Upgrade CPU or GPU first?

I

Its Sage

New Member
My build right now:
-AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE @ 3.5 CPU
-8GB DDR3 @ 1600 Mhz Memory
-Gigabyte 970A-D3 Motherboard
-GTX EVGA 560 GPU
-OCZ Mod xStream Pro 600w PSU

In the near future, I'm looking to upgrade my system. But, I am unsure on whether or not I should upgrade my CPU/Motherboard first, or my video card. If i upgrade my CPU, I'll either get an i7 3770k, i5 2500k, or maybe a i7 2600k. If I upgrade my video card, I'll most likely get an EVGA GTX 670.

BUT, I have a question. My PC is running off an OEM at the moment. From what I've heard, if I were to get a new CPU and motherboard, I would have to get a new operating system as well. I've heard that an OEM is "connected" to the motherboard it is first installed on, and won't work with any other one. Is this true?

And while we're on this topic, if I need to get a new operating system, can I use the same hard drive I was using before? Or should I use a new hard drive?

Thanks for the help, and sorry for all the questions.
 
Hi,
I know that some OS installation product keys can be motherboard specific but can't say i've ever ran into a problem with it before. It should be noted that whenever I do a major hardware update I tend to re-format anyway to get rid of any redundant drivers etc. All you can do is try it, if it doesn't like that OS then worst case scenario you have to re-format. I would like to know the outcome of it though!
I would upgrade you're motherboard first, that way you have two overclock options: overclock CPU, overclock RAM. Also, OEM systems usually have annoying motherboards that have specific ram configurations or PCI compatibility.

Choose the motherboard you want and take it from there :)
 
Any particular reason why you want to upgrade? The 965 is a great chip and good overclocker, I have mine OC'd to 4.0 ghz. You have to use an aftermarket cooler though. Yes the operating system OEM license you have is tied to the motherboard you installed it on. On a few occasions it is possible to have it activated on a new motherboard all depends on how soft the person you speak to at microsoft is.

However, I would just upgrade the video card now and see how much better your system is. Also, get an aftermarket cooler for your cpu so you can overclock it. What case do you have?
 
Upgrade your video card. Something like a 7850 or 7870 or a 660 or 660 Ti would be a good upgrade.
 
johnb35 said:
Any particular reason why you want to upgrade? The 965 is a great chip and good overclocker, I have mine OC'd to 4.0 ghz. You have to use an aftermarket cooler though. Yes the operating system OEM license you have is tied to the motherboard you installed it on. On a few occasions it is possible to have it activated on a new motherboard all depends on how soft the person you speak to at microsoft is.

However, I would just upgrade the video card now and see how much better your system is. Also, get an aftermarket cooler for your cpu so you can overclock it. What case do you have?
Click to expand...

I have an aftermarket cooler (hyper 212+). And the case I have is an NZXT phantom. How high would you think is safe to OC it to?
 
Every board is different but I would say 4.0 or so. I've heard some got it to 4.2 stable.
 
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