Mobo upgrade

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Geek @ Coastguard NZ
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#1256844 12-Mar-2015 09:35

+1 for 8GB of RAM

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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timmmay

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#1256881 12-Mar-2015 10:37

Passmark scores:
- AMD X2: 1628 (single thread 965)
- Pentium G3258: 4021 (single thread 2185)
- i5 4660: 6698 (single thread 2232 from a similar processor)
- i7 i7-4770: 9883 (single thread 2268)

So going AMD to Pentium you'll double your single thread performance and almost triple your overall performance. The i5 and i7 won't be much faster single threaded but for things that use more cores like video processing it'll be faster. If you want good bang for your buck and are ok with two cores it looks like a good option and good value.

BiggusDoggus

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#1260000 16-Mar-2015 08:56

Hi - last question (hopefully) please.

I'm assuming I'm going to need to do a fresh install of Windows 7 - up until this point I've been running 32bit, is changing to 64bit a good move?

I've bought 4GB of G.Skill RAM - will get more in the near future if it's best to go 64bit, otherwise, of course, will stick with the 4GB for 32bit.

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timmmay

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#1260001 16-Mar-2015 09:01

It's best to have a fresh windows install, but you can try to boot your current install with a new motherboard. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, it's difficult to predict, but you'll probably be better off with a reinstall. If you want to change to W7-64 then now would be a great time.

BiggusDoggus

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#1260172 16-Mar-2015 12:35

timmmay: It's best to have a fresh windows install, but you can try to boot your current install with a new motherboard. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, it's difficult to predict, but you'll probably be better off with a reinstall. If you want to change to W7-64 then now would be a great time.

Do I need to format the drive first if I choose to do a reinstall? And if so, is it as simple as formatting, say, an additional hard drive or USB stick?

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

timmmay

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#1260176 16-Mar-2015 12:41

It depends on how you have windows - DVD, USB, or on a recovery partition. I personally have a DVD of W7 and a USB of W10, so I would just format the drive and go for it (after BACKING UP).

I'm actually doing a motherboard swap this week - I'll just put the new one in and hope for the best. If I have problems I'll just format and start again, after taking a disk image. I have a bunch of disks though, no data on the system disk.

BiggusDoggus

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#1260180 16-Mar-2015 12:45

timmmay: It depends on how you have windows - DVD, USB, or on a recovery partition. I personally have a DVD of W7 and a USB of W10, so I would just format the drive and go for it (after BACKING UP).

I'm actually doing a motherboard swap this week - I'll just put the new one in and hope for the best. If I have problems I'll just format and start again, after taking a disk image. I have a bunch of disks though, no data on the system disk.

Thanks - and I only have the one Windows 7 disc - are both versions included in the one, or do I need to actually purchase a separate 64bit version?

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Jase2985

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#1260184 16-Mar-2015 12:48

different versions on different discs

timmmay

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#1260185 16-Mar-2015 12:49

Just install Windows 10 technical preview - it's free. You can upgrade to W10 for free when it's released later this year too.

BiggusDoggus

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#1260186 16-Mar-2015 12:50

Jase2985: different versions on different discs

Ok - so even though I have a Windows 7 key, because it's 32bit I need to buy another copy of Windows 7 64bit?

Or can I do like this? http://getintopc.com/softwares/operating-systems/windows-7-ultimate-free-download-iso-32-and-64-bit/

And if I do it this way will my key still work?

Thinking more about it, if it's going to be a pain in the posterior to change to 64bit (even if I could with my existing key), maybe I'm better off installing 32bit again and waiting for the free Windows 10 upgrade.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2873214/windows-10-will-be-a-free-upgrade-for-windows-7-and-8-users.html

I've only got 4GB of RAM anyway...

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timmmay

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#1260257 16-Mar-2015 13:44

As I said, just install Windows 10 preview now. It works fine, you can get 64 bit. You may need to reinstall later once the full version is available.

But yes, it appears the license is valid for 32 and 64 bits - see here.

timmmay

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#1260619 16-Mar-2015 21:11

I swapped from an Asus P67 to a Gigabyte B75 motherboard this evening, same CPU and same everything else, Windows 10. Windows worked as if nothing had happened. Super easy.

xpd

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#1260813 17-Mar-2015 10:08

DONT install Windows 10 unless youre prepared for potential issues - its been good so far, but its not recommended as a full day-to-day OS as yet, if it was, it would be retail and not in preview.

As for 64 vs 32 bit, do a clean install of 64 bit - you will need the DVD/ISO though, Google it and I think MS have them available. Your 32bit key will work for 64bit fine.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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#1260815 17-Mar-2015 10:19

BiggusDoggus: ... I've only got 4GB of RAM anyway...

Remember that if you stay with your 32-bit OS (Win 7 x86), you can only use 3GB of your RAM.
If you go to 64-bit, you can add to your RAM later - eg to 8GB - and use all of it.

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BiggusDoggus

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#1260825 17-Mar-2015 10:28

Thanks for all the advice, guys - greatly appreciated.

And since I just know you are all wondering what I ended up getting, just as you can't wait to see who the new X Factor judges are:

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=858378145 (I may have been a bit too hasty with that, it being all purty and blue and toothy and all. It's a lot harder to find reasonably priced G.Skill RAM than Adata, for example, if I want to add more in the future...but it does look cool, all hidden away in my case)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=856785089
CPU: Intel Unlocked Pentium 20th Anniversary G3258 - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=859204286

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

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