{"id":17072,"date":"2022-05-03T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T17:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=17072"},"modified":"2022-09-03T12:42:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T10:42:56","slug":"reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have to Reinstall Windows After Upgrading CPU, GPU or Motherboard?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668445b401ad4\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668445b401ad4\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668445b401ad4\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Upgrading_Your_PC_When_Do_You_Need_to_Reinstall_Windows\" title=\"Upgrading Your PC | When Do You Need to Reinstall Windows?\">Upgrading Your PC | When Do You Need to Reinstall Windows?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Upgrading_the_GPU\" title=\"Upgrading the GPU\">Upgrading the GPU<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Storage_Upgrades\" title=\"Storage Upgrades\">Storage Upgrades<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#RAM_Upgrades\" title=\"RAM Upgrades\">RAM Upgrades<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Upgrading_the_CPU\" title=\"Upgrading the CPU\">Upgrading the CPU<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Upgrading_the_Motherboard\" title=\"Upgrading the Motherboard\">Upgrading the Motherboard<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Do_I_Have_to_Reinstall_Windows_After_Upgrading_CPU_and_Motherboard\" title=\"Do I Have to Reinstall Windows After Upgrading CPU and Motherboard?\">Do I Have to Reinstall Windows After Upgrading CPU and Motherboard?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Do_I_Need_to_Reactivate_Windows_After_a_Hardware_Upgrade\" title=\"Do I Need to Reactivate Windows After a Hardware Upgrade?\">Do I Need to Reactivate Windows After a Hardware Upgrade?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/reinstall-windows-upgrading-cpu-motherboard\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>Do you have to reinstall <\/strong><strong>Windows after installing new hardware<\/strong>, <strong>let\u2019s say, the processor (CPU), motherboard, or graphics card?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Short answer: Usually not! But in some cases, it can be beneficial.<\/p>\n<p>Let's take a closer look:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Upgrading_Your_PC_When_Do_You_Need_to_Reinstall_Windows\"><\/span><strong>Upgrading Your PC | When Do You Need to Reinstall Windows?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No matter if you\u2019ve built your PC yourself or if you\u2019ve bought a pre-built system, <b>you can upgrade pretty much any aspect of it<\/b>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Graphics card (GPU)<\/li>\n<li>Processor (CPU)<\/li>\n<li>Motherboard<\/li>\n<li>RAM<\/li>\n<li>Storage (NVMe, SSD, HDD)<\/li>\n<li>Even Fans, the PSU, or the Case<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_17094\" style=\"width: 1076px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17094\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17094\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents.jpg\" alt=\"PC Cmponents\" width=\"1076\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents.jpg 1076w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-420x236.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1076px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17094\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17094 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201076%20602%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PC Cmponents\" width=\"1076\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201076%20602%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1076w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1076px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents.jpg 1076w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents-420x236.jpg 420w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/PC-Cmponents.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asus.com\/microsite\/ASUS-X-GUNDAM\/me-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ASUS<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>So far so good, but which of those components require a reinstall of your Windows Operating System?<\/p>\n<p>Let's go through each of the main PC-Parts:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Upgrading_the_GPU\"><\/span><strong>Upgrading the GPU<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Upgrading the GPU is a pretty straightforward task.<\/p>\n<p>You simply <strong>unscrew the safety screw, unlock the PCIe slot, remove any connected cables<\/strong> (HDMI, DisplayPort, and Power Cables), and <strong>remove your old GPU from the system<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Insert the new one, make sure you hear the <strong>safety mechanism lock in place<\/strong>, then proceed to <strong>screw it into the back of the case and connect your display(s).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re all done with the hardware side of the equation, it\u2019s time to deal with drivers.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, you don\u2019t have to reinstall Windows after upgrading your GPU. <strong>In some cases<\/strong>, depending on just how different your new GPU is from the old one, <strong>you won\u2019t even have to remove the old drivers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you're upgrading an older Nvidia GPU to a newer one, the <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/check-graphics-card-and-drivers\/\">drivers will most likely work for both as Nvidia packages their Drivers for a large variety of their Graphics Cards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15788\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15788\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15788 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs.jpg\" alt=\"Geforce GTX GPUs\" width=\"2000\" height=\"956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-1024x489.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-768x367.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-1536x734.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15788\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15788 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202000%20956%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Geforce GTX GPUs\" width=\"2000\" height=\"956\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202000%20956%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-1024x489.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-768x367.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs-1536x734.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/03\/Geforce-GTX-GPUs.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15788\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Asus GPU Line-up<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In most cases, though, you\u2019ll have to remove the old display drivers, restart your system, and then <strong>install drivers for your brand-new GPU.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s pretty much it \u2013 you\u2019re done with upgrading your PC <strong>without having to reinstall Windows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The GPU verdict:<\/p>\n<p><mark><strong>Do you have to reinstall Windows after a GPU upgrade? \u2014 No!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Storage_Upgrades\"><\/span><strong>Storage Upgrades<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Storage upgrades are one of the easiest upgrades you can come across when tinkering with your PC. Or are they?<\/p>\n<p>Well, it depends on if you're expanding \/ adding more drives, or actually replacing the drive that your Operating System is installed on.<\/p>\n<p>If you're adding an extra storage drive, there's nothing else you have to do than hook it up with a <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/sata-cables\/\">SATA data and power cable<\/a> (if it's a SATA SSD \/ HDD) or slide it into a <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-m2-drives-slots\/\">free M.2 Slot<\/a>, and you're good to go. Windows should recognize them immediately and they should be ready to use in no time.<\/p>\n<p>But what about that second option? If you're upgrading your OS Drive, then yes, you'll (obviously) have to reinstall your Operating System on the new drive you've just installed.<\/p>\n<p>The storage verdict:<\/p>\n<p><mark><strong>Do you have to reinstall Windows after a Storage upgrade? \u2014 No (in some cases, yes)!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"RAM_Upgrades\"><\/span><strong>RAM Upgrades<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Similar to Storage Drives RAM (Memory) is something that does not need any kind of drivers and will work within your operating system out of the box as long as it's <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ram-motherboard-compatibility\/\">compatible with your motherboard<\/a> and other hardware and has been recognized properly by the BIOS.<\/p>\n<p>There is just one very rare scenario I can think of that would require you to reinstall Windows after a RAM upgrade, and that is if your OS is 32bit, but your new RAM capacity exceeds the 32bit limit of ~4GB.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, you would have to reinstall a different type of OS (namely a 64bit Version of Windows) to be able to make use of the full capacity of your Memory.<\/p>\n<p>This scenario is quite dated, though, and if your hardware is at least somewhat new-ish, you can safely ignore the above.<\/p>\n<p>The RAM verdict:<\/p>\n<p><mark><strong>Do you have to reinstall Windows after a RAM\/Memory upgrade? \u2014 No!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Upgrading_the_CPU\"><\/span><strong>Upgrading the CPU<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Next up, CPU upgrade! If you\u2019re going to be swapping out just your CPU without touching the motherboard, you won\u2019t have to reinstall Windows.<\/p>\n<p>However, in this case, you won\u2019t have a lot of CPU options as you\u2019re limited by the <strong>list of CPUs your motherboard supports\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Your motherboard dictates which CPU and RAM you can use<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13434\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key.jpg\" alt=\"Intercompatibility between components is key\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13434 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intercompatibility between components is key\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/09\/Intercompatibility-between-components-is-key.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The Motherboard might <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/motherboard-affect-performance\/\">not give a direct performance boost<\/a>, but motherboards are still crucial as they serve as the hub for connecting all other components of your system.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, CPUs are similar to RAM upgrades, as in, they don't require any additional driver installation by you, and as long as they are <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/cpu-motherboard-compatibility\/\">compatible with the motherboard<\/a> and recognized properly by the BIOS, you're all set.<\/p>\n<p>The CPU verdict:<\/p>\n<p><mark><strong>Do you have to reinstall Windows after a CPU upgrade? \u2014 No!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Upgrading_the_Motherboard\"><\/span><strong>Upgrading the Motherboard<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking to do much more <strong>demanding and CPU-intensive tasks and want a serious CPU performance boost,<\/strong> you might need to upgrade your motherboard alongside your CPU.<\/p>\n<p><em>Why's this?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Well, Motherboards dictate which CPUs are compatible with it and if your Motherboard is old or low-end, you might not be able to upgrade to a fast CPU at all.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, you'll need a new high-end (or at least newer) Motherboard model from a top-notch <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-motherboard-brands\/\"><strong>motherboard brand<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Upgrading your motherboard will give you a lot <strong>more (read better) options<\/strong> in terms of supported CPUs, but in this case, it's recommended to reinstall Windows to make sure you're not leaving performance potential on the table due to driver issues.<\/p>\n<p>Because the Motherboard has a host of different functions, connectors, sensors, clocks, sockets etc. it requires the lion's share of all your driver installations.<\/p>\n<p>Although a motherboard upgrade might not make any issues even without an OS reinstall, i'd rather be safe than sorry.<\/p>\n<p>The motherboard verdict:<\/p>\n<p><mark><strong>Do you have to reinstall Windows after a Motherboard upgrade? \u2014 Yes, it's recommended, but not mandatory!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/is-building-a-pc-hard\/\">PC Building and upgrading have become so easy<\/a>, that more people are doing it than ever before.<\/p>\n<p>It's fun, it's mostly plug and play, and as we've learned in this article, you don't even have to reinstall Windows for most upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>Even drivers are often taken care of by the OS, and only in rare cases do you have to install them manually.<\/p>\n<p>Great times!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span><strong>FAQ<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_Have_to_Reinstall_Windows_After_Upgrading_CPU_and_Motherboard\"><\/span><strong>Do I Have to Reinstall Windows After Upgrading CPU and Motherboard?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, it's recommended to reinstall windows following a CPU and motherboard upgrade. You could try and run your old OS to see if you\u2019ll have major ongoing issues.<\/p>\n<p>But, if you\u2019re doing sensitive work and\/or you\u2019re not willing to take needless troubleshooting steps sometime in the future, it\u2019s best to just install a fresh operating system and call it a day.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_Need_to_Reactivate_Windows_After_a_Hardware_Upgrade\"><\/span><strong>Do I Need to Reactivate Windows After a Hardware Upgrade?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It depends on what exactly you\u2019re upgrading. If you\u2019re upgrading your CPU, RAM, or GPU, you won\u2019t need to reactivate Windows.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you\u2019re upgrading your motherboard, chances are you will have to reactivate Windows upon reinstalling it because the OS won\u2019t be able to find the license that matches your device.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span><strong>Over to You<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>That\u2019s about it for our lengthy guide on whether or not you should reinstall windows following CPU and\/or motherboard upgrades?<\/p>\n<p>What are your thoughts on the subject?<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Did you encounter issues following CPU and motherboard upgrades? Did Windows activation cause issues? Leave a <a href=\"#comments\">comment<\/a> below or on our<a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\"> forum<\/a> and let me know if you have any other questions.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you have to reinstall Windows after installing new hardware, let\u2019s say, the processor (CPU), motherboard, or graphics card? Short answer: Usually not! But in some cases, it can be beneficial. Let's take a closer look: Upgrading Your PC | When Do You Need to Reinstall Windows? No matter if you\u2019ve built your PC yourself...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":17075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74,232],"tags":[119,244,117],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17072"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17072"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20847,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17072\/revisions\/20847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}