How do i know if my motherboard is compatible with a different cpu

Solution
Wow, this went nuts. So the difference between the 4790 and 4790K is whether its unlocked or not. The 4790K will work, that said since the motherboard won't let you overclock it, why bother.

As for the warranty, the fact hes already opened it and changed the RAM and GPU, that thing is gone. OP, buy the processor if you want, you'll be fine.
CPU's come with sockets, such as 1150, 1151,2011 etc..check your motherboard specs to see if it supports those sockets. What motherboard are you getting?

For example. You see the socket sizes on these? they are both 1150.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($321.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($142.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $464.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 17:19 EDT-0400
 
You'll first need to know what motherboard you have.

If this is an store bought computer, the model on the outside should suffice. Otherwise you will have to open the case, the motherboard model and revision are usually screen-printed on the circuitboard, usually between the first few PCI slots.

After that you consult the manufacturer's website or the service manual to get a list of supported CPUs.
 
I forgot wat motherboard i have so i looked in the box to find a tag thing on the motherboard and i looked up the number and this is wat it said Lenovo Erazer X310 Intel Desktop Motherboard s115X. So this is my motherboard
 


This is the PC
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/erazer/x-series/x310/

 
Didn't it come with a manual so you know how much RAM it will handle and may also have the CPU's it is compatible with. Otherwise you probably should call Lenovo tech support and ask them if you can change the CPU to a i7 4790K. Of course opening up the unit and changing the CPU will probably void the warranty, unless it is done by a qualified Lenovo certified tech.
 
Wow, this went nuts. So the difference between the 4790 and 4790K is whether its unlocked or not. The 4790K will work, that said since the motherboard won't let you overclock it, why bother.

As for the warranty, the fact hes already opened it and changed the RAM and GPU, that thing is gone. OP, buy the processor if you want, you'll be fine.
 
Solution


The 4790k is also faster than the 4790 (4.0/4.4 GHz vs 3.6/4.0 GHz) . It's also slightly more expensive....