Upgrading my CPU, how does it work ?

[Nyubie]

Hey guys, I've built a few gaming PCs , bought a lot of GPUs, but one thing i've never done, is upgrading a CPU. This question might seem a bit stupid for some of you but. How does a CPU upgrade work ? I just bought an I7-4970K (not planning on overlocking yet), there's currently an I5-4440 in my rig. DO i just stick it in ? Do I need to change the cpu cooler I have installed ( the one that came with the I5). Do i need to format windows ? I need as much intel(giggity) as you smart fellas can bring .

 

 

 

my rig : 

Cooler Master 120 Elite Advanced (small lan case)
GIGABYTE H97N-WIFI
I5-4440
PNY GTX 970 
8gigs Gskill RIpjaws X 1600mhz
120Gb SSD intel 520 series
2x 120gigs SSD Sandisk pro 2
450w 80+gold

 

 

PS: how f**cking amazing is it that nowadays we can run a high-end gpu and an i7 with a 450w psu ? that sh*t cray'

[Katsu-K1L]

you just take the old one and dump it in the trash and put the new one in with the same cooler

[Fate]

Take the cooler off, remove the thermal paste off both the heatsink and CPU by using something like toilet paper and 90%+ alcohol, take the CPU out, put the new one in, put about a grain of rice worth of thermal paste on the CPU and put the cooler back on. 

If it's a new stock cooler you don't have to worry about applying new thermal paste.

[Nyubie]

That's what I thought, will wait for more feedback before doing anything ^^

[Nyubie]

Take the cooler off, remove the thermal paste off both the heatsink and CPU by using something like toilet paper and 90%+ alcohol, take the CPU out, put the new one in, put about a grain of rice worth of thermal paste on the CPU and put the cooler back on. 

If it's a new stock cooler you don't have to worry about applying new thermal paste.

I know how to change the CPU, but software size, do i need to do anything ?

[Fate]

I know how to change the CPU, but software size, is it going to change anything ?

It shouldn't, you may have to re-activate Windows though.

[WinNut]

I know how to change the CPU, but software size, do i need to do anything ?

There shouldn't be, all you should do is check with the BIOS and Windows that the new CPU is recognized and shows the right SKU.