Looking for Advice on Swapping Out Motherboard

[Huntn]

Any advanced builders out there?

I built my gaming PC back in 2013. Since then I've upgraded this computer several times with a larger larger SATA drive, more memory and new Graphic card in 2015. Well, I decided to upgrade my graphics card again. I purchased a Gigabyte Geforce 2070, but when it came to getting the old card off the motherboard, I ran into a big problem, I could not get the latch to unlatch, then the unlatching mechanism seemed to break, then I got part of the card out, but then... the clip for the the PCIex16 came off, so the card did come out and left a bunch of itty bitty wire brushes (for lack of a better name) exposed. Some are nice an straight and some are curly cued.

So note, the connection for graphic cards appears to be rather fragile, the housing where the card fits, is only connected to the board by 2 plastic posts, that appear to snap easily.

Ok, so I broke my computer partially, but as of now, it's worthless as a gaming computer. So how to proceed? As is I have two monitors and one is hooked directly to the motherboard so it still will boot up and run. And I'll rationalize that it's time for an upgrade.

This motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-Z87MX (2013). It is a crossfire board with 1 PCIEx16 slot, and one PCIEx8 slot. This Gigabyte Geforce 2070 card is a PCIEx16 card. I read online that in a pinch you could install a PCIEx16 card in a PCIEx8 slot and it would operate, with a small loss of performance. FPS. However I tried it, and it did not seem to work. My main monitor connected to the new card works, but checking out my displays (system, displays, advanced display settings), in the PCIEx8 slot, it shows the same RAM as the one hooked directly to the motherboard. At this point I assume it's because it really needs a PCIex16 slot.

So the next step would be to replace the motherboard and my question is how much of my current build would be compatible with a new motherboard? Since the old board is a Gigabyte brand, most likely I'd go with the same brand from a familiarity aspect.

These are the things I'm wondering if I could still use:

• Case- Fractal Design Define XL R2- I assume that will be usable.
• CPU- i5 4670K (would probably upgrade that to either a newer gen i5, i7, or i9).
• RAM- CORSAIR Vengeance® 16GB (2 x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz (PC3 1280- added 08/2016
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H55

Any thoughts on this other than, boy what a klutz, such as how to proceed? Any unforeseen complications that you can already see?

I'm going to try to talk to Gigabyte when they open on the West Coast and ask for their advice since I own one of their motherboards and just bought a high end card from them.
Thanks!

 

[Huntn]

Interesting development (if anyone is interested ), I got the new graphic card running in the PCEIx8 slot. I finally figured out that what was on the DVD was not actually the card driver, which I needed to get from Nvidia. So my choice is to leave as is with what is reported as a slight degradation of performance running the card out of the PCIEx8 slot.
but I don't like that have a mangled PCI clip and exposed wires, although it's unlikely anything will touch them.

Most likely I'll replace the motherboard, RAM (required with new board) and new CPU (req with new board). That's going to coast about $600 in addition to the cost of the card. As I think I said, the computer is 5 years old, time for an upgrade. At lease I'm not buying a new Mac Pro.

 

[velocityg4]

Those locks snap all the time once they age a little. Never had a PCIe slot rip out though. I'm not sure why the second PCIe slot won't work. Perhaps the damage goes deeper.

Upgrades

Motherboard: With a new motherboard. The RAM and CPU won’t work. You’ll also need to reinstall Windows. If the license is not retail (ie OEM). You’ll need a new license. Although you can use Windows 10 as long as you want without activation.

CPU Cooler: Will work with any modern Intel consumer socket (Intel 115x, Intel 2011/2066). You’ll need an AM4 bracket for AMD Ryzen. I know the specs say AM4. If yours was bought before Ryzen. It won't have the bracket.

Given its age you may want a new one. You’ll be rolling the dice on it. In the hope it will last another five. Plus you really want at least 240mm for overclocking. 120mm just isn't enough on liquid. It's fine on air but liquid coolers need more CFM than big air.

Case: That case is huge. It supports any current motherboard. Although it would look pretty silly with anything smaller than ATX. Sort of like towing a jet ski with a semi. It'll also support giant 280mm radiators or towering big air coolers.

Other Options

There are some options if you want to save some money and hold out.

- Buy the exact same make, model and revision of motherboard off eBay used. You may end up spending a little more over other similar options. This will minimize the likelihood of having to reinstall Windows. Activation will still be a pain if Windows is OEM. You'll have to deal with a phone rep for activation and explain it is a repair not a new PC. They'll usually wave you.

- Buy another CPU compatible motherboard (Z87/Z97). The likelihood of needing to reinstall Windows goes up. Same activation issues.

- Try to repair it. I don't know the level of damage. If all the pins are in place and can be straightened. You can likely place in a new PCIe slot. You better be darned sure. As you could easily smoke your GPU if there is a short circuit. I've replaced other motherboard headers. I ripped out the internal video port on my iMac and even ripped out one or two pins. I managed to solder them back in, got the header back in place and epoxied it. It's been working fine for over a year. The screen slipped when I was putting it back in. Yanking on the header if you are curious.

Edit: Drivers certainly help. Guess that solves the PCIe 2 mystery.

 

[Huntn]

Those locks snap all the time once they age a little. Never had a PCIe slot rip out though. I'm not sure why the second PCIe slot won't work. Perhaps the damage goes deeper.

Upgrades

Motherboard: With a new motherboard. The RAM and CPU won’t work. You’ll also need to reinstall Windows. If the license is not retail (ie OEM). You’ll need a new license. Although you can use Windows 10 as long as you want without activation.

CPU Cooler: Will work with any modern Intel consumer socket (Intel 115x, Intel 2011/2066). You’ll need an AM4 bracket for AMD Ryzen. I know the specs say AM4. If yours was bought before Ryzen. It won't have the bracket.

Given its age you may want a new one. You’ll be rolling the dice on it. In the hope it will last another five. Plus you really want at least 240mm for overclocking. 120mm just isn't enough on liquid. It's fine on air but liquid coolers need more CFM than big air.

Case: That case is huge. It supports any current motherboard. Although it would look pretty silly with anything smaller than ATX. Sort of like towing a jet ski with a semi. It'll also support giant 280mm radiators or towering big air coolers.

Other Options

There are some options if you want to save some money and hold out.

- Buy the exact same make, model and revision of motherboard off eBay used. You may end up spending a little more over other similar options. This will minimize the likelihood of having to reinstall Windows. Activation will still be a pain if Windows is OEM. You'll have to deal with a phone rep for activation and explain it is a repair not a new PC. They'll usually wave you.

- Buy another CPU compatible motherboard (Z87/Z97). The likelihood of needing to reinstall Windows goes up. Same activation issues.

- Try to repair it. I don't know the level of damage. If all the pins are in place and can be straightened. You can likely place in a new PCIe slot. You better be darned sure. As you could easily smoke your GPU if there is a short circuit. I've replaced other motherboard headers. I ripped out the internal video port on my iMac and even ripped out one or two pins. I managed to solder them back in, got the header back in place and epoxied it. It's been working fine for over a year. The screen slipped when I was putting it back in. Yanking on the header if you are curious.

Edit: Drivers certainly help. Guess that solves the PCIe 2 mystery.

Thanks for the info! The computer is 5 years old. Since I built it in 2013, I have upgraded the C drive to a 2TB SATA, starting with 16Gb Ram added 32MB more, and uograded to a Geforce 970 Card in 2015. After finally talking to a tech person at Gigabyte, they basically said what you did.

I purchased Windows 7 as an OEM serial number, but then got the free Windows 10 update so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I really don’t want the gaming case with the clear sides and the illuminated motherboard. So I have decided to avoid the fancy looking motherboard, and upgrade to a Z390UD, with a 9th gen i5 processor, and (as you said) no choice on new RAM too. Coolers are only about $60 and I like the Corsair H55, but may buy a new one. What is the easiest way to monitor its operation?

Regarding repair, they said it is possible to remove entire PCI slot and solder in another, but I’ll pass on that, might as well upgrade. Btw I love this Fractile Design case.

What I noticed is that for being a “durable” motherboard, it did not take much force to pull that clip out. It looks like all that is holding it in place are two plastic posts, one on each end, and they just pulled right out of the motherboard. Expensive lesson learned (approx prices):

• New i5 9th gen cpu- $250
• 32gb RAm- $229
• New Z390 Mobo- $120

Now when you say reinstall Windows, are you saying from scratch, or I’ll just get a message that my copy of Windows is not activated?

Something bugs me about using a wounded motherboard. My understanding is that the PCIEx8 slot will have lesser performance but only a couple of frames difference. I cranked up X4:Foundations and sitting on the ramp in a space station was getting about double the frame rate of the old card, 50 FPS instead of 15-20 FPS. Now this is with the 2013 i5 processor, so when I upgrade it to the 9th gen processor plus put it in the 16 channel slot, maybe I’ll see some more frames.

 

[velocityg4]

I purchased Windows 7 as an OEM serial number, but then got the free Windows 10 update so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Associate your license with a Microsoft account before the swap. That is your best chance.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

I really don’t want the gaming case with the clear sides and the illuminated motherboard. So I have decided to avoid the fancy looking motherboard, and upgrade to a Z390UD, with a 9th gen i5 processor, and (as you said) no choice on new RAM too. Coolers are only about $60 and I like the Corsair H55, but may buy a new one. What is the easiest way to monitor its operation?

There are plenty of nice modern cases without all that jazz. Mesh front is the best for airflow. Those glass fronts impede the intake fans. You have a nice case. No need to upgrade. Once you get past the basic necessities. It's just a fancy box.

HWMonitor is good for monitoring temps. The safe space for long term use is generally under 80C at full load on the CPU for long term use life. Idle temps and such aren’t meaningful. That’s more a function of the fan curve. All that really matters is if it can stay cool under load. Checking temps after a few hours with OCCT will give you a good idea. My concern was more towards a leak. Five plus years on a system with who knows how many hours is concerning.

$60 Water coolers are about as good as $30 air coolers. For overclocking to 5Ghz you’d be better off with something like a Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B on air or Corsair H110i on Water. I prefer air. Quieter, fewer moving parts and fewer points of failure. Except in extreme circumstances such as heavy overclocking or a confined air space. Water holds little advantage over air cooling.

MSI Afterburner OSD is good for monitoring a plethora of system statistics while gaming.

http://www.ocbase.com/
https://cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
https://www.msi.com/blog/setting-up-osd-with-msi-afterburner

Regarding repair, they said it is possible to remove entire PCI slot and solder in another, but I’ll pass on that, might as well upgrade. Btw I love this Fractile Design case.

What I noticed is that for being a “durable” motherboard, it did not take much force to pull that clip out. It looks like all that is holding it in place are two plastic posts, one on each end, and they just pulled right out of the motherboard. Expensive lesson learned (approx prices):

• New i5 9th gen cpu- $250
• 32gb RAm- $229
• New Z390 Mobo- $120

Repair was a long shot. It's probably possible. Although it would be better for the learning experience than the value of the repair.

Perhaps the board just wasn't well made or you pulled at just the right angle. Many "gaming" boards have steel reinforced slots now. The problem may be more prevalent than I am aware. $120 sounds like a lighter Z390 board. It won't have all the bells and whistles. It can still be solid if it's something like an ASUS Tuf. Where all the work is put into stability with no frills.

Now when you say reinstall Windows, are you saying from scratch, or I’ll just get a message that my copy of Windows is not activated?

Scratch. Unlike OS X, Linux and likely other OS. Windows does not play nice with a motherboard swap. If you go Intel to Intel. You can usually get away with it. In my experience you’ll have little irksome quirks plaguing you. You’ll end up spending far more hours trying to hunt them down than if you just bit the bullet and performed a clean install. You’ll think your new system is unreliable when it really just needed a clean install.

Something bugs me about using a wounded motherboard. My understanding is that the PCIEx8 slot will have lesser performance but only a couple of frames difference. I cranked up X4:Foundations and sitting on the ramp in a space station was getting about double the frame rate of the old card, 50 FPS instead of 15-20 FPS. Now this is with the 2013 i5 processor, so when I upgrade it to the 9th gen processor plus put it in the 16 channel slot, maybe I’ll see some more frames.

Depends on the resolution and game. At 1920x1080 you’ll definitely see some big differences in CPU intensive games. At 4K you’ll see differences but not nearly as much. As CPU usage per frame is independent of resolution while GPU usage per frame is highly dependent on resolution. If all you have is a 60hz 1920x1080 monitor. The point is moot. As the monitor can only display 60FPS. Anything higher just results in tearing. In general I would expect appreciably better performance with your GTX 2070 in modern AAA titles as they often recommend a 4 Core i7 or 6 Core i5.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Thanks for the info! The computer is 5 years old. Since I built it in 2013, I have upgraded the C drive to a 2TB SATA, starting with 16Gb Ram added 32MB more, and uograded to a Geforce 970 Card in 2015. After finally talking to a tech person at Gigabyte, they basically said what you did.

I purchased Windows 7 as an OEM serial number, but then got the free Windows 10 update so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I really don’t want the gaming case with the clear sides and the illuminated motherboard. So I have decided to avoid the fancy looking motherboard, and upgrade to a Z390UD, with a 9th gen i5 processor, and (as you said) no choice on new RAM too. Coolers are only about $60 and I like the Corsair H55, but may buy a new one. What is the easiest way to monitor its operation?

Regarding repair, they said it is possible to remove entire PCI slot and solder in another, but I’ll pass on that, might as well upgrade. Btw I love this Fractile Design case.

What I noticed is that for being a “durable” motherboard, it did not take much force to pull that clip out. It looks like all that is holding it in place are two plastic posts, one on each end, and they just pulled right out of the motherboard. Expensive lesson learned (approx prices):

• New i5 9th gen cpu- $250
• 32gb RAm- $229
• New Z390 Mobo- $120

Now when you say reinstall Windows, are you saying from scratch, or I’ll just get a message that my copy of Windows is not activated?

Something bugs me about using a wounded motherboard. My understanding is that the PCIEx8 slot will have lesser performance but only a couple of frames difference. I cranked up X4:Foundations and sitting on the ramp in a space station was getting about double the frame rate of the old card, 50 FPS instead of 15-20 FPS. Now this is with the 2013 i5 processor, so when I upgrade it to the 9th gen processor plus put it in the 16 channel slot, maybe I’ll see some more frames.

Why do you need 32gb ram? 16gb (2x8) is more than good enough if your mostly just going to game.
Also, I would recommend a 240mm cooler. 9th gen i5 is going to run noticeably hotter than your 4th gen.

Windows activation is a crap shoot when switching a MB and other components at the same time, using the same disk or clone.

 

[Huntn]

Associate your license with a Microsoft account before the swap. That is your best chance.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change



There are plenty of nice modern cases without all that jazz. Mesh front is the best for airflow. Those glass fronts impede the intake fans. You have a nice case. No need to upgrade. Once you get past the basic necessities. It's just a fancy box.

HWMonitor is good for monitoring temps. The safe space for long term use is generally under 80C at full load on the CPU for long term use life. Idle temps and such aren’t meaningful. That’s more a function of the fan curve. All that really matters is if it can stay cool under load. Checking temps after a few hours with OCCT will give you a good idea. My concern was more towards a leak. Five plus years on a system with who knows how many hours is concerning.

$60 Water coolers are about as good as $30 air coolers. For overclocking to 5Ghz you’d be better off with something like a Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B on air or Corsair H110i on Water. I prefer air. Quieter, fewer moving parts and fewer points of failure. Except in extreme circumstances such as heavy overclocking or a confined air space. Water holds little advantage over air cooling.

MSI Afterburner OSD is good for monitoring a plethora of system statistics while gaming.

http://www.ocbase.com/
https://cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
https://www.msi.com/blog/setting-up-osd-with-msi-afterburner



Repair was a long shot. It's probably possible. Although it would be better for the learning experience than the value of the repair.

Perhaps the board just wasn't well made or you pulled at just the right angle. Many "gaming" boards have steel reinforced slots now. The problem may be more prevalent than I am aware. $120 sounds like a lighter Z390 board. It won't have all the bells and whistles. It can still be solid if it's something like an ASUS Tuf. Where all the work is put into stability with no frills.



Scratch. Unlike OS X, Linux and likely other OS. Windows does not play nice with a motherboard swap. If you go Intel to Intel. You can usually get away with it. In my experience you’ll have little irksome quirks plaguing you. You’ll end up spending far more hours trying to hunt them down than if you just bit the bullet and performed a clean install. You’ll think your new system is unreliable when it really just needed a clean install.



Depends on the resolution and game. At 1920x1080 you’ll definitely see some big differences in CPU intensive games. At 4K you’ll see differences but not nearly as much. As CPU usage per frame is independent of resolution while GPU usage per frame is highly dependent on resolution. If all you have is a 60hz 1920x1080 monitor. The point is moot. As the monitor can only display 60FPS. Anything higher just results in tearing. In general I would expect appreciably better performance with your GTX 2070 in modern AAA titles as they often recommend a 4 Core i7 or 6 Core i5.

Thanks for a most helpful post! I’ll work though that first link today. Not saying you are wrong, but it sounds inconceivable that a with a working copy of Windows, that it would not just run, especially because MS allow unregistered copies to run.

Why do you need 32gb ram? 16gb (2x8) is more than good enough if your mostly just going to game.
Also, I would recommend a 240mm cooler. 9th gen i5 is going to run noticeably hotter than your 4th gen.

Windows activation is a crap shoot when switching a MB and other components at the same time, using the same disk or clone.

I probably don’t need 32MB. I’ll look at a better cooler. Here is my question, my case comes with 140mm fans, and my current cooler the Corsair H55 I believe a 120mm fan, fits perfectly over the fan opening in the case. When I look at this cooler: https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Radi..._7?ie=UTF8&qid=1547239949&sr=8-7&keywords=H55, it’s a double fan, side by side, that would not fit into the case hole. Is it compatible? Thanks!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I probably don’t need 32MB. I’ll look at a better cooler. Here is my question, my case comes with 140mm fans, and my current cooler the Corsair H55 I believe a 120mm fan, fits perfectly over the fan opening in the case. When I look at this cooler: https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Radi..._7?ie=UTF8&qid=1547239949&sr=8-7&keywords=H55, it’s a double fan, side by side, that would not fit into the case hole. Is it compatible? Thanks!

Judging from the pics of your case.
https://ayumilove.net/fractal-design-define-xl-r2-titanium-grey-case-review/

The top is compatible for two 120mm fans. But I'm not sure if the screw holes will line up with a 240mm radiator. There is a chance you might have to screw the fans on the case first, then the radiator on to the fans, meaning the fans will be on top of the radiator instead of the bottom. It's not going to matter, as long as you have the fans in the "pull" direction, which means pulling the air from the radiator. If the fans are on the bottom, then you want to "push" the air through the radiator.

Same goes if you're going to use the front panel. But with the case you have, I would recommend using the top.

 

[Huntn]

Judging from the pics of your case.
https://ayumilove.net/fractal-design-define-xl-r2-titanium-grey-case-review/

The top is compatible for two 120mm fans. But I'm not sure if the screw holes will line up with a 240mm radiator. There is a chance you might have to screw the fans on the case first, then the radiator on to the fans, meaning the fans will be on top of the radiator instead of the bottom. It's not going to matter, as long as you have the fans in the "pull" direction, which means pulling the air from the radiator. If the fans are on the bottom, then you want to "push" the air through the radiator.

Same goes if you're going to use the front panel. But with the case you have, I would recommend using the top.

I ordered the this one:
https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...-H75-(2018)-Liquid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060035-WW. Two fans, push/pull, my only question is how many power connections will this have because of two fans, 2 or 3 total, or will the fans be wired together (for a total of 2 connections). The pump has one.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I ordered the this one:
https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Liquid-Cooling/Single-Radiator-Liquid-Coolers/Hydro-Series™-H75-(2018)-Liquid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060035-WW. Two fans, push/pull, my only question is how many power connections will this have because of two fans, 2 or 3 total, or will the fans be wired together (for a total of 2 connections). The pump has one.

For the one you ordered, and for ones that have 2 or 3 fans, you'll need just one fan header. The cable links from fan to fan. This is for the majority of AIOs. Few models are different.

 

[velocityg4]

Thanks for a most helpful post! I’ll work though that first link today. Not saying you are wrong, but it sounds inconceivable that a with a working copy of Windows, that it would not just run, especially because MS allow unregistered copies to run.

The problems with moving an existing installation is not with licensing. I couldn't say what the root cause of the problems is. Most likely it is rooted with the registry like many of Windows other problems. OS X and Linux will just load their drivers at boot. If nothing has changed this goes by quicker. If there is a significant hardware change they just simply go through their drivers and load all the appropriate ones and skip any hardware with missing drivers.

While Windows got better with this in Windows 7. If there are just minor changes. You can usually get away with swapping the drive. But your planned motherboard is four generations newer.
https://www.howtogeek.com/239815/why-cant-you-move-a-windows-installation-to-another-computer/

You can try performing a Sysprep. Putting it into a pre-installation state. So that it will dump the existing drivers and try to find the appropriate ones. Sometimes this works out. It's really meant for organizations to create a customized install to speed up deployment of multiple similar computers. The general advice from tech forums is to do a clean install. Asking if you did a clean install is one of the first questions when someone is getting much lower than expected performance or other problems from a new build.

I probably don’t need 32MB. I’ll look at a better cooler. Here is my question, my case comes with 140mm fans, and my current cooler the Corsair H55 I believe a 120mm fan, fits perfectly over the fan opening in the case. When I look at this cooler: https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Radi..._7?ie=UTF8&qid=1547239949&sr=8-7&keywords=H55, it’s a double fan, side by side, that would not fit into the case hole. Is it compatible? Thanks!

That radiator will fit. Your case supports 120mm, 140mm, 240mm and 280mm radiators.

 

[Huntn]

The problems with moving an existing installation is not with licensing. I couldn't say what the root cause of the problems is. Most likely it is rooted with the registry like many of Windows other problems. OS X and Linux will just load their drivers at boot. If nothing has changed this goes by quicker. If there is a significant hardware change they just simply go through their drivers and load all the appropriate ones and skip any hardware with missing drivers.

While Windows got better with this in Windows 7. If there are just minor changes. You can usually get away with swapping the drive. But your planned motherboard is four generations newer.
https://www.howtogeek.com/239815/why-cant-you-move-a-windows-installation-to-another-computer/

You can try performing a Sysprep. Putting it into a pre-installation state. So that it will dump the existing drivers and try to find the appropriate ones. Sometimes this works out. It's really meant for organizations to create a customized install to speed up deployment of multiple similar computers. The general advice from tech forums is to do a clean install. Asking if you did a clean install is one of the first questions when someone is getting much lower than expected performance or other problems from a new build.




That radiator will fit. Your case supports 120mm, 140mm, 240mm and 280mm radiators.

I’ve hated the registry since I became familiar with Window about 1995, Windows 3? The one before W95.
This Sysprep, I read though it quickly, is this something you do just before you rip out the old motherboard? The thought of a clean install makes me cringe a little. I have several Steam libraries, and would hope these would still be functional after I tell Steam where to find them. I keep backup saves for all of my important games. I have a variety of Utilities some would be hard to reinstall. Cleanup Utilities is one of my favorites, but I’m using a 2 year old version as the company switched to an annual subscription.
[doublepost=1547340615][/doublepost]I found this, what do you think?

How To Upgrade Your Computer without reinstalling Windows?
https://www.wintips.org/how-to-replace-motherboard-without-re-installing-windows/

Update: After thinking about the above link, I'm going to be using the same hard drive and Windows install, so I should not have to tell it which hard drive to use, yes?

I also went in and checked the activation status of my Win10 computer and under Window 10> Settings>Update and Security> Activation it says: Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft Account.

Now does any driver have to be installed regarding the mobo or the cpu? I'm thinking that the Bios is on the motherboard, and all I should have to do is launch the computer into that and verify my boot order. Shouldn't the drivers for all of my hardware which remains the same, remain in my Windows 10 install?
Thanks!

 

[Huntn]

Just found this which makes it sound pretty easy:

Upgrade your motherboard without reinstalling Windows 10
https://scottiestech.info/2017/02/26/upgrade-your-motherboard-without-reinstalling-windows-10/

 

[velocityg4]

- Just read an article that Microsoft Store apps can cause Sysprep to fail. So, you may run into difficulties trying to perform Sysprep. If you ever added any MS Store Apps (Metro Apps). Sysprep may well be a bust.
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com...ing-up-apps-to-keep-windows-10-sysprep-happy/

- It’s been ages since I ran Sysprep. As I recall, you’ll be forced to create a new user. Your old users remain. So, just make one called temporary or something. Then make sure your old user profile works and has admin privileges before you delete the temp profile.

- Yes, Sysprep is the last step. Once it is done it should shutdown. You do not want it to reboot after Sysprep. Otherwise you’ll have to do it again.

- The advice on those articles likely isn’t necessary. As you are going from Intel to Intel. If you were booting off the Intel SATA controller you just need to boot off the new Intel SATA controller again. You just want to make sure the Intel SATA controller is in the same mode. So, AHCI to AHCI not AHCI to RAID for example. Then you can boot the computer. Hope it makes it to the desktop. Then download all the latest drivers for your new motherboard and install them. Making sure to also uninstall any of the old ones first. There’s just no way to guarantee the system will be reliable.

I’ve done just as I described for an old P45 chipset to an H170 chipset. Everything seemed to work great. The system was plagued by reliability issues until I did a clean reinstall. I knew I should have done a clean install from the get-go. I was pressed for time. I’ve also done the same for G31 to P45 with no problems. It's a crapshoot.

- You will want to check the boot order in the BIOS. So, it knows which one to boot off of.

- Steam has a backup function. You can backup and reinstall games individually without downloading again. I keep my favorites archived.

- Regarding those specialty programs. They may or may not work after the move. That all depends on what anti-piracy measures the developers use. A new CPU and Mobo, even with the same Windows license, will have a new machine ID. Those programs may detect this and refuse to function without a new license, reactivation, reinstall, &c. It all depends on the program.

- Of course have a backup before you do any of this. Better yet. Clone your hard drive. Screw around with this using the cloned drive. Then you'll have your original to fall back on to try the more difficult Sysprep with.

 

[Huntn]

@velocityg4 , @LIVEFRMNYC, I noticed that the new Motherboard (Z390) only has a single cpu fan connection, while the old board (Z87) has both a cpu fan, and a CPU optional connection. I'm going to have a cooler with I believe a electrical connection for the pump, and one for the dual fan. Any suggestions on what to do here? The new board does have two Sys Fan connections which will be taken up with fans. Do they make a piggy back connector so I can use a single connector for both the pump and the associated fan? Any other complications you might notice?
Thanks!

Old Board


New Board​

 

[velocityg4]

Did you already buy the board? If not get one with all the connectors. The Pump header can get pump speed data and deliver pump failure warnings.

Elsewise it likely comes with an SATA to pump power adapter. If it doesn’t, buy one.

As for the cooler fans. I’d assume they daisy chain. If not use a 4 pin fan splitter off the CPU header. Fan headers can take at least 1A. Which could handle two power hungry Noctua Industrial fans. Those Corsair fans are probably closer to 0.3A.

I don’t think you could run all three off the CPU header.

 

[Huntn]

Did you already buy the board? If not get one with all the connectors. The Pump header can get pump speed data and deliver pump failure warnings.

Elsewise it likely comes with an SATA to pump power adapter. If it doesn’t, buy one.

As for the cooler fans. I’d assume they daisy chain. If not use a 4 pin fan splitter off the CPU header. Fan headers can take at least 1A. Which could handle two power hungry Noctua Industrial fans. Those Corsair fans are probably closer to 0.3A.

I don’t think you could run all three off the CPU header.

Thank you. i'll report back. Stuff came today, I'll probably start this project tomorrow.

 

[Huntn]

@velocityg4 and @LIVEFRMNYC Great news! I started last night at about 6pm and finished at 12am. I took my time and everything went well. Thanks much for your advice!

• I marked all the connectors exterior and interior, being disconnected and made some notes.
• Then I pulled out the radiator and fans for the old cooler, but left the cooler attached to the cpu.
• Removed the graphic card and wifi card
• Unscrewed the old mobo and removed it from the case.
• Installed the new i5 processor on the new board
• Installed the cpu cooler back bracket and standoff pins
• Attached the new mobo to the case
• Attached the cooler fan, radiator, fan to the case
• Attached the cooler to the CPU.
• Connected the graphic card, it's power connections, and the wifi card to the mobo.
• Restablished all of the inside mobo electrical and data connections.
• Reconnected all of the exterior connections.
• And... powered it up.

I have a blog that I started in 2013 when I did the original build. I'll be updating that and then providing a link. Of note, my biggest fear was a Windows Clean install or trying to troubleshoot a dead or partially working motherboard.

The first time I started the computer I launched the Bio and set the boot order. Then when I closed that and started Windows, its spent about 5 minutes telling me it was preparing devices, then Windows launched. I had to have it detect my primary monitor, and designate it as the primary, no issue there and most importantly when I want to Activation, I have a message that my machine is activated! So, knock on wood, so far no headaches or nightmares.

Minor adjustments:

• The new card has no DVI Connector so for my newer Monitor, I connected it with a HDMI connector.
• My older Monitor had a DVI Connector so I moved a cable from the newer monitor along with a Display Port Adapter, I had purchased for the primary monitor to work with the new card prior to the Mobo swap out.
• I do need a second HDMI connection (the card only has one), to run my Oculus headset, so first I am going to try to use a female HDMI to Display Port adapter for that HDMI cable (the new card has 3 DP connectors). And if that does not work I'll hook my secondary monitor to the onboard HDMI, and I'll put the primary monitor back on the DVI cable with a DP adapter.
• When I hooked up the new H75 cooler fan, it has a Sata power connection and a secondary wire I assume to lite up it's LED. The two fans include a splitter that will fit in a single mobo fan connection. When I first hooked them up, besides the SATA for the cooler itself, I hooked it's secondary connection to the "CPU Fan" connector and the two fans went on the "SYS Fan" connector. Those fans would not spin. So I reversed those two connections and that fixed the issue

I realize that I want to be able to view CPU temp, and my understanding Windows 10 needs a third party program, any recommendations?

Also the Gigabyte Board came with a DVD of utilities and drivers, that I plan on looking at, but I'm wondering what important is there?

Old Board Graphic Card already removed.


Case minus board


New Z390UD board, with Geforce 2070 card,
and Dual Fan H75 Corsair cooler.​

 

[velocityg4]

The first time I started the computer I launched the Bio and set the boot order. Then when I closed that and started Windows, its spent about 5 minutes telling me it was preparing devices, then Windows launched. I had to have it detect my primary monitor, and designate it as the primary, no issue there and most importantly when I want to Activation, I have a message that my machine is activated! So, knock on wood, so far no headaches or nightmares.

Glad to hear it worked without a hitch.

Minor adjustments:

• The new card has no DVI Connector so for my newer Monitor, I connected it with a HDMI connector.
• My older Monitor had a DVI Connector so I moved a cable from the newer monitor along with a Display Port Adapter, I had purchased for the primary monitor to work with the new card prior to the Mobo swap out.
• I do need a second HDMI connection (the card only has one), to run my Oculus headset, so first I am going to try to use a female HDMI to Display Port adapter for that HDMI cable (the new card has 3 DP connectors). And if that does not work I'll hook my secondary monitor to the onboard HDMI, and I'll put the primary monitor back on the DVI cable with a DP adapter.
• When I hooked up the new H75 cooler fan, it has a Sata power connection and a secondary wire I assume to lite up it's LED. The two fans include a splitter that will fit in a single mobo fan connection. When I first hooked them up, besides the SATA for the cooler itself, I hooked it's secondary connection to the "CPU Fan" connector and the two fans went on the "SYS Fan" connector. Those fans would not spin. So I reversed those two connections and that fixed the issue

I realize that I want to be able to view CPU temp, and my understanding Windows 10 needs a third party program, any recommendations?

Also the Gigabyte Board came with a DVD of utilities and drivers, that I plan on looking at, but I'm wondering what important is there?

Download the latest drivers off the Gigabyte support website. Whatever is included on the DVD is outdated. You just need the drivers. There's no need for any utilities. You may want to check the BIOS revisions to see if there are any important updates. Mostly related to Specter and Meltdown.

HWMonitor is good for monitoring. If you want detailed stats while gaming try MSI Afterburner and enable the OSD. Afterburner is also useful for GPU overclocking.

Not sure what the Oculus needs. Most DP to HDMI adapters only support HDMI 1.4. Make sure the adapter converts to HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz). If the Oculus needs that.

Looking at the H75 Manual
- Connect Pump Power Cable to SATA Power
- Pump Tach Cable to CPU_FAN
- Y-Header Cable into any other fan header (so SYS or SYS_FAN)
- Cooler Fans into Y-Header Cable

I'd assume the lone cable you are describing is the Pump Tach Cable.

 

[Huntn]

Glad to hear it worked without a hitch.



Download the latest drivers off the Gigabyte support website. Whatever is included on the DVD is outdated. You just need the drivers. There's no need for any utilities. You may want to check the BIOS revisions to see if there are any important updates. Mostly related to Specter and Meltdown.

HWMonitor is good for monitoring. If you want detailed stats while gaming try MSI Afterburner and enable the OSD. Afterburner is also useful for GPU overclocking.

Not sure what the Oculus needs. Most DP to HDMI adapters only support HDMI 1.4. Make sure the adapter converts to HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz). If the Oculus needs that.

Looking at the H75 Manual
- Connect Pump Power Cable to SATA Power
- Pump Tach Cable to CPU_FAN
- Y-Header Cable into any other fan header (so SYS or SYS_FAN)
- Cooler Fans into Y-Header Cable

I'd assume the lone cable you are describing is the Pump Tach Cable.

Hmm, when I had it hooked this way as described in your reply, the fans did not run, but when I reversed them, they did. Is there anything I’m losing by leaving it essentially backwards? I’ll reverse them again and see if that makes any difference as far as the fans running.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Glad everything worked out for you.

I would make sure your cooler is connected correctly though. And I think Corsair has it's own temp monitoring software.

And I don't mean to be mean, but your cable management sucks.

 

[Huntn]

Glad everything worked out for you.

I would make sure your cooler is connected correctly though. And I think Corsair has it's own temp monitoring software.

And I don't mean to be mean, but your cable management sucks.

Ha, most of them are hidden, in the cable compartment and besides no one can see them when the case is closed up.

I reconnected the connectors they way they are supposed to be and the fans are running, so maybe i did not have them seated properly the first go around.
[doublepost=1547674017][/doublepost]

Glad to hear it worked without a hitch.



Download the latest drivers off the Gigabyte support website. Whatever is included on the DVD is outdated. You just need the drivers. There's no need for any utilities. You may want to check the BIOS revisions to see if there are any important updates. Mostly related to Specter and Meltdown.

HWMonitor is good for monitoring. If you want detailed stats while gaming try MSI Afterburner and enable the OSD. Afterburner is also useful for GPU overclocking.

Not sure what the Oculus needs. Most DP to HDMI adapters only support HDMI 1.4. Make sure the adapter converts to HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz). If the Oculus needs that.

Looking at the H75 Manual
- Connect Pump Power Cable to SATA Power
- Pump Tach Cable to CPU_FAN
- Y-Header Cable into any other fan header (so SYS or SYS_FAN)
- Cooler Fans into Y-Header Cable

I'd assume the lone cable you are describing is the Pump Tach Cable.

Just went to Gigabyte's support page and there is a whole string of drivers. Chipset, Lan, Audio, Bios, utility, you think I should download which ones, all? Or could I do this from the Device Manage? Thanks!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Just went to Gigabyte's support page and there is a whole string of drivers. Chipset, Lan, Audio, Bios, utility, you think I should download which ones, all? Or could I do this from the Device Manage? Thanks!

I usually download all, I also have a Gigabyte board. I would definitely update the Bios first.

 

[Huntn]

I usually download all, I also have a Gigabyte board. I would definitely update the Bios first.

Here goes nothing!

 

[velocityg4]

Just went to Gigabyte's support page and there is a whole string of drivers. Chipset, Lan, Audio, Bios, utility, you think I should download which ones, all? Or could I do this from the Device Manage? Thanks!

I do everything but the utilities. Since they are just unnecessary programs and have nothing to do with reliability. Although ones for fan tuning are nice to optimize cooling to noise.