Question Motherboard upgrade confusion

[Merge.-]

How to avoid issues when upgrading my build?

Tomorrow I'm planning to upgrade from my old B450 Tomahawk Max and a 5800x to a B650 Aorus Elite AX V2 with a new 9800x3D, so I've spent some time reading older posts on the forum about changing to a new motherboard and it's clear I should do a clean install of windows and format my current SSD (to my knowledge there's no personal files I value on it so that shouldn't be an issue)

The confusion comes with what I need to download on my USB drive and in what order? I have downloaded the media creation tool to it as so many posts have advised but do I not also have to download the relevant bios updates and drivers? Or is that done after the windows install? Really don't want to mess this part up because once I have swapped the parts over I don't have an easy way to install anything to the USB drive as I don't have another pc to hand . I also have some concern on whether I actually need to format my SSD before installing it on my new board or (what I imagine) the Microsoft media creation tool I downloaded will automatically clear the drive when I choose to boot with it from bios leaving me without the need to do so.

I do have experience changing pretty much every component at least once over the 4-5 years since initially building my pc excluding the motherboard, mostly following video or written guidance but the bios and windows stuff is kind of throwing me so all help is appreciated, thanks!

 

[triplex1]

How to avoid issues when upgrading my build?

Tomorrow I'm planning to upgrade from my old B450 Tomahawk Max and a 5800x to a B650 Aorus Elite AX V2 with a new 9800x3D, so I've spent some time reading older posts on the forum about changing to a new motherboard and it's clear I should do a clean install of windows and format my current SSD (to my knowledge there's no personal files I value on it so that shouldn't be an issue)

The confusion comes with what I need to download on my USB drive and in what order? I have downloaded the media creation tool to it as so many posts have advised but do I not also have to download the relevant bios updates and drivers? Or is that done after the windows install? Really don't want to mess this part up because once I have swapped the parts over I don't have an easy way to install anything to the USB drive as I don't have another pc to hand . I also have some concern on whether I actually need to format my SSD before installing it on my new board or (what I imagine) the Microsoft media creation tool I downloaded will automatically clear the drive when I choose to boot with it from bios leaving me without the need to do so.

I do have experience changing pretty much every component at least once over the 4-5 years since initially building my pc excluding the motherboard, mostly following video or written guidance but the bios and windows stuff is kind of throwing me so all help is appreciated, thanks!

Download the latest iso of Windows 11 (24H2) and burn with Rufus

 

[USAFRet]

For the new OS install, follow whichever one is relevant for your OS:

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

How To - Windows 11 clean install tutorial

Windows 11 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows 11, version 23H2 or newer but can be equally applied to earlier versions which may have some basic differences in the screens you see but will largely remain similar in...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Download the latest iso of Windows 11 (24H2) and burn with Rufus

Easier easy just download the windows 11 media creation tool and insert the USB. It will walk you through it and do it’s thing.

 

[triplex1]

Easier easy just download the windows 11 media creation tool and insert the USB. It will walk you through it and do it’s thing.

That's right, always do what Microsoft says.

 

[Lafong]

(to my knowledge there's no personal files I value on it so that shouldn't be an issue)

What about browser bookmarks?

Any email kept on your hard drive?

Up to you to know your passwords...wherever they may be.

The confusion comes with what I need to download on my USB drive and in what order? I have downloaded the media creation tool to it as so many posts have advised but do I not also have to download the relevant bios updates and drivers? Or is that done after the windows install? Really don't want to mess this part up because once I have swapped the parts over I don't have an easy way to install anything to the USB drive as I don't have another pc to hand . I also have some concern on whether I actually need to format my SSD before installing it on my new board or (what I imagine) the Microsoft media creation tool I downloaded will automatically clear the drive when I choose to boot with it from bios leaving me without the need to do so.

I wouldn't get bogged down in the order of operations too much. You could update the BIOS immediately even without a CPU if you thought it necessary...if your motherboard supports that.

Before assembling, I'd go to the motherboard manufacturer's web site and download at least the latest chipset driver and Ethernet driver. You could grab the newest BIOS if you want, but I wouldn't necessarily install it. There's probably a lot of stuff available for download that you do NOT need at all.

Windows should install an Ethernet driver, but I'd get the one on the web site in case that fails.

Personally...I'd be most concerned about "is any of my new hardware DOA".

Get into the BIOS immediately and graze around and look for anomalies or anything that raises your eyebrows. Temperatures, RAM amount and speed, fan controls, etc.

You don't need to do anything to your SSD in advance of the installation attempt. When you boot from the USB Windows installer (with ONE I SAY ONE drive connected), you will immediately be shown that ONE drive and all of its partitions. Delete ALL of them manually, leaving nothing but "unallocated space" and continue. The installer will create new partitions as necessary.

 

[USAFRet]

That's right, always do what Microsoft says.

Its still the same OS install.
Just a trivially different way of installing it.