Upgrading Motherboard and CPU

[xMrPoi]

I currently have an 'off the shelf' pc with an upgraded gpu and psu. I upgraded to the Sapphire 7870 and a 650 watt power supply. This is the current motherboard in there (link) and this is the processor (link). I wanted to upgrade both my CPU and motherboard for Christmas. I was thinking about this cpu and this motherboard as there's currently a combo going on for them.

I was wondering if I would have to do anything other than just put the parts in. Would I have to re-install windows, drivers, etc? Wanting to know before I go blow $240 on a few parts to see I need to buy windows. I was also planning on using the same RAM that is in there. Will I be able to do that?

Here's a picture of my computer so you can get a feel for how big (or small) it is.

I understand the cable management isn't the best but I feel pretty proud of it being that installing the power supply and graphics card was my first hands on experience with upgrading / building a computer. If someone could also help pick out a heatsink that would fit in my case, that'd be great.

Main usages of computer: Gaming, running a pretty popular minecraft server, streaming, watching videos, having a lot of programs open :3, recording, internet usage.

Thanks for reading and I hope you can help

 

[Guest]

I was thinking about this cpu and this motherboard as there's currently a combo going on for them.

For the same price, an AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core would be a much better option than getting an AMD A10-6800K.

If you decide to go for the FX-8320 you're gonna have to find a new motherboard.
The one you linked only supports APU which is like a CPU and a GPU combined.

Would I have to re-install windows, drivers, etc?

Yes you would probably have to install drivers for the motherboard and CPU.

Also, some people recommend re-installing Windows after getting a new motherboard to avoid issues.
However, I've never done it and my build always worked properly.

I was also planning on using the same RAM that is in there. Will I be able to do that?

I checked and they're compatible with your new motherboard so you shouldn't have any problems re-using them.

If someone could also help pick out a heatsink that would fit in my case, that'd be great.

I would go with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, it's a great cooler for the price.

 

[xMrPoi]

For the same price, an AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core would be a much better option than getting an AMD A10-6800K.

Ok I see that is has 8 cores but it's stock clocked at 3.5 GHz which is 0.6 less than the other. Will the 8 cores be better than 4.1 GHz?

If you decide to go for the FX-8320 you're gonna have to find a new motherboard.

Is there any motherboard that you know is nice and reliable?

I checked and they're compatible with your new motherboard so you shouldn't have any problems re-using them.

Alright is it also compatible with the motherboard for the new cpu?

I would go with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, it's a great cooler for the price.

Looks like a pretty nice heatsink. Hopefully I'll get it, thanks

 

[Guest]

Ok I see that is has 8 cores but it's stock clocked at 3.5 GHz which is 0.6 less than the other. Will the 8 cores be better than 4.1 GHz?

Performance wise, the FX-8320 crushes the A10-6800K.
Proof : http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html (The higher the better)

Is there any motherboard that you know is nice and reliable?

MSI and Asus make pretty good motherboards.
If you don't plan on overclocking, any MSI or Asus motherboard will do as long you make sure your CPU and memory is compatible with it.
You should also make sure it has enough memory slots and 3 pin connectors for the fans.

Alright is it also compatible with the motherboard for the new cpu?

It will if the motherboard is DDR3 compatible.

Here are the parts i would choose : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2mZY0
My motherboard is an older version of this one and it still works great after 2 years.