Motherboard Replacement

[Bargain Hunter]

Hello, Is there anything I need to know about swapping to a new mobo (same chipset) from an OEM mobo?

Do I need to separately buy thermal paste along with a mobo?

What about something to remove or clean the existing old thermal paste off the CPU?

Do I need to reinstall my OS? If so, then is my OEM Windows 7 upgrade disc usable... or will I have to buy a new retail version of Windows 7?

 

[alyoshka]

Yes, a new tube of thermal paste would be good.
To clean it off the processor, you need to wipe it using a dry cloth(soft) and then clean it with some Iso Propyle Alcohol.
You can let the OS stay and try it in safe mode first and then everything in normal mode it will hopefully work, since the OEM OS is tied to the Processor number which you don't plan on changing right?
So it will work.
To be on the safe side buying a new retail version will not hurt, since a full clean install is always better than an upgrade.

 

[Bargain Hunter]

Yes, a new tube of thermal paste would be good.
To clean it off the processor, you need to wipe it using a dry cloth(soft) and then clean it with some Iso Propyle Alcohol.
You can let the OS stay and try it in safe mode first and then everything in normal mode it will hopefully work, since the OEM OS is tied to the Processor number which you don't plan on changing right?
So it will work.
To be on the safe side buying a new retail version will not hurt, since a full clean install is always better than an upgrade.

Thanks for the reply,

I think I heard some motherboards come with their own thermal paste/pre-applied right? But most motherboards don't specify if they do, so should I just buy a tube just in case?

Anyways, the cleaning part looks pretty strait forward, but where can I find some Iso Propyle Alcohol?

And no, I am not changing the processor but only the motherboard which still worries me because I hear other people have to reinstall their OS using a non-OEM copy after changing either their CPU or their Motherboard... and I'm not going to lie, but a legit OS is quite expensive...

 

[alyoshka]

I still have to come across a board with a tube of thermal paste, I must say. I always prefers buying some and keeping it on me, comes very handy when you do a lot of hardware changing.
IsoPropyle you'll get at any chemist it's also called rubbing alcohol in some countries....

Ok. So don't buy a copy of the OS right now, try to run it on the new mobo in safe mode a few times and then the normal mode....
I think it ought to work.
It's usually more tied up with the processor than the Mobo. Yeah, I know the SLIC certificate thing.... but that's not that much of a problem if the chipsets the same....

 

[Bargain Hunter]

Thanks for answering all my questions, also you've confirmed the OS issue for me...

I just read that changing motherboards should really only pose a problem to reinstall the OS if the new motherboard on a different chipset.

 

[Bargain Hunter]

Best answer selected by Bargain Hunter.