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Upgrading CPU, Mobo, and RAM question

NickB
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Go to solution Solved by Lurick,

I did that not too long ago and Windows detected the HW change and reinstalled all the drivers for the new system.

You will have to reactivate windows though but that entering a key or logging in to your Microsoft account.

Posted

Does windows 10 allow us to upgrade the CPU, Mobo, and RAM without having to do a fresh windows install? 

 

I really want to upgrade but I don't want to go through reinstalling windows from scratch or going through old drivers and uninstalling them.

 

Thanks!

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  • Solution

I did that not too long ago and Windows detected the HW change and reinstalled all the drivers for the new system.

You will have to reactivate windows though but that entering a key or logging in to your Microsoft account.

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You'll just need to get into your motherboard BIOS to ensure your new CPU and/or RAM is set up.

 

You will need to reactivate Windows sometimes if you have a new motherboard, so I've heard.

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

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I'm not completely sure about cpu but ram no you wont but with the mobo (motherboard?) i believe you would have to something i've always been told that every windows installation will only work with that one motherboard you installed it with.  but don't quote me on it 

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It would be fine upgrading the cpu and ram but if you are doing it with an OEM system then sometimes the windows key can be locked to the mobo (mostly on laptops) leading to you having to buy a new windows key (can be bought for $5 online). To be honest however, I recommend re-installing windows every year or so from scratch as it wipes all the outdated files and drivers and it forces you to re-install stuff and question if you really need each application, it also makes your pc run slightly faster I think.

Have a nice day:)

 

PC:    CPU: Core i7 4790k   I   GPU: MSI GTX 1070Ti Armor   I   COOLING: Custom water loop (cpu and gpu)  I  RAM: 16Gb DDR3 1600MHz   I   SSD: Samsung 850 evo 500Gb   I   HDD: WD blue 1TB, Hitatchi 2TB, Generic 1TB   I   PSU: EVGA 500w

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sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. There is no rule to it. When i upgraded my system i couldnt reactivate at all. And i had a Win10 Pro Retail version and windows support refused to activate. Binding the key to my microsoft acc or deactivating the key beforehand didnt helped either. But windows10 is pretty cheap anyways you can get a WIn10 professional OEM version/key for 20bucks on reddit or chinawebstores ...

 

Good Luck

CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x3D | MoBo: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk | RAM: G.Skill F4-3600C15D-16GTZ @3800CL16 | GPU: RTX 2080Ti | PSU: Corsair HX1200 | 

Case: Lian Li 011D XL | Storage: Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB, Crucial MX500 500GB | Soundcard: Soundblaster ZXR | Mouse: Razer Viper Mini | Keyboard: Razer Huntsman TE Monitor: DELL AW2521H @360Hz |

 

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