Major pc upgrade help?

m1k3ypwns · 25th March 2010, 1:18 PM

planning to upgrade to i7, which means new cpu/mobo and ram, i figured while im at it, new gpu, so an ati 5850

now, when i upgrade ill be using the same hdd's so will i need to reformat or anything due to the change from nvidia to ati,

James086 · 25th March 2010, 2:45 PM

No, you won't need to change your hard drives but you will need new drivers and graphics card software (Catalyst for ATI cards). A graphics card usually comes with a cd that has these in the box though.

Frontl1ne · 25th March 2010, 3:02 PM

I would've thought changing CPU and mobo would require a reformat.

Reformatting is not necessary if you're swapping from nvidia to ati or vice versa, but I would recommend it 'cause if you don't remove the old drivers properly, it will cause many problems for you.

chainbolt · 25th March 2010, 5:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m1k3ypwns

planning to upgrade to i7, which means new cpu/mobo and ram, i figured while im at it, new gpu, so an ati 5850

now, when i upgrade ill be using the same hdd's so will i need to reformat or anything due to the change from nvidia to ati,

Not at all. You should do that only if you change between chipsets. By the way, if you really upgrade I would consider looking for a SSD as well.

MR CHILLED · 25th March 2010, 8:53 PM

You might get away with it, buty with such a major upgrade, especially including a motherboard I personally would definitely be doing a fresh install.

m1k3ypwns · 25th March 2010, 9:32 PM

so if just upgrading a gpu, would i uninstall nvidia drivers, then put in new ati card, then install ati drivers?

MR CHILLED · 25th March 2010, 9:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m1k3ypwns

so if just upgrading a gpu, would i uninstall nvidia drivers, then put in new ati card, then install ati drivers?

Yes, absolutely, should be as straight forward as that.

AFireInside · 25th March 2010, 11:33 PM

As others have said graphics card won't require a format if you wemove the old drivers first, a motherboard swap cerainly will though.

25th March 2010, 1:18 PM	#1
m1k3ypwns Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 79	Major pc upgrade help? planning to upgrade to i7, which means new cpu/mobo and ram, i figured while im at it, new gpu, so an ati 5850 now, when i upgrade ill be using the same hdd's so will i need to reformat or anything due to the change from nvidia to ati,

25th March 2010, 3:02 PM	#3
Frontl1ne Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Perth Posts: 3,485	I would've thought changing CPU and mobo would require a reformat. Reformatting is not necessary if you're swapping from nvidia to ati or vice versa, but I would recommend it 'cause if you don't remove the old drivers properly, it will cause many problems for you. __________________ Phenom II X6 1100T :: GA-790FXTA-UD5 :: G.Skill 8GB DDR3 NZXT Phantom 820 :: XFX HD7950 :: Crucial m4 128GB :: Corsair AX860i

25th March 2010, 8:53 PM	#5
MR CHILLED D'oh! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Keep it up! :D Posts: 90,091	You might get away with it, buty with such a major upgrade, especially including a motherboard I personally would definitely be doing a fresh install. __________________ Co2 is weightless apparently. Be careful what you vote for. Howard on the economy: ''When the Prime Minister and the Treasurer and others tell you that the Australian economy is doing better than most – they are right,'' Asked how cash payments of baby bonus and school bonus are any different, Opposition Leader tony abbott says 'well look, they just are.'

25th March 2010, 11:33 PM	#8
AFireInside Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Melbourne Posts: 564	As others have said graphics card won't require a format if you wemove the old drivers first, a motherboard swap cerainly will though. __________________ ll i7 2600K ll Noctua NH-C12P SE2 ll ASUS P8Z77-i Deluxe ll OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS 120GB ll Samsung 840 500GB x2 ll 16GB G.skill Ares 1600Mhz ll eVGA GTX 680 4GB FTW+ ll Silverstone SG08 ll Logitech G700, G710+ and G930 ll Audioengine 5 ll

25th March 2010, 9:32 PM	#6
m1k3ypwns Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 79	so if just upgrading a gpu, would i uninstall nvidia drivers, then put in new ati card, then install ati drivers?