Can I swap my motherboard with a different make and model, and yet not have to reinstall windows?

seashepherd18 · Apr 11, 2013

Hi. I am looking to swap out my motherboard in my rig bc air flow. I have asus maximus iv gene-z motherboard running sli gtx 570s. The slots are so close together and the top card generates a lot of heat. I am looking for a full atx motherboard now, so they can atleast have some space. I have a intel i5 2500k processor 1155 socket. My question is, can I switch motherboards (transfer my cpu) without having to reinstall windows? Thanks in advance.

rgd1101 · Apr 11, 2013

chance are you will need to, any if it is an OEM windows license key, you need to get a new one too.

ubercake · Apr 11, 2013

Licensing dictates an OEM version is for a licensed for a specific hardware build. Reatail versions allow for moving from one platform to another.

At any rate, if you're running Windows 7, it should work fine, but be prepared to spend another $90 if it doesn't.

Make sure you download the latest BIOS and drivers for the new board from the manufacturer's web site and put them on a memory stick, DVD, or CD. Uninstall the old video drivers or if you're out of date, just get the new drivers. Put the Nvidia drivers on this disk/stick as well.

When starting up with the new board, make sure the new board's disk controllers are set to the same disk mode (ie AHCI) as the old board and the drives are attached to the various corresponding SATA ports.

The first start up with the new motherboard will result in the old chipset drivers being removed. Then you'll get a notice of Windows needing to restart for the new hardware configuration. Upon restarting, you'll have generic video drivers and other drivers. Update the BIOS according to the new board's manufacturer's instructions and make sure the disk mode is the same on as above after the BIOS update.

Install the new chipset, USB, Audio, and LAN drivers and reboot for each when prompted. Finally, install the video drivers.

Just curious though, what are your temps on those video cards? They run pretty hot as 97C is the max temp. I'd only worry if either card is approaching that temp.

seashepherd18 · Apr 11, 2013

ubercake :

Thanks for the feedback. Well, its not only the heat, it's also the fans on the cards themselves. under load the top card goes up to 80 while the bottom card stays around the low 40's. The other thing is, I have msi gtx 570 twin frozr III's and the bottom card does not fit on the back. What I mean by that is that the card will not lock into the back panel, I can force it to lock but then when I start the gpu's the fans of the top gpu start smashing and grinding at the top of the bottom card. So I think I need a new motherboard to give them a little more space and better air flow.

ubercake · Apr 11, 2013

seashepherd18 :

ubercake :

Thanks for the feedback. Well, its not only the heat, it's also the fans on the cards themselves. under load the top card goes up to 80 while the bottom card stays around the low 40's. The other thing is, I have msi gtx 570 twin frozr III's and the bottom card does not fit on the back. What I mean by that is that the card will not lock into the back panel, I can force it to lock but then when I start the gpu's the fans of the top gpu start smashing and grinding at the top of the bottom card. So I think I need a new motherboard to give them a little more space and better air flow.

That is a problem.

If you're not going to OC too much or at all the Asus P8P77-V LK is an SLI-Ready motherboard which would give you almost a full slot of space between the two cards and has both analog and digital surround sound connections. It's a really good way to get what you need for a decent price.

seashepherd18 · Apr 11, 2013

ubercake :

seashepherd18 :

That is a problem.

If you're not going to OC too much or at all the Asus P8P77-V LK is an SLI-Ready motherboard which would give you almost a full slot of space between the two cards and has both analog and digital surround sound connections. It's a really good way to get what you need for a decent price.

Okay, cool thank you. I will look into that. I really don't overclock that much over even at all. Would you recommend msi motherboards at all? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130686 for example. I think I will go with your option just because its such a great deal and I really don't overclock. I was just thinking maybe this guy bc it looks cool. Thanks a bunch! I think I am going to order this tonight.

ubercake · Apr 12, 2013

seashepherd18 :

ubercake :

Okay, cool thank you. I will look into that. I really don't overclock that much over even at all. Would you recommend msi motherboards at all? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130686 for example. I think I will go with your option just because its such a great deal and I really don't overclock. I was just thinking maybe this guy bc it looks cool. Thanks a bunch! I think I am going to order this tonight.

I usually only buy Gigabyte or Asus boards because I haven't had any issues with them. The only MSI board I ever tried was a highly recommended board from back in the socket 475 days. At the time, MSI was a "value" brand (I think they still are?). It didn't work, so I returned it haven't tried MSI boards since. That's just my experience with MSI boards. I'm positive others have had different experiences, but I haven't had issues with Gigabyte or Asus, myself.

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Can I swap my motherboard with a different make and model, and yet not have to reinstall windows?

seashepherd18

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rgd1101

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ubercake

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seashepherd18

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ubercake

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seashepherd18

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ubercake

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