Build Advice Upgrading cpu and motherboard

[Turtlehunter5778]

im upgrading from a i7 6700k, z170 and ddr3 to a ryzen 7600, B650M and ddr5 ram

anything i should do before removing my old parts from my pc, also is a reinstall of everything needed windows, games format drives etc

do i need a new ssd? first time doing this so any help would be great,

 

[DaleH]

im upgrading from a i7 6700k, z170 and ddr3 to a ryzen 7600, B650M and ddr5 ram

anything i should do before removing my old parts from my pc, also is a reinstall of everything needed windows, games format drives etc

do i need a new ssd? first time doing this so any help would be great,

New hardware = new software installation. Backup your disks.

 

[Lafong]

New install of Windows and all applications is highly recommended.

All the more so because you are going from Intel to AMD.

Save what you need to save from the drive...personal data, bookmarks, email.

You don't need a new drive.

 

[pete_101]

Personally, I would by a new NVMe (M.2) drive and install Windows and other program files on it first, then move your old SSD across.....assuming it's not also a M.2 drive, in which case make sure you have 2 drive slots.

A clean install of the OS can save a lot of issues you might otherwise run into, plus modern NVMe drives are cheap and so much faster than old SSD drives.

 

[USAFRet]

im upgrading from a i7 6700k, z170 and ddr3 to a ryzen 7600, B650M and ddr5 ram

anything i should do before removing my old parts from my pc, also is a reinstall of everything needed windows, games format drives etc

do i need a new ssd? first time doing this so any help would be great,

What are all the parts you're keeping?

Yes, you will need to do a full OS reinstall on some drive in this new PC.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

New install of Windows and all applications is highly recommended.

All the more so because you are going from Intel to AMD.

Save what you need to save from the drive...personal data, bookmarks, email.

You don't need a new drive.

alright should i wipe all my drives before i start taking parts off and replacing or after ?

 

[USAFRet]

alright should i wipe all my drives before i start taking parts off and replacing or after ?

No.

During the OS install, you'll have only ONE drive connected.
You can delete all partitions on it as you do the OS install.

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

 

[Lafong]

alright should i wipe all my drives before i start taking parts off and replacing or after ?

Copy whatever you want to keep permanently first....maybe to an external drive.

You don't have to manually "wipe" drives.

Make the "Media Creation Tool" installer on a USB flash drive of at least 8 GB capacity.

Disconnect ALL drives OTHER THAN the one to receive Windows.

Boot from the installer.

One of the first screens you see should show you all partitions on that drive. Delete them ALL. Leaving just "unallocated space".

Continue following the prompts. Windows will make new partitions as it sees fit on the drive.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

What are all the parts you're keeping?

Yes, you will need to do a full OS reinstall on some drive in this new PC.

the psu, two ssd and one hdd, and my gpu 3070ti

 

[USAFRet]

the psu, two ssd and one hdd, and my gpu 3070ti

I meant...in detail.
Make/ model of drives and PSU

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

I meant...in detail.
Make/ model of drives and PSU

kingston 120gb sata ssd
western digital 1tb hdd
western digital 1tb nvme

rtx 3070ti amp holo 8gb

psu corsair rm850w

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

No.

During the OS install, you'll have only ONE drive connected.
You can delete all partitions on it as you do the OS install.

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

ok so the first time i boot the new pc i should only have 1 drive installed ?

 

[Lafong]

ok so the first time i boot the new pc i should only have 1 drive installed ?

You boot from the flash drive by choosing the flash drive from the boot menu, which is accessible with a particular key. Most likely an F key. Varies by motherboard.

When you first attempt to install Windows, you should have only 1 drive connected.

That might be the 120 gb SSD.

That might be the 1 tb NVMe.

That might be the 1 tb HDD.

It's up to you to decide which.

Normally, you'd want Windows on the fastest drive....an SSD of some type.

You would know better than anyone if the 120 gb SSD is large enough. Most would frown, but it's entirely possible 120 gb is enough. You are the authority on your personal capacity requirements. Windows takes up less than 30 gb. Your applications take up some unknown amount.

You might keep data on the 1 tb NVMe. Or everything on the 1 tb NVMe. Maybe use the 1 tb HDD as a backup destination.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

You boot from the flash drive by choosing the flash drive from the boot menu, which is accessible with a particular key. Most likely an F key. Varies by motherboard.

When you first attempt to install Windows, you should have only 1 drive connected.

That might be the 120 gb SSD.

That might be the 1 tb NVMe.

That might be the 1 tb HDD.

It's up to you to decide which.

Normally, you'd want Windows on the fastest drive....an SSD of some type.

You would know better than anyone if the 120 gb SSD is large enough. Most would frown, but it's entirely possible 120 gb is enough. You are the authority on your personal capacity requirements. Windows takes up less than 30 gb. Your applications take up some unknown amount.

You might keep data on the 1 tb NVMe. Or everything on the 1 tb NVMe. Maybe use the 1 tb HDD as a backup destination.

i have been using the 120gb ssd for my os for about 6 -7 years, i have nothing on that drive use my other 2 drives for pretty much everything i think il just do the same.

also i wouldnt need to buy another windows key right ?

 

[Lafong]

i have been using the 120gb ssd for my os for about 6 -7 years, i have nothing on that drive use my other 2 drives for pretty much everything i think il just do the same.

also i wouldnt need to buy another windows key right ?

Assuming your current key is valid and was activated on the previous PC, then no, you should not have to buy another.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

Assuming your current key is valid and was activated on the previous PC, then no, you should not have to buy another.

ye i have windows activated on this pc would i just need to sign in to my microsoft account or i need to find out what my current key is somehow?

One of the first screens you see should show you all partitions on that drive. Delete them ALL. Leaving just "unallocated space".

Continue following the prompts. Windows will make new partitions as it sees fit on the drive.

would this be for all 3 drives or just the drive which is used for os

sorry for all the questions

 

[Lafong]

If your existing key is valid and the previous installation was activated, your key is already on Microsoft's activation servers. You shouldn't need to know what it is.

If you cannot install or activate for whatever reason, you may be forced to interact with Microsoft by keyboard or phone and they might ask you for the key. So it is best to be able to give it if asked.

"would this be for all 3 drives or just the drive which is used for os"..........Since you would only have 1 drive connected, Windows will have no knowledge whatsoever about the other 2 drives.....until you reconnect them after the Windows installation is complete.

When reconnected, I would expect them to be as before, with drive letters other than C.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

If your existing key is valid and the previous installation was activated, your key is already on Microsoft's activation servers. You shouldn't need to know what it is.

If you cannot install or activate for whatever reason, you may be forced to interact with Microsoft by keyboard or phone and they might ask you for the key. So it is best to be able to give it if asked.

"would this be for all 3 drives or just the drive which is used for os"..........Since you would only have 1 drive connected, Windows will have no knowledge whatsoever about the other 2 drives.....until you reconnect them after the Windows installation is complete.

When reconnected, I would expect them to be as before, with drive letters other than C.

ok so just to make sure

i back up all my personal data from all 3 drives from my current build to a external device, also il uninstall all games from steam etc

i try find out my current windows key just in case

put together the new build with 1 of 3 drives installed and usb with windows media creation tool

boot from the flash drive and fresh install of windows and after that i can install my other drives

 

[Lafong]

ok so just to make sure

i back up all my personal data from all 3 drives from my current build to a external device, also il uninstall all games from steam etc

i try find out my current windows key just in case

put together the new build with 1 of 3 drives installed and usb with windows media creation tool

boot from the flash drive and fresh install of windows and after that i can install my other drives

You need to find out what key you need to use to access the boot menu so you can boot from that USB installer.

I would try to boot from the installer as soon as I made it. If you cannot boot from it, it is useless and you won't be able to install.

The boot menu can be difficult to access. Try holding down the correct key when you start the PC with the USB drive attached.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

You need to find out what key you need to use to access the boot menu so you can boot from that USB installer.

I would try to boot from the installer as soon as I made it. If you cannot boot from it, it is useless and you won't be able to install.

The boot menu can be difficult to access. Try holding down the correct key when you start the PC with the USB drive attached.

alright got it and you said the specific key is different depending on motherboard il try find out what it is for gigabyte b650m ds3h

 

[Lafong]

alright got it and you said the specific key is different depending on motherboard il try find out what it is for gigabyte b650m ds3h

Gigabyte might be the "delete" key. Not sure.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

Gigabyte might be the "delete" key. Not sure.

this is a pdf from the boards manual

<DEL>: BIOS SETUP\Q-FLASH
Press the <Delete> key to enter BIOS Setup or to access the Q-Flash utility in BIOS Setup.
<F12>: BOOT MENU
Boot Menu allows you to set the first boot device without entering BIOS Setup. In Boot Menu, use the up
arrow key <h> or the down arrow key <i> to select the first boot device, then press <Enter> to accept.
The system will boot from the device immediately.
Note: The setting in Boot Menu is effective for one time only. After system restart, the device boot order
will still be based on BIOS Setup settings.
<END>: Q-FLASH
Press the <End> key to access the Q-Flash utility directly without having to enter BIOS Setup first.

 

[Lafong]

OK...........F12. It can be cranky. You may have to make several attempts to get the menu to come on the screen.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

OK...........F12. It can be cranky. You may have to make several attempts to get the menu to come on the screen.

Let us know how it goes.

il put the pc together tomorrow or friday il let you know how it goes and thanks for all the help

 

[Turtlehunter5778]

OK...........F12. It can be cranky. You may have to make several attempts to get the menu to come on the screen.

Let us know how it goes.

Had no issues with the boot all good and fresh install of windows is complete only thing is the two front fans on my new case fractal focus 2 are not spinning up rgb works though, i think i might have connected the fan cable on the wrong place on the motherboard going to check it out.

anything else i should do now that the fresh install in complete like download any drivers, updates and so on ?