Steps/Pre-Cautions to upgrading PC?

[alecbtpage]

Hey everyone,

I am looking to upgrade my PC's Motherboard, RAM and CPU and want to know what steps I need to bear in mind. I have limited experience with PCs, although I have swapped PC cases, I am unsure what I need to do when swapping out the components above and don't want to do something wrong. Passing on my PC to a shop where they would do it just feels like a waste of money and time as I want to be able to do these things myself.

As far as I understand, I would need to reinstall Windows - though I don't know if I would lose software/files on my hard drive. If so, I can transfer some files to be safe. Plus, I do not have my Windows Key anymore, so I am unsure on how I would fix that dilemma. I gather just purchasing an OEM Key should do the trick, right?

If you care what I have and want to upgrade to, here are the components:

Current Build:

CPU: AMD FX-8370
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060-6GB
SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: Unknown GU512303EP020 GU502203EP020 11GB
MBD: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P

What I am planning on building

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060-6GB
SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3200 MHz
MBD: ASUS X470 PRIME X470-PRO

I hope someone will be able to help me out and an opinion on the parts would also be appreciated because my knowledge of PC components is very limited.

Thank you.

 

[bmockeg]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/find-windows-10-product-key-3632749/%3famp

Try that to locate your product key.
You will need to reinstall windows. Transfer the files you need to keep to an external or USB drive.

Your build looks ok, CPU is very high range with a mid tier GPU. You could balance it out with a 2600 and 1080.

What PSU do you have?

 

[alecbtpage]

Hey there, thank you for responding!

There is one thing I forgot to mention: I do not have a Windows 10 disc but a Windows 7 one - what exactly would I have to do in that case? Pop in Windows 7 and then upgrade after or can I borrow a disc from someone else?

The PSU I have is the Be Quiet BN274 600W which should be enough as I calculated the Wattage I need - unless I overlooked something. I am pretty sure that will suffice, but like I said - my PC knowledge is somewhat limited.

 

[bmockeg]

You will need to install Windows 10. You can make a USB installer from Microsoft's website and use your Windows 7 key