Question Options for moving primary hard drive to new system

[john_t_03]

I've been using an HP 8470w laptop as my primary work computer since 2012 (yes, for 11 years now). This laptop is built like a tank and it has a capable processor and a Firepro m2000 graphics card. I have not moved to a newer system, because of perpetual software licenses that I would not be able to reactivate in a fresh install.

I had already cloned the original HD to an SSD . When the original graphics card died, I moved this drive to an exactly identical new laptop (same exact MB, processor, etc.) without any issues. I want to be ready for the next failure, but it is now getting harder to find the same exact laptop on Ebay. My question: if the new laptop is not identical to the existing, at what point am I likely to have problems? Which component is the most crucial to keep identical, the motherboard? the processor?

 

[USAFRet]

Unless the new system is identical , this is unlikely to work.

Especially coming from an 11 year old laptop into anything new and relevant.

If you can, please tell us what this licensed software is?

 

[john_t_03]

Unless the new system is identical , this is unlikely to work.

Especially coming from an 11 year old laptop into anything new and relevant.

If you can, please tell us what this licensed software is?

Various stand-alone drafting and modeling software that I had purchased from Windows 7 era - running fine under the Windows 10 upgrade. All of these are now subscription-based and they are not "supporting" old perpetual software re-activations. I am just trying to delay the inevitable.

 

[USAFRet]

Various stand-alone drafting and modeling software that I had purchased from Windows 7 era - running fine under the Windows 10 upgrade. All of these are now subscription-based and they are not "supporting" old perpetual software re-activations. I am just trying to delay the inevitable.

The inevitable is quickly rushing up behind you.

As it is, you're running on decade old hardware.
With my photo/video/CAD applications, the difference between my 2012 system and my current one is eyeopening.

But yes, that performance does come at a cost.