Question [Q] Swapping parts between systems.

[z_3]

So, I have a HP Elite 8200 (?) SFF pc with an i7-3770, 16gb of ddr3, a GTX 1050 3gb low profile, 3tb HDD, and a 512gb SSD, but due to it being SFF its proprietary 240w PSU and obviously space issues for card length and for heat.

I was wondering if I was to buy a Dell Optiplex 7010 MT, which has an i5-3470, 8gb ddr3, 500gb hdd,and 275w psu.

I would swap my i7 for its i5, my 16gb for its 8gb,my 1050 3gb lp into its empty pcie slot and my 3tb and 512gb drives for its 500gb drive.

This would in theory leave me with my pc in a normal case so heating would be less of an issue, and i would have more upgrade paths (psu and gpu) for the future, and let my family have the i5,8gb,500gb hdd in my sff case.

Just wondering if there would be any issues in doing this (Compatibility,booting, data loss,etc)

 

[AllanGH]

No idea about the memory and μP support, but you're going to run into problems booting from your original OS drive, without doing a full re-install of windows-whatever on it.

 

[USAFRet]

The OS and its drive needs to stay with its original motherboard. You'll have major issues otherwise.

 

[z_3]

The OS and its drive needs to stay with its original motherboard. You'll have major issues otherwise.

Would it be easier if i spent a few extra dollars on one which has an ssd already as boot drive (mine had an ssd as bootdrive as well) and just swapped the secondary drives so i could have my main storage, without having to mess around with reinstalling windows?

 

[AllanGH]

It would make your life a lot easier.

 

[z_3]

It would make your life a lot easier.

What about putting my os from my ssd onto my hdd, taking my ssd and putting into other pc and swap from the pcs hdd to my ssd, making my ssd the boot drive for my new tower, and then once again migrate os' from my hdd to the hdd which came with the other tower, in my mind that would let me completely swap my 3tb hdd and 512gb ssd for its 500gb hdd, while each systems os with it instead of having to reinstall windows and whatever.

 

[jsmithepa]

Anytime you do a major hardware change, CPU, Mobo, u basically have to re-install OS from clean.

If you Google hard enough, u will find some who say you don't have to, but do ask them for their cell# and call them if it doesn't work.

 

[AllanGH]

What about putting my os from my ssd onto my hdd, taking my ssd and putting into other pc and swap from the pcs hdd to my ssd, making my ssd the boot drive for my new tower, and then once again migrate os' from my hdd to the hdd which came with the other tower, in my mind that would let me completely swap my 3tb hdd and 512gb ssd for its 500gb hdd, while each systems os with it instead of having to reinstall windows and whatever.

I stopped reading at the part where you didn't say, "OK".

You are just begging for more problems, and more postings, here, asking for help when it blows-up on you.

Just buy the system with an SSD and the OS preinstalled.

 

[z_3]

I stopped reading at the part where you didn't say, "OK".

You are just begging for more problems, and more postings, here, asking for help when it blows-up on you.

Just buy the system with an SSD and the OS preinstalled.

So to save all the bs, itd just be better to buy a tower with an os already installed on an ssd, leave the boot drives for each computer alone, and just swap the core components i want to? (cpu,ram,gpu,3tb drive)

 

[USAFRet]

What about putting my os from my ssd onto my hdd, taking my ssd and putting into other pc and swap from the pcs hdd to my ssd, making my ssd the boot drive for my new tower, and then once again migrate os' from my hdd to the hdd which came with the other tower, in my mind that would let me completely swap my 3tb hdd and 512gb ssd for its 500gb hdd, while each systems os with it instead of having to reinstall windows and whatever.

Again, the OS, on whatever drive, needs to stay with its original motherboard.
You can swap back and forth between drives in that same system.

There is a relatively easy way to do this:
Find a drive with sufficient free space to hold the contents of both OS drives, the HP and the Dell.
Macrium Reflect, and make an Image of each OS drive, saving them on this single large HDD. An Image, not an actual clone.
You also create a Macrium Rescue CD or USB. You'll use this to boot from later.

So...you have a Macrium Rescue USB, and a single HDD with an Image of both drives. Name them HPImage.mrimage, and DellImage.mrimage

Then, swap the physical drives around as desired.
Connect the large HDD from earlier.
Have only the desired target OS drive and the large HDD connected.

Then, in the HP, you boot from the Macrium RescueUSB
Tell it what Image to apply, and which drive to apply it to.
Assuming you did this correctly, the HP has its original OS, on whatever drive you want it on.

Take that large HDD out, and put it in the Dell system. Along with whatever physical drive you want the Dell OS on.
Repeat the process.
Assuming you also did this correctly, you now have the Dell OS, in the Dell ssystem, on whichever drive you desired.

 

[AllanGH]

So to save all the bs, itd just be better to buy a tower with an os already installed on an ssd, leave the boot drives for each computer alone, and just swap the core components i want to? (cpu,ram,gpu,3tb drive)

Like I said.....it will make YOUR life easier, in the long run.

 

[USAFRet]

So to save all the bs, itd just be better to buy a tower with an os already installed on an ssd, leave the boot drives for each computer alone, and just swap the core components i want to? (cpu,ram,gpu,3tb drive)

Yes.
CPU, assuming that swap can be made.