Swapping motherboard

[vong]

Hi all,

 

Looking at buying a new case and unfortunately may have to change the motherboard from an matx to an atx. Can I simply change out the motherboard hassle free or will I have to wipe the drive and reinstall windows?

[GDRRiley]

you can put an mATX board in an ATX case.

[Slottr]

You should always reinstall windows when replacing the motherboard

But mATX fits in ATX too, so you don't HAVE to switch

[vong]

Just now, GDRRiley said:

you can put an mATX board in an ATX case.

GPU and CPU cooler interfere with each other and motherboard plugs/pins

[vong]

1 minute ago, Slottr said:

You should always reinstall windows when replacing the motherboard

But mATX fits in ATX too, so you don't HAVE to switch

CPU cooler is big so I can't use the top slot, needs to be in the 2nd x16 slot and gpu cooler is a 3 slot one so it intereferes with all the i/o plugs.

[berberries]

1 hour ago, vong said:

CPU cooler is big so I can't use the top slot, needs to be in the 2nd x16 slot and gpu cooler is a 3 slot one so it intereferes with all the i/o plugs.

if you manage your cables well enough it should be fine as the IO cables are actually pretty low profile.

[ZzLy]

5 hours ago, vong said:

Hi all,

 

Looking at buying a new case and unfortunately may have to change the motherboard from an matx to an atx. Can I simply change out the motherboard hassle free or will I have to wipe the drive and reinstall windows?

Matx will fit in an atx case because matx is smaller than atx. Its like a shoe, you can always fit in a bigger shoe but you can't fit in a smaller shoe. So no, you don't need a new motherboard, and also you don't need to wipe the drive and reinstall just for switching the motherboard. Makes sense?

[vong]

3 hours ago, ZzLy said:

Matx will fit in an atx case because matx is smaller than atx. Its like a shoe, you can always fit in a bigger shoe but you can't fit in a smaller shoe. So no, you don't need a new motherboard, and also you don't need to wipe the drive and reinstall just for switching the motherboard. Makes sense?

Yes I know an matx motherboard will fit into an atx case. My issue is a large cpu cooler forcing me to use the lower pci-e slot. I have a 3 slot gpu and it's interfering with the i/o connectors.

[ZzLy]

17 hours ago, vong said:

Yes I know an matx motherboard will fit into an atx case. My issue is a large cpu cooler forcing me to use the lower pci-e slot. I have a 3 slot gpu and it's interfering with the i/o connectors.

Well you didn't mention this...

[vong]

8 hours ago, ZzLy said:

Well you didn't mention this...

Because that's not what I asked...

[ZzLy]

5 hours ago, vong said:

Because that's not what I asked...

Well obviously it is relevant to your question, if you're not willing to cooperate than we we cant help you.

[vong]

1 hour ago, ZzLy said:

Well obviously it is relevant to your question, if you're not willing to cooperate than we we cant help you.

Dude, this is my 4th build. You think I don't know an matx motherboard fits in an atx case? I even said why I can't use the matx board before you even posted...

[Kalm_Traveler]

On 2/4/2020 at 11:52 PM, Slottr said:

You should always reinstall windows when replacing the motherboard

But mATX fits in ATX too, so you don't HAVE to switch

Don't tell all these crazy YouTube reviewers who have Windows installed on SSD and just swap them around even between completely different platforms and architectures all day without reinstalling!

I jest, but it isn't necessary these days like it was in decades past. Windows 7 and up have been pretty good about finding drivers for new hardware after a transplant - and this is even less likely an issue if you're just swapping between different sizes of the same chipset board within the same manufacturer since you might not even have any actual different components in the first place.

[Slottr]

3 hours ago, Kalm_Traveler said:

Don't tell all these crazy YouTube reviewers who have Windows installed on SSD and just swap them around even between completely different platforms and architectures all day without reinstalling!

I jest, but it isn't necessary these days like it was in decades past. Windows 7 and up have been pretty good about finding drivers for new hardware after a transplant - and this is even less likely an issue if you're just swapping between different sizes of the same chipset board within the same manufacturer since you might not even have any actual different components in the first place.

I see what you mean, and I agree to some sections

 

But Windows doesn’t handle the driver situation perfectly and it still goofs often enough

[ZzLy]

11 hours ago, vong said:

Dude, this is my 4th build. You think I don't know an matx motherboard fits in an atx case? I even said why I can't use the matx board before you even posted...

If this is your 4th build than you should know that swapping a motherboard doesn't require complete reinstallation of windows.

[vong]

4 hours ago, ZzLy said:

If this is your 4th build than you should know that swapping a motherboard doesn't require complete reinstallation of windows.

Sure, cause building 4 brand new computers is the same as changing motherboards... Last time I checked, a windows license was tied to the motherboard. That's why I asked.