account bound. Someone else will need you comment on that. That is a ‘legit’ license issue. Most other software wont care if your cpu or mobo changes.
If windows is installed on a harddrive and not an ssd, then i would strongly reccomend you do a fresh install on a new ssd. You can plug in your old drive after install to transfer files. Then wipe it and use as storage.
As long as you pick a compatible mobo. Theres not really any difference between them for most people. Mostly just IO differences.
thanks for your comment. windows is on a ssd, but i’d like a second one to load some stuff faster. my stuff was bought and configured 10+ years ago so my SSD is 128gb
Doublecheck whatever new mobo you get supports your video card (extremely likely, I only mention as a formality.), your ram (since you’re replacing nbd just match the ram to mobo), your cpu socket (depending on age could be an issue), and the amount of SSD action you want to have.
Windows will prob need a reactivation (obligatory linux wouldn’t have this issue plug to save someone a comment) but the rest of your software likely won’t unless you got some pricey bois in there. Reinstalls shouldn’t be necessary.
Be sure to buy thermal paste with it unless you remember where a tube is.
great points. thanks! would you know a price point i should have in mind for a mobo? i am not playing the latest and greatest games and not rendering videos, would like upgradability especially with ram.
The last one I got was 270, prior to that the previous 2 were sub 100. TBH my most recent one (in 2020) was overkill for the time, but I wanted some futureproofing. 150-200 range would prob do you fine and then some
thanks! I wasn’t sure what to expect when asking this. i feel very old and i’m happy that nobody made fun of me but you’re providing help to me in a kind and generous way! have a good one
No worries friend, everyone needs a little help from time to time. :)
Go to https://pcpartpicker.com/. Create a build with all your existing hardware. Delete the motherboard. Search for a new one using the site. They’ll show you compatible options.
Great site and advice.