Is it worth upgrading my machine just to get Windows 10?

[HDN]

I waited almost a year for Windows 10 to mature before trying to decide whether or not to upgrade my Windows 7 Home 64-bit OS. I mainly use my desktop computer for gaming, and I am attracted by the potential performance gains by just upgrading to Windows 10. I feel that the main thing holding me back from the free upgrade right now is my hardware.

So here's my current system:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (3.8 GHz OC)
Cryorig H7 Air-Cooled Heatsink
Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2P Micro ATX Motherboard
MSI GTX760 Twin Frozr OC
G.SKILL Ripjaws 2x 4 GB DDR3 RAM
OCZ 600W PSU
Windows 7 Home 64-bit

With my Windows 7 OEM installation, I know that if I took advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 and decide to upgrade my CPU and motherboard later (I plan on switching to an Intel CPU), just switching the motherboard will invalidate my Windows 10 installation and I will have to purchase a new Windows 10 license.

At the same time, if I get a new, more-capable ATX motherboard within the next couple weeks, I won't be breaking the bank as much and it could allow me to get some extra use out of my old Phenom II by potentially allowing a 4+ GHz overclock (for those wondering, I was thinking of this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128651&cm_re=970_AM3%20-_-13-128-651-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3821802&SID=iq6u1uvz8s000a1700053).

So is it worth the money and trouble of making some hardware upgrades just for the free Windows 10 upgrade, or should I save up some money and just upgrade to the Intel chip I want later, and just purchase a Windows 10 license later? Will Windows 10 help me now with my current hardware set up? Or should I just stick with Windows 7 until Microsoft pulls support for it?

 

[Wayfall]

Nope

(Just my opinion)

 

[CountMike]

Your hardware is not holding you down from using W10, it will work just fine with it. You need not upgrade any parts just for the W10 sake.

 

[johnbl]

I would do the upgrade, put it on on a second solid state drive. Later see if you can transfer it to the new machine by using Microsoft phone activation because of the motherboard upgrade. Currently, they just check to make sure your old key was not banned and give you a new key. They really do want you to stop using old versions of Windows and go to windows 10.

 

[LukeFatwalker]

Pretty much from Windows 7 onwards, the OS' have had the same impact on performance. You should be able to run it with no issues.

As for whether you should, I'd say go for it. Just understand the restrictions of the OS and compensate for it. Many articles online as to what's wrong with Win 10 lol. It's all clickbait in my opinion, everything has a workaround.

 

[HDN]

I know my hardware can handle Windows 10 with the proper drivers. I'm just weighing whether or not I should perform a motherboard and/or CPU upgrade now before taking advantage of the free upgrade especially if I risk invalidating my Windows 10 OS in the process. But it sounds like there's a workaround dealing with a license invalidated by a motherboard change.

The copy of Windows 7 I currently have is off an OEM disk I purchased from TigerDirect back in 2010.

 

[Akhil10]

No, it's not worth it. In my opinion Windows 7 is way better than Windows 10 in a lot of ways. Windows 10 has a lot of spyware and privacy breaches that they somehow get the user to accept without clearly knowing. Also Windows 10 in my opinion is a lot more closed of an OS system than Windows 7. It does not work properly with a lot of software. I had an face detection app that did not work because of windows 10 not being compatible with it. The only reason I see someone upgrading to it is for Directx12. It does effect gaming, but not to an extent where I think you should by new upgrades for your PC. Boot times are also effected but you can achieve similar boot times with windows 8 which has a lot less spyware.

 

[wpgwpg]

I've had Windows 7 on my main desktop for the last 3 years and Windows 10 on my laptop for the last 7 months. There's nothing wrong with either one, but if "it ain't broke, don't fix it". I see no compelling reason to upgrade to 10, 7 is supported for another 3.5 years.

 

[HDN]

I did a little research and found that some users who replaced a motherboard in their Windows 10 machine were able to call tech support and got their license reactivated. Has anyone here had experience with that? It seems like a crap shoot with CSRs.

 

[johnbl]

yep, i have done that. only took a few minutes and the second i mentioned I had to replace the motherboard they jumped to asking me the old key and gave me a new one. They did not seem to care as to why I replaced the motherboard.
just checked the old key and make sure I wrote down the new key correctly. I think they wanted me to type it in at the time but I was not at my computer.

I did a little research and found that some users who replaced a motherboard in their Windows 10 machine were able to call tech support and got their license reactivated. Has anyone here had experience with that? It seems like a crap shoot with CSRs.