Can I migrate my hard drive without changing Windows?

Shadowblade2652

Honorable
Nov 20, 2012
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Hi all,
I currently have a computer as follows:
Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz
6GB DDR2 866MHz Ram (Or something like that; it's DDR2)
Hard drives with windows and games ; 1 of each --> this is the important one
Radeon 5570


I'm going to migrate to:
AMD A8 5000 Series APU (It's unlocked)
Radeon 6670 in tandem with the APU
4GB of DDR3 Ram (1866)
and the hard drives


I'm wondering if I can switch the hard drives even if I'm going from: 1. Intel --> AMD, and 2. DDR2 to DDR3 ; Will the windows installation and games work without problems?
 
Solution

Provided it's a self build and you bought Windows, I would just risk it. Drop your HDD into your new rig and cross the fingers. Win 8 remarkably good at adapting to new circumstances as I found by...
If Windows is OEM then you would need to install it again otherwise you can try it with the new system. I've non OEM Windows and after buying new mobo, previous installation of Windows worked fine. However, drivers still need to be installed in this case.
 
A) If this system is a Dell, Gateway, etc. OEM computer with W7 or earlier NO it can NOT migrate to a new system. The OS is locked to the specific hardware sold with the original system (Mobo, CPU and sometimes even the stupid case! - THANKS Emachine!) .
B) TERRIBLE 'upgrade'. APUs, even with a GPU are NOT gamer machines and won't be a 'serious' improvement, infact as you get the newer (2010 and forward titles) you will experiance more and more issues as the APU is made for the other 90% of the crowd out there (get on Facebook, check email, watch Youtube).
C) the AMD Radeon HD 6670 was considered for very low graphics settings 3 years ago (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385800,00.asp) so this isn't even a playable card for todays gaming, even if trying for low graphics.

Honestly, the picked parts, it looks like your trying to build a $200-$300 PC gamer's rig, which isn't possible or playable (playable is normally over 45FPS, 1080p Screen on High Graphics settings). Your looking at 1,024 by 768 video (WAY YUCK) and gettings 10s to maybe 20s depending on the game <<EDIT: These facts come from the above review and testing, please see link above>>, if not as low as single digits (say BF4 64man map).

If your going to stick to this price range GO CONSOLE, it is MUCH better VALUE, and PERFORMANCE for only $149 (PS3 or Xbox 360) that still plays modern titles just as well as old titles, and you never need to worry 'if my console can play this game', as you do need to worry with PCs.

A 'normal' playable desktop PC from scratch is about $700 or more, with a decent PSU to power the GPU, and a i5 / FX8xxx CPU. There is plenty of deals to be had, like a $349 i5 desktop PC (slickdeals.net), then buy the GPU of choice ($139 for a GeForce GTX 750 Ti http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-video-card-vcggtx750t2xpboc which needs only a 300W PSU! ) you can wiggle down that cost and get some excellent performance now. Of course in 2-3 years you have to replace the GPU anyway as it won't be able to hold up to the current 2017-2018 titles, then at 5 years buy a whole new computer again as your i5 can't hold up to the current demands in 2019-2020, which is why most people go consoles since they only got to buy one every 10 years.
 

Provided it's a self build and you bought Windows, I would just risk it. Drop your HDD into your new rig and cross the fingers. Win 8 remarkably good at adapting to new circumstances as I found by accident when swapping drives around different machines! You'll need to check Device Manager for yellow exclamation marks against devices whose drivers need updated/installed. If it fails to boot you'll know why, time for a re-install Windows...and your games...

 
Solution

Shadowblade2652

Honorable
Nov 20, 2012
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0
11,660
1. It's a dell PC with an upgraded CPU, RAM, and GPU. The mobo has not changed.
2. It's a retail copy of windows 8; it isn't one provided on the computer
3. I already have the parts; The only one I don't have is the PSU, which I'm going to buy soon (My current PSU is a slimline one)

The max games I play are Battlefield 3, which isn't that demanding in the first place. Also, my current CPU is a dual core so the extra 2 cores will be helpful, along with the extra airflow provided by the define R4 case that I have lying around.

I really just wanted to know if I can use my current hard drive + windows installation + game drive without any problems with booting.

Lastly, I have 2 monitors. Both are 1600x900, so I usually play games at 1600x900 or 1280x720. I can't play 1080p.