change motherboard without reinstalling windows 10

He went on using the same Windows install for a couple of years – and still running on it, with the new processor.

Everything worked out fine and after Windows worked its magic for a little bit, the new CPU was discovered and worked as it should. We found one that fit his existing socket, bought it, removed the old processor, replaced it with the new one and restarted the computer. For example, the one that he got – a mid-budget i5 processor – was available for various sockets. That is what I helped my friend do and therefore prevented him from spending extra money on a new motherboard and wasting time on reinstalling Windows and especially re-configuring everything as it was before the clean install. In this case – if you buy a new CPU that needs a different socket than the one offered by your current motherboard, you would indeed have to get a new motherboard and reinstall Windows.īut if you do a bit of research, you will most likely find a better CPU that still fits your existing motherboard.

The thing is that there are various sockets for CPUs installed on motherboards and you can’t fit one made for a specific type of socket into a different one. There are some things to take into consideration, though, as sometimes you might need to reinstall Windows after changing your processor – and you might also need a new motherboard as well.

Change motherboard without reinstalling windows 10