Couple Upgrade questions

[Dasffion]

I'm thinking about upgrading my CPU and possibly my hard drive. My first question is how do I tell if my RAM will be compatible with my new Mobo? Do most cards have specs written on the side? I'd rather not buy new RAM right now if I don't have to. Second question is will I have to reinstall all my programs on to the new hard drive or is there an easy way to transfer everything?

EDIT: Also is an aftermarket cooler really necessary if I don't care about overclocking? I don't know how to OC and probably won't bother. Upgrading from my AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz will be good enough for me.

[chazus]

I would fill out the Upgrade Sticky, so we know what exactly you're doing. usually people overclock because it's so easy now, and if you're upgrading.. you usually want the best bang for the buck.

What do you have now, system wise? Do you know what CPU or motherboard?

[procne]

1. You don't need aftermarket cooler if you are not overclocking.
2. As for RAM being compatible - currently all new Mobos are compatible with DDR3 RAM. But there is also problem of voltage - afaik Intel CPUs are compatible with 1.5V RAM. There is also a matter of RAM's size (height). If you have aftermarket cooler it may sometimes cover your RAM and big RAM sticks may either not fit under it, or be problematic in taking out / putting in. But most likely your old RAM should be fine, as long as it's DDR3.
3. There are some apps which are capable of making an image of your system with all the apps, and then restore it after you reinstall system. One of such apps is Norton Ghost. I'm sure there are couple more.
4. Even if you are not planning to OC now, it would pay off to buy sliughtly more expensive CPU and Mobo, giving you the option to OC later. Then, if you decide you want more power from your CPU you can simply buy aftermarket cooler and overclock for up to 20-30% more performance.
5. I'm not sure what cards and specs you talk about. Video cards? They usually don't have specs written on them, but it's easy to check it on manufacturer's page.

[Dasffion]

I would fill out the Upgrade Sticky, so we know what exactly you're doing. usually people overclock because it's so easy now, and if you're upgrading.. you usually want the best bang for the buck.

What do you have now, system wise? Do you know what CPU or motherboard?

Here's my current computer except I've upgraded the video card to a 6770, the PSU to a 600w gold rated PSU and added 4gb more ram.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...307&CatId=4928

I'm going to reuse the PSU, GPU (for now), the CD drive and hopefully the RAM.

Parts list

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $519.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-09 14:46 EDT-0400)

Going to reuse the PSU, GPU (for now) and hopefully RAM

I don't think i have my Windows 7 discs, I guess I'm probably going to need a new copy of that as well?

[chazus]

your old ram will definitely work. You can download a new ISO/CD from digital river for free (Its the license that costs the money, not the CD/DVD)

[Dasffion]

You can download a new ISO/CD from digital river for free (Its the license that costs the money, not the CD/DVD)

Is this in reference to the Windows 7? How do I transfer the license from one HDD to the other? would be nice if I could save that $80.

EDIT: Been reading a bit about this and it seems that Windows licenses are tied to the Mobo and not the HDD, also that if it's an OEM license, which I'm assuming mine is since it came preinstalled, i won't be able to transfer it.

[chazus]

It... is and isnt? Legally it is, but it's not -really-. As long as you aren't using the license on two computers, it's fine. I imagine you're going to just sell the old board/cpu.

There -should- be a sticker, or SOME reference to your windows license. Either a slip of paper, sticker, or some reference. If you can't find it, I'd contact tigerdirect.

Technically, you can recover it from the system itself if the sticker is missing, but sometimes they use 'Volume License' for prebuilt systems, where the key on your system doesn't match the actual sticker. That's why I don't normally recommend it.

[Dasffion]

Well it's worth a shot. Thanks.

One last question, I might just go ahead and upgrade my GPU while I'm at it. I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on it though, I saw you suggest a GTX 660 in another thread, I'm not too familiar with Nvidia cards, haven't used one in many a year. Would that be a significant improvement over my 6770 and is this a good manufacturer?

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)

EDIT: I should clarify on not wanting to spend a whole lot of money. I definitely don't want to spend over 200, I would prefer around 150 but I don't mind getting close to 200 for a good card.

This is another one I was looking at Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($139.65 @ Newegg)