SOLVED Motherboard Upgrading

[Avulsion]

Alright, so I have been around this site for a little while now and have built several rigs since. However, there is one thing that I am still not 100% on...

My current set up (full specs found in sig), is running on a P8Z77-V LX (mediocre choice, I know). I love the board and have had no major issues with it, but I am looking to possibly upgrade said board. With the release of the new GPUs, I may end up leaning toward an SLI/CF set-up to further future-proof my system.

Of course, I do understand that with my current monitor (1920x1080), such things would be overkill and unnecessary and a single GPU would be best. I just want to make sure I can run games for many, many years to come.

In the event that I do upgrade the motherboard, what would you all suggest for an 1155 chip (3570k)? But more importantly, the reason why I posted this thread, is there a possible way to upgrade the board without having to reinstall the OS and losing all my programs/settings? Or is that something as simple as creating a partition for all the stuff (mainly game files and music) to run from that wouldn't be wiped clean with the fresh install?

Thanks for all the input guys!

PS: One last thing, before I forget - Should I upgrade my 750w PSU too if I hope to OC my CPU and GPUs while in SLI/CF ? (full specs in sig ^_^)

 

[manu2b]

Asrock Extreme 4 Z77 is a good choice. Affordable, OC friendly and xFire/SLi support.

I'd say that you should not need to reinstall, as the board uses the same chipset.

Heck, Windows is kind of friendly with that now: I kept the same install when I moved from a Sabertooth 990FX/Thuban to the rig in sig (Z77/IvyBridge).

I finally did a clean install a couple of weeks ago, but had no issue whatsoever with the previous one.

 

[EarthDog]

I am quite confused...

You say your specs are in your sig, I see them, but then you are asking about a chip you already have? Is that motherboard going to be reused I take it so you need a new CPU? If so, I'd with that upgrade to Z87 and 4670K.

You also have a 750W PSU listed and are 'upgrading' to a 750W? I don't get it? Again, are you reusing that PSU in a different PC? Otherwise, seems like you have one (a 750W PSU is PLENTY for 2 660's).

As far as having to reformat for a new board. Chances are you do not have to. You can, before you swap, uninstall LAN drivers, audio drivers, chipset drivers (Intel ones). Then install your new board. It should figure it out for a minute, ask for a reboot, then install the Chipset drivers first, followed by the LAN or Audio.

 

[Avulsion]

I am quite confused...

You say your specs are in your sig, I see them, but then you are asking about a chip you already have? Is that motherboard going to be reused I take it so you need a new CPU? If so, I'd with that upgrade to Z87 and 4670K.

You also have a 750W PSU listed and are 'upgrading' to a 750W? I don't get it? Again, are you reusing that PSU in a different PC? Otherwise, seems like you have one (a 750W PSU is PLENTY for 2 660's).

As far as having to reformat for a new board. Chances are you do not have to. You can, before you swap, uninstall LAN drivers, audio drivers, chipset drivers (Intel ones). Then install your new board. It should figure it out for a minute, ask for a reboot, then install the Chipset drivers first, followed by the LAN or Audio.

Ah apologies for the confusion. I want to upgrade the mobo itself, i mentioned the cpu since the socket type will be the same. I will reuse my 3570k on the new board. I listed the psu that i am running now and wanted to know if it were sufficient to running my cpu OCd and running multi-gpu.

I meant to list those parts as a baseline of what im currently running and asking for advice on upgrading from that for a multi-gpu configuration. But thanks for the replies!

 

[EarthDog]

750W PSU you have is plenty as I mentioned. I would, as you know already, really look into a single, more powerful card. Sell that 660 and put that money towards a newer card. R9 280x seems like a winner, depending on your budget of course.

 

[Avulsion]

Well the only issue with the current board is it runs x16/x4. Which doesnt really work too well with SLI. So then i would really have to change the board for that. CF would work on it, but the x4 slot doesnt seem too good to me. I could be wrong though... i have read here, and other sources, that there really isnt a significant difference from that and going x8/x8. So just need a lil clarification on that. From the experts *coughEarthDogcough*.

And as for the single gpu solution, yes i have leaned towards that as well. I am aware of the issues that can arise from SLI/CF, although theyve gotten better over time. I was looking at the 290x as the single gpu, but i dont like what ive read about its power consumption, heat, and noise. But its still too early to really make a decision since the fully custom versions have not been released yet. And im sure that nvidia will drop prices again in the near future with the coming of the 780Ti.

Just trying to get some opinions on what route i should take:

A) go single, powerful GPU.
B) go multi, possibly change out the board since mine is x16/x4

I dont plan on changing my monitor, but have considered it for the 1440p res. Budget isnt much of an issue but to put a number, id say no higher than $600 for single/multi.

 

[EarthDog]

Go A...

As for option B: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/23.html

 

[Avulsion]

Well there is also option C. Keep my current board and rock dual 280Xs, the performance difference isnt as bad as i wouldve imagined. And if you say my 750w PSU is fine, then thats even less of a worry. Woot! So i guess no real need yo swap out the mobo afterall, yay!!. Thanks so much! I will definitely hold off before i buy anything though. Wait for more stock to be available, and any other cards to come out. Thanks again!