Hey all. Just a few quick questions.
[b]I'm going to upgrade from this:[/b]
Intel E7500 Wolfdale 2.93 GHz Dual core LGA 775 (cpu)
GIGABYTE EP43T-UD3L (mobo)
[b]To this:[/b]
Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (cpu)
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505[/url]
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 (mobo)
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545[/url]
Everything checks out ok with my system, and the mobo im going to buy. (if you know of any Z77 mobos that are cheaper, and have similar features, fire away)
1. Can I expect a "plug and play" situation when upgrading these 2 things? Is there anything special that has to be done besides installing it to make it work? (besides whatever software DVDs that come with it)
2. Is USB 3.0 backwards compatible? For example: Could I just my mouse (2.0) into a 3.0 plug, and ave it work?
3. Is PCI 3.0 backwards compatible? For example: Would my GTX 460 work on this board.
4. Also from a cost perspective, would this board be better? [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131823#top[/url]
Note: I don't have ANY devices that use SATA 3.0, USB 3.0, or PCI 3.0 (although i want it cause my card is getting old)
The more I think about it I think I'm leaning toward the cheaper mobo.. Let me know what you think.
I would go with something other than ASUS, their quality has gone down the toilet and many of their motherboards suffer from quite bizarre issues due to firmware and hardware bugs.
1. You need to completely reinstall Windows. Doing a motherboard and CPU swap will completely change the HAL and drivers and cause severe problems.
2. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, and technically USB 1.x, but YMMV on USB 1.x. Most modern boards (including that ASUS) have a mix of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports.
3. YMMV. There have been known instances of PCIe cards that use one PCIe spec not working on motherboards with a different PCIe spec (ie. 2.0 on 1.x, 1.x on 2.0 or 2.0 on 3.0, etc.) These instances are usually pretty rare though and generally motherboard specific.
4. It's the same motherboard you linked before the list.
In my experience, it's not a great idea to skimp on the motherboard, especially if you plan on having it a long time. As you dip below the $120 area, things become more dicey in terms of reliability and longevity of the board.
@Bohb: Are you sure that the P8Z77 is a bad board? I've heard great reviews of them, and it's by no means a budget MOBO.
Oh dear.. I just realized how bad I messed up. I posted the wrong board for what I'm considering.
Here it is, and updated OP.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545[/url]
This one seems to have a lot of "fluff" like usb power when the system isn't on, but it also had great reviews and seems pretty solid. I'm kinda concerned about saving money here, but if can't oh well.
1. Having to do a Windows re-install: Meh oh well, just did one recently after a hard drive crash so I don't have it built up to big
2. USB 3.0: So all my current stuff (mouse/keyboard etc.) will work.
3. PCI 3.0: So my PNY GTX 460 will work with the gigabyte board.
Here is my GPU: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133326[/url]
It has: [b]Interface PCI Express 2.0 x16[/b] This will be happy with the gigabyte board?
Note: Refer to the updated mobo link in the OP. Not considering the asus board atm. All gigabyte. The budget board posted later in the OP is still the budget board.
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