Replacing motherboard

[kot91]

Recently discovered my processor is out of date. Looking to replace both the processor and motherboard. I have a few questions regarding this.

First off, specs.

Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-CM
Processor: E8400 duo core @ 3.00GHz
GPU: Gtx 560
Ram: 4GB DDR3(I believe)
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
NIC: Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 PCI-E Ethernet Controller

Now for the questions:

1. Which motherboard should I purchase that, preferably, comes with the processor already installed? I'm hoping for under 300, quad core and capable of handling loads like BF3.
2. What other hardware is out of date that you might see? I've read that my ram is relatively old and low for this day and age and I'm not 100% sure about my NIC.
3. After purchasing replacements and installing new hardware, what should I do? BIOS, drivers, etc. Never done such a heavy replacement before.

Also,
Considering purchasing a SSD. How would I go about transfering my OS to the SSD without the disc? I don't mind reformatting, though I'd rather not do a hard reformat and have to find all of my drivers again (if I can help it). Suggestions on a SSD? Brand wise, anyway. Probably just going to slap the OS and a game or 2 on the SSD so nothing bigger then, say, 60 gigs.

[bungiefan]

Why do you want the processor already installed? I don't know any companies that ship them that way, more room to break them. Installing a processor is easy, they're all zero insertion force nowadays. Heat sink is the big deal, and not even much of that.

Cloning an OS from a non-SSD to an SSD usually causes a lot of problems. You need to reinstall. Win7 discs are easy to download, and you can find out your registration code easily enough.

If you replace the motherboard, you will esentially be building a new computer, since you have to unplug everything. Become comfortable with doing it, you don't need much more than a screwdriver. DDR3 is current for RAM type, and 4 GB is what the average machine ships with, minimum. I'm running 8 GB myself, but I can expand to 32.

Motherboard and processor should be all you need, just make sure they match. If it's a prebuilt branded machine like Dell or HP, you probably can't just throw a stock motherboard in, because they mount on the wrong side of the case. In that case, you may need a new case. $300 is maybe shooting low, I think my motherboard and processor were about $500 each, but I went with a 6-core and a CrossFire capable board.

Win7 will find most drivers for you, and your motherboard will come with a driver disc. You can also download them from the company web sites before you rebuild. Finding drivers isn't a big deal.

[Almaut]

1. A Z68 series motherboard and a i5 2500k would probably go past your budget a little bit but would suit your needs for sure. Recommending the Z68 series since you mentioned you're looking at getting an SSD later on down the line.

2. 4GB of ram should still be fine with most games since only a few utilize more than 2GB at a time. Could upgrade it later if you really want to get a small boost in FPS and don't feel like dropping money to upgrade to a different vid card since you already have a gtx 560. Most mobo's come with built in NICs nowadays so not much to worry about there.

3. Definitely would recommend doing a clean install since you're upgrading the motherboard. It'll be less of a hassle down the line that way.

[Sonomaa]

get a 2500k and a decent mobo. you can reach to the 300 mark by cutting corners on said mobo but I dont recommend it. it should cost you about 350 to get the system with a kick ass z68 mobo and the awesome 2500k which sets you up for the next few generations of CPUs without having to worry about doing an upgrade.

also you must reinstall the OS if you change mobo, dont try to cheat and save yourself time, youre just going to end up wasting it with a slower PC. go fresh

[Arkanna]

One concern: make sure your current RAM is DDR3, otherwise you'll need new RAM as well. I'm pretty sure there were Core 2 Duo chipsets that would run DDR2... and I'll echo what others have said, don't try to take a shortcut. New CPU and chipset/motherboard = fresh install.

Lastly, if you end up with an SSD, make sure you set your SATA mode to AHCI in the BIOS before you install Windows on it, for best performance.

[kot91]

Thank you all for the fantastic help. Planning on this upgrade next month with an SSD further down the line. Kudos to you all for the information

[kot91]

What would be considered cutting corners? Like I said, I've never taken on such a huge replacement before, so I don't know a whole lot about motherboards. Z68 series motherboard brings up quite a few searches; I've narrowed it down to intel made motherboards.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...FSOHtgodh0XSqw
^$139. Not sure if thats cutting corners

[Senji]

That board is solid. I have the 80.