How To Upgrade Motherboard And Cpu Without Reinstalling Windows

So you lot want a new processor. The bad news is, you lot'll probably need a new motherboard (and mayhap RAM) to go on with information technology. The worse news is that information technology'southward a real hurting to replace all of that hardware.

Just before you supersede either slice, you'll need to select the correct hardware for the replacement. If you're motherboard or CPU is just malfunctioning, you can simply practise a straight swap past installing the aforementioned model. If you're looking to upgrade, though, you'll need to do a bit of enquiry first.

Picking Your New Processor And Motherboard Combo

If you want a more than powerful processor, you'll have to make sure that you lot have the right motherboard to back up it. And since the motherboard connects to pretty much every other piece of hardware in your desktop, that's no small matter. Go through the list in social club to check all of your hardware for compatibility—if you see discrepancies, you might need to supplant those pieces, too.

Which Processor Do I Want?

This is a circuitous question, and probably more than we can explain in this guide. Generally, faster processors and more than processing cores means ameliorate performance and higher prices. But due to the complexity of CPU designs, it's not quite so cut-and-dry: processors clocked at similar speeds but with dissimilar architecture might take wildly dissimilar operation.

The Core i5 is a favorite mid-range choice amid gamers.

If you can afford it, you want to select the CPUs from the latest generation—they tend to be refreshed on a bike slightly less than once a year. On the Intel side, Core i5 processors are a proficient rest betwixt toll and operation; it's more than plenty for almost demanding PC games, for instance. Cadre i7 and i9 are higher-stop for performance enthusiasts or workstation machines, while Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron chips are for budget builds.

AMD's Ryzen 5 and 7 chips are solid budget-friendly picks.

On the AMD side, the new Ryzen serial offers a surprising range of performance and prices. The Ryzen 3 and Ryzen v families are good center-of-the-road picks, some of which offering integrated Radeon graphics for mid-range gaming capabilities without a separate graphics card. Ryzen 7 and the top-tier Ryzen Threadripper series are for performance junkies.

What Socket Do I Need?

The "socket" is the part of the motherboard that holds the CPU in identify and connects it with the other electronic components in the PC. Each socket generation supports a few dozen different models of CPU; they generally final a few years before they're upgraded by the manufacturer. So, if your computer is only a few years old, you might exist able to upgrade to a more powerful CPU that uses the same socket. Of course, you lot'll still need to check the specs for your motherboard. Only because it has the right socket doesn't mean every CPU that can fit into that socket is supported.

If y'all're using an older PC and you want a large performance boost, you're looking at upgrading both the CPU and the motherboard—and peradventure your RAM, every bit well.

The first compatibility check for the CPU socket is the brand. The two companies providing almost the total consumer market for CPUs are AMD and Intel. Intel is the articulate market leader, but AMD tends to offering like operation at slightly lower cost levels.

Intel'southward consumer sockets from the final few years include the following:

LGA-1155: Supports Intel processors from 2011 to 2012
LGA-1150: Supports Intel processors from 2013 to 2015
LGA-1151: Supports Intel processors from 2016 to the time of writing.
LGA-2066: Supports the new X-series processors, only available on loftier-finish motherboards

AMD's contempo socket lines are as follows:

AM3: Supports AMD processors from 2009 to 2011.
AM3+: Supports AMD processors from 2011 to 2016. Some Older AM3 motherboards can exist upgraded to AM3+ support with a BIOS update.
AM4: Supports AMD processors from 2016 to the time of writing.
FMI: Supports AMD APU processors from 2011.
FM2: Supports AMD APU processors from 2012 to 2013.
FM2+: Supports AMD APU processor from 2015 to 2015.
TR4: Supports AMD'south loftier-stop Threadripper chips from 2017 to the time of writing.

What Size Should My Motherboard Exist?

The size of the motherboard depends mostly upon your case. If you employ a standard ATX mid-tower instance, you'll desire a full-sized ATX motherboard. If you employ a meaty case, like a Micro-ATX or a Mini-ITX, you'll desire the corresponding Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboard. Simple, right?

No matter what size your case is, you can probably find a motherboard that fits its dimensions and your needs. For example, there are plenty of Mini-ITX motherboards that support high-terminate graphics cards and lots of RAM. You're really only limited by your budget here.

A standard ATX motherboard in an ATX case.

There's no reason to get for a smaller motherboard if your example tin fit a larger 1, since the smaller designs tend to be more expensive with the same capabilities. Only if for some reason you notice a smaller one that yous want, like you're moving to a new case or y'all programme to get for a more compact build in the future, you lot're covered. Mod cases include plenty of mounting spots for motherboards that are smaller than their maximum size.

What RAM Practice I Demand?

Your motherboard's RAM back up depends on which CPU and socket it's designed to accept. Motherboards can only support 1 generation of desktop RAM, since they're physically incompatible with each other. About new motherboards will back up DDR4, but a few from the terminal few years go for the older, cheaper DDR3.

Motherboards too have maximum RAM capacities and speeds. So if you're replacing your motherboard and you want to proceed your electric current RAM, make sure it's compatible with both the type and the amount of RAM you lot're using. Also remember that the maximum RAM capacity assumes that every DIMM slot is filled. And then a full-sized motherboard with 4 slots and a 32GB maximum capacity tin can take 8GB of RAM per slot, but a smaller motherboard with merely ii slots and the same maximum will need 16GB of RAM in each slot to reach it. Of course, you can go for lower RAM capacities to save some money (and you might not need equally much as you recall y'all do).

Nigh all desktops PCs use desktop-sized RAM modules. A few of the smaller motherboard models on the Mini-ITX standard will use the smaller laptop RAM modules instead.

What Expansion Slots And Ports Exercise I Need?

If you're a gamer, you're going to want at least ane PCI-Limited slot at the total size and the fastest x16 chapters. This is for your graphics card. Multi-GPU setups are rare these days, just patently if y'all have more than than one menu, you'll need multiple PCI-E slots to support them. The unlike multi-card systems (SLI and Crossfire) besides crave specific support for their standards from the motherboard manufacturer.

Other expansion slots can be used for more general applications, like Wi-Fi cards, sound cards, extra USB slots, and and then on. What you need depends on what your current system uses, and what you want. To cover yourself at a minimum, make sure that any hardware installed on your electric current system has a place to go on your new motherboard.

That said, take a expect at what's congenital in to the new motherboard you're considering. If your old PC has a separate sound card and Wi-Fi card, but the new motherboard has those features built in, yous might not need the extra slots for them.

PCI-Limited and standard PCI cards come in different sizes and speeds, which don't necessarily correspond to i another. Read this article to larn virtually how to spot the differences and figure out what you'll need.

The new Yard.2 standard allows for high-density, high-speed solid state storage drives to be mounted straight to the motherboard, without plugging in a conventional hard bulldoze or SSD. If you're not using an 1000.two drive correct now, you don't necessarily need that feature on your new motherboard, merely it'southward a nice perk if yous program to upgrade.

Other motherboard hardware is dependent on either the components that you currently have, or the ones you desire. You'll need to brand sure that there are enough SATA slots for all of your storage and disc drives, and there generally are on most motherboards. You'll need to take a video port on the main motherboard input/output plate that's uniform with your monitor, if y'all're not using a detached graphics card. Y'all'll need enough USB ports for all your accessories, an Ethernet port if you won't exist using Wi-Fi, so on. Use common sense here and yous'll exist covered.

What About My Ability Supply?

Expert question. If the processor you're upgrading to requires significantly more power than your current organisation uses, you lot might demand to upgrade it as well.

In that location are two more than variables to consider here: the principal motherboard ability cable and the CPU power cable. Motherboard power cables come in twenty pin and 24 pin varieties. Most modern power supplies accept a cable that terminates in a 20 pin connector, but features an additional iv pin connector to adjust the 24 pivot slots.

The CPU power cable also plugs into the motherboard, only closer to the CPU socket. Depending on the design of your CPU and its power requirements, these can come in 4 pin and eight pin designs. Some high-operation sockets need separate viii pivot and 4 pin cables for a total of 12. Check your power supply's specifications to run across what it supports.

How to Change Out Only the CPU

If you have an identical CPU you lot desire to swap out in your system, or one that's uniform with your current automobile'due south socket and other hardware, information technology's not a huge hassle to get it out. Follow the steps beneath.

You'll demand a Phillips-head screwdriver and a clean, dry out place to work, preferably without a carpet. If your home is especially static-prone, y'all might desire to utilise an anti-static bracelet. A cup or bowl is besides handy for holding loose screws. Yous can re-use the CPU cooler from your current system or supplant it with a new one, just if your new CPU doesn't include thermal paste in the package, you'll need to get that besides. Thermal paste helps conduct estrus from your CPU into the CPU cooler, and it's a necessity.

Offset, unplug all the power and information cables from your PC and move it to your workspace. Remove the screws holding the left-side access panel from the example—these are on the back of the machine, screwed into the edge. Y'all tin then slide the admission panel off and ready information technology bated. (If your instance is a small or unusual blueprint, consult the manual for precise instructions.)

Set the PC on its side, with the motherboard facing upwardly. You should be able to look down at the motherboard with all its diverse ports and connections. The CPU cooler is the large gadget with a big piece of metallic (the heat sink) and one or more fans fastened to it.

You'll demand to remove the libation before y'all tin can access the CPU. For our Intel stock libation, this is relatively simple: we just turn the thumbscrews at all four corners, and then lift it off. This procedure can exist complex if you're using an aftermarket libation, requiring adapters and some tight working.

Consult the manual for your cooler if information technology'due south not obvious. More circuitous h2o-cooled systems might as well crave advanced techniques. You can besides probable find videos on the internet of people removing and attaching the cooler yous're using. Information technology's worth doing a bit of research.

Before you lift the cooler abroad, check the power cablevision fastened to the fan. It's probably plugged into a four pin power adapter, somewhere nigh the CPU socket. Gently pull it out, and yous can then remove the entire cooler.

You lot're now looking down direct at your computer'southward CPU. The gelled stuff on height of it is the thermal paste that allows heat to efficiently transfer to the cooler. Don't worry if it's a little messy.

You'll at present want to lift the memory plate off of the CPU. The method for doing this varies from socket to socket, but there's mostly a lever holding it down and/or a screw for actress security. On our Intel LGA-1151 socket, we release the lever and elevator the plate.

At this point the but thing property the CPU in is gravity. Advisedly grasp it with your finger and lift information technology out. Set it bated. If it's broken and you have no utilize left for information technology, yous don't demand to baby it. But if you're hoping to use it in the future, you'll want to clean off the thermal paste with a Q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol and put it in an anti-static handbag. You'll also want to do the same for the bottom of the heatsink y'all removed, if yous're planning on using it over again.

Now take a await at the CPU socket on the motherboard. If at that place's any thermal paste left on the socket near the electrical contact pins in the socket itself, advisedly clean them with a dry cloth or a Q-tip. You're trying to avoid getting any paste in between the CPU and those contact pins when y'all install the new CPU.

(If you're upgrading to a larger CPU cooler at this bespeak, end. You may need to install a backplate on the reverse side of the motherboard. Consult the instructions if you're non sure.)

Larger aftermarket CPU coolers need a support plate on the back of the motherboard.

Now remove the new CPU from its packaging. Insert it into the open CPU socket on the motherboard. Most modern CPU designs can only fit in one fashion—check contacts on the bottom of the CPU and the socket to make certain yous're installing information technology correctly. Information technology should slide or sit in place easily, without yous putting any pressure on it.

When you've seated the CPU, lower the plate onto it, and install whatever retention method is used on the socket. Don't force it too hard: if you lot feel more than than a pound (half a kilogram) of force pushing back on your finger, the CPU may not exist properly seated. Pull information technology out and effort again.

If the cooler that came with your CPU has thermal paste pre-practical to the bottom, you're prepare to install it. If not, and so clasp about a pea-sized drop of thermal paste onto the eye of the CPU from the paste tube. You lot don't need a lot. It spreads out evenly when you lock the cooler into place.

Thermal paste pre-applied to an Intel libation.

Manually-practical thermal paste. Less is more than.

Now re-install the cooler. Again, the method for doing so will vary based on the cooler blueprint. If you're upgrading to a newer, larger cooler, you lot'll be placing it on the backing plate I mentioned earlier. If you're replacing information technology with a stock libation, just screw it downwardly. In either case, don't forget to plug the cooling fan in on i of the 4 pin fan plugs on the motherboard when it'southward in identify.

With the CPU and libation re-installed, yous're ready to shut up your PC case. Supersede the admission console and spiral information technology in on the dorsum of the frame. At present return it to its normal spot and ability it on for a test.

Replacing the Motherboard And CPU

This is the more than circuitous operation. You'll need to become virtually halfway to completely disassembling your PC to get an old motherboard out and a new 1 in. Set aside a couple of hours for this task if yous're generally familiar with PC hardware, and maybe a flake longer if you lot're not.

Also note that replacing your motherboard, especially with a different model, generally requires you to re-install your operating system and restore it. Before you begin, yous'll desire to dorsum up all your information and settings, if possible, and have installation media for your new operating system set to go. Really, you should consider this more building a new calculator and reusing old parts than merely upgrading your reckoner.

You lot'll need the same tools every bit above: a Phillips-head screwdriver, a clean place to piece of work, possibly an anti-static bracelet, and some bowls or cups to hold onto screws. Before attempting to replace the CPU cooler, brand sure y'all have some thermal paste (or that it's pre-applied to a new cooler).

First, unplug all the power and information cables from your PC and move it to your workspace. Remove the screws holding the left-side admission panel from the case—these are on the dorsum of the machine, screwed into the border. You lot can so slide the admission panel off and gear up it aside. (If your instance is a modest or unusual pattern, consult the manual for precise instructions.)

Set the PC on its side, with the motherboard facing up. Yous should be able to look down at the motherboard with all its various ports and connections.

You'll need to unplug nigh everything from the motherboard to go it out of the case. If there are other components blocking physical admission to it, like case fans, you lot'll also have to take them out. A handy trick is to continue your phone handy and take lots of pictures: snap a photograph or two with each cable and component you remove. You lot can refer to them later on if you get confused.

Nosotros'll start with the graphics card, if you have 1. First remove the power rail from the tiptop or side of the GPU. Then remove the spiral property information technology in place on the back of the case.

Now look for a plastic tab on the PCI-Express slot on the motherboard. Pull it away from the graphics bill of fare and printing downward, and yous should hear a "snap." At this point you tin gently pull the graphics bill of fare out and set information technology aside. Repeat this process for whatever other PCI-Due east expansion cards you lot might have.

Adjacent, we'll become the CPU libation. The removal method volition differ depending on what kind of cooler you're using. Intel and AMD stock coolers tin can be removed only, but larger, more elaborate air coolers and liquid coolers might need you lot to access the opposite side of the motherboard to remove a bankroll plate. If your CPU cooler is modest enough that it isn't blocking whatever other cables, you might be able to leave it in place.

With the CPU cooler removed, it's time to unplug the main motherboard ability cablevision. This is the long one with 20 or 24 pins. Y'all can leave it hanging loosely. Practice the same for the 4 or 8 pivot power cable near the CPU socket.

Now unplug your storage and disc drives. For most recent machines, these are SATA cables. Just pull them out and leave them dangling.

Next, become for the example connections and fans. For most mod cases, this includes i or more cables going to a port marked "USB" on your motherboard, one marked "Audio" or "HD Audio," and several minor cables plugged into the input-output ports.

These tin can be particularly tricky—have note of their positions, and accept a photo if you have your telephone handy. Whatsoever case fans that are plugged direct into the motherboard should now be unplugged as well—they more often than not go into 4-pin plugs around the edges.

You tin can get out your RAM installed at this point—information technology will exist easier to remove it with the motherboard gratis. Ditto for whatever M.two storage drives or expansions.

You're near gear up to existence the removal procedure. Brand sure in that location aren't any components or cables that will snag as you lot're removing the large printed excursion lath. If some power or data cables are in the way, yous may need to unplug them also.

Now, locate the screws property the motherboard in place in the instance. There are four to eight of them, depending on the size of the motherboard and the case design. They can exist tricky to spot, peculiarly if they're dark screws and y'all don't have much lighting. If you lot're not certain exactly where they are, you might want to consult your motherboard's manual.

With the retention screws removed, you can grasp the motherboard with both hands and lift it free of the case. Y'all'll need to pull it slightly to your right to get it clear of the I/O plate, the pocket-sized piece of metallic between the ports on the back of the motherboard and the plate itself. If it catches on annihilation, stay calm, fix information technology down, and remove the obstruction. When you have the motherboard clear of the case, set information technology aside.

If you're replacing your motherboard with a new model, pull the I/O plate out of the example. If you're replacing information technology with an identical motherboard, leave it in place.

If you're re-using your electric current CPU, remove it from the socket with the instructions in the section above this one. If not, continue on to the next step.

Remove the RAM DIMMs from the motherboard. This is easy: simply press down on the tabs on either side of the RAM, so pull them free of the slot. If y'all're using an 1000.two storage drive, remove it at present—just remove the retention screw and pull it out of the slot.

Now switch to your new motherboard. If yous're using a CPU libation that's oversized and needs a bankroll plate, install it now while y'all have easy access. If not, then install your RAM into the new motherboard—either the DIMMs y'all just removed or the ones you've bought for compatibility with the new lath. Re-install your G.2 drive if y'all're using information technology.

Next comes the CPU, and so remove the new ane from its packaging. The exact steps differ from socket to socket, but generally there's a tension bar that you'll need to release, at which indicate you can lift the plate that holds the CPU in place.

Insert information technology into the open up CPU socket on the motherboard. Nigh mod CPU designs tin can only fit in 1 fashion—check contacts on the bottom of the CPU and the socket to make certain you lot're installing it correctly. It should slide or sit in identify with no extra pressure.

Lower the plate onto the CPU, and install whatever retention method is used on the socket. Don't force it also difficult: if yous experience more than than a pound (half a kilogram) of strength pushing back on your finger, the CPU may not be properly seated. Pull information technology out and try again.

If your CPU cooler is minor enough that it won't interfere with any screws or power rails, like most stock coolers, y'all tin install it now to avoid the clumsiness of installing it inside the case. If thermal paste is pre-applied to the bottom of the libation, just set information technology down and spiral it in place. If not, put a pea-sized amount of thermal paste on the tiptop of the CPU, then lower the cooler on top of information technology.

Thermal paste pre-practical to an Intel cooler.

Install the cooler according to the design and the instructions. Plug the power cable for the CPU fan into an open up four-pin slot on the motherboard near the CPU.

You're ready to re-install the new motherboard in the example. If information technology'southward a new model, identify the new I/O plate in the back of the example. It goes in with simple pressure: just stick the metallic rectangle into the open slot in the example.

Lower the motherboard down onto the risers, the pocket-size metal pieces that accept the retention screws. You may need to adapt it a bit to fit information technology into the I/O plate. Make sure that there aren't whatsoever cables hiding underneath the board equally y'all set it into place on the risers.

At present replace the motherboard retention screws. Simply screw them into place, putting them through the holes in the circuit board of the motherboard and down onto the threads in the risers. They should exist firmly in place, but don't over-tighten them, or y'all might scissure your motherboard.

Now, just go in reverse for the process that you performed to remove the motherboard. Supersede the information and power cables in the same spots. Check them as you proceed:

Main motherboard power cable (20 or 24 pin)
CPU power cable (4 or eight pivot)
SATA cables for difficult drives, SSDs, and disc drives
Instance cables for USB, audio, and the I/O plate
Any example fans plugged into the four pin plugs on the motherboard

Supersede the GPU, if yous accept one. Install it with the reverse process: identify it back in the longest PCI-Express slot, press down, and lift the plastic tab to lock it in place. Supercede the screw that holds it into the dorsum of the example, and plug in the power rail from the ability supply. Now do the same for any other expansion cards you take.

If you haven't already installed your CPU cooler because it's big enough to block admission to some of the motherboard slots, practice so now. Follow the same steps every bit the external installation above, with whatever adaptations you may demand for its specific design.

If all your connections are back in place, y'all're set up to close information technology up. Replace the access panel from the case, and screw it into place on the back of the example with its retentiveness screws. You tin now movement your PC back to its normal position and power it up. If it doesn't turn on, you lot've missed a step somewhere—double-cheque your connections, and make sure the switch on the back of the power supply is in the "on" position.

If you've replaced simply your CPU only, you shouldn't need to brand whatsoever changes to your organization. Ditto if you lot've replaced your motherboard with an identical model, though yous may demand to accommodate the boot order in BIOS/UEFI if you've changed the position of your SATA data cables. If you've replaced your motherboard with a unlike model, you'll probably need to reinstall your operating system at this point.

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