Upgrading possibly

T

TheNamelessPoet

Member
So I MIGHT have a dead motherboard. If so...

I am thinking about upgrading. Is it worth it. I have a Intel i5-4690K with an Asus Z97-Pro currently with old crappy ram. I assume (prob never a good idea) the processor is fine. If it is, should I just get another z970-Pro or upgrade to the new processors? If I don't I think I will get better Ram. I was thinking Corsair Vengeance Pro 32GB. Is it worth it, or should I just get a new processor and upgrade so I can go DDR4?
 
There isn't much difference between DDR4 and DDR3 and Haswell/Devils Canyon and Skylake. I would stick to Haswell. Try to RMA that board.
 
If you have the money, go Skylake but your current processor is pretty good. You'll probably have to pickup a new Windows key (use kinguin.net or g2a.com - get it with buyer protection).

I don't know how much RAM you use, but 16GB should be enough for the average user. If you liked your mobo, I'd say pull the trigger and go for it. There's still life left in that PC considering the CPU can be overclocked!
 
Out of curiosity, why would I need a new Windows key?

I have 12 currently (3x4gb) but it is very old. I don't have much money atm, so I am thinking of just going with a new Z97-Pro, if it comes to that. I have been reading up on 16 vs 32 GB ram, and for what I use, there seems to be no reason, so I may just stick with what I have or upgrade to faster speed at 16GB.
 
TheNamelessPoet said:
Out of curiosity, why would I need a new Windows key?
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If you're replacing the mobo with a new exact model then no.

If you plan on upgrading to a different mobo/cpu, then most likely yes. If your windows key is OEM, you can try calling Microsoft to activate, but expect to purchase a new Windows key.
 
Intel_man said:
If you're replacing the mobo with a new exact model then no.

If you plan on upgrading to a different mobo/cpu, then most likely yes. If your windows key is OEM, you can try calling Microsoft to activate, but expect to purchase a new Windows key.
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Yea, I am leaning towards getting the same one... but I can tell you this... If I had to buy a new key just because I changed my motherboard... it would be the last time I ever used windows lol. I have been swearing I was going to get rid of it... that would be the last straw, my wife would just have to deal with it... I wonder if you can get Kodi on Linux
 
TheNamelessPoet said:
If I had to buy a new key just because I changed my motherboard... it would be the last time I ever used windows lol.
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Depends on the Windows key you purchased.

OEM keys are tied to certain hardware (ie. mobo or cpu). Microsoft is not suppose to provide support for OEM keys because they're normally sold to manufacturers who have their own support department. So if change significant hardware, Windows think you bought a new computer, and the key should not work. You can try to call Microsoft's "activate on phone" line to see if you have any luck.

Retail keys aren't tied to anything. So long as only 1 computer is activated any time, you swap any hardware you like, buy a completely new computer if you want to, and you can move that key to the new computer. If activation doesn't work, Microsoft support is obligated to help you. (normally, they'll just give you a new retail key and deactivate the old one)

OEM keys are cheaper for a reason, Microsoft doesn't provide support for the product.
 
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