hey would this board MSI Z77A-G41 be a good choice to replace my old dell mobo with

[TonyB]

Here is a link to it on amazon mod i'm not selling this just looking for opinions http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KW62WA/?tag=tec06d-20

So i currently have the old gutted dell x51 motherboard and i'm looking for a new one i know the audio is not what i have now but is the basics of this board good, i'm looking for a replacement and a good one and this seem like a good price, its like new and looks ok to me, but i need honest opinions on it please i can't afford much and the price right. so have had it give me your opinions and i take it to heart thanks.

 

[Kursah]

You may also want to replace the PSU or swap some pins. I know at least on older Dell's, they used a different pin-out on their PSU's even though the plugs are generally the same as standard ATX PSU's.

What is your goal with this PC? Just to get it up and running? Are you using a different case? The same case?

I like MSI gear, I'm sure that board will be fine for most standard uses.

 

[TonyB]

Oh i already have it up and ruining just with the old Dell motherboard which i want to do a way with yes its all ready in a new case, just looking for a new motherboard to replace the dell mobo, so you think this mobo would be ok one of the reviews i read said the cpu socket is to close to the memory slots do you think it is for a heat sink wise. Alo will be using it for gaming do you think it would make for a good mobo?.

 

[Schmuckley]

I wouldn't trust that motherboard further than I could kick it with a 45-lb tied to it.
It's probably better than the one you're running for options,maybe notsomuch on sturdiness.
the G43 MSI model looks OK..maybe.
Are you overclocking? Why do you need a z77 board?

 

[TonyB]

i don't but it's a good price so figured why not at that price.

 

[Schmuckley]

You could get a solid h61 board that would be more reliable..possibly for cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=h61_motherboard-_-13-138-374-_-Product

See those "R60s" on the inductors? that means quality

 

[TonyB]

i see but no USB 3 which i need so how would i get that ?

 

[GorbazTheDragon]

Before anything else, what CPU are you running in that old board?

 

[TonyB]

Intel Core I7 3770 3rd gen

 

[Schmuckley]

i see but no USB 3 which i need so how would i get that ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4-Port-5G...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2ed40076b3

I wouldn't even know about those things but newegg sent one as a bonus..

Why is usb 3.0 so important?

Here's the cheapest decent z77 board I could find on ebay...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-P8Z77-...230311610?pt=Motherboards&hash=item51c6f53cba

Most likely you would have better luck on the forums..
you could even go with p67/z68 + updated BIOS

 

[TonyB]

Cool so that board you listed is better than the other one.

 

[Schmuckley]

..in the quality of components..yes

 

[TonyB]

ok cool so one more question would i need to re-install windows or could i get a way with uninstalling old chipset drivers and stuff and then hooking up new motherboard and doing a reactivation, if so how the heck am i suppose to re activate windows 8.1 since it was a free upgrade from win 8 pro i had?.

 

[Schmuckley]

you probably could just plug it in and go..
my last Win7 install i ran like..5 different platforms through it.
nvidia/amd amd/intel..everything..LOL
775,p67,h61,x79,z97,am2+,am3,z77
hmm..guess that's more than 5

 

[TonyB]

That's good

 

[TonyB]

you probably could just plug it in and go..
my last Win7 install i ran like..5 different platforms through it.
nvidia/amd amd/intel..everything..LOL
775,p67,h61,x79,z97,am2+,am3,z77
hmm..guess that's more than 5

quick question i got my motherboard ordered when you did the swaps that worked for you did you uninstall chipset drivers at all or just plugged in and went? i went with a re-manufactured one i know but it has a 90 day warranty and looked ok and was recertified by MSI so i could not beet it for 69.99, and most of the older socket 1155 i could find were used even though they said new as soon as i clicked to buy it was used. i found out that they don't make them anymore is why, everything is socket 1150 anymore.

 

[Kursah]

I removed anything related to that mainboard when I've done platform transfers on the same OS install. Usually works pretty slick, sometimes an issue can happen but usually a boot repair will resolve it.

Make sure if you were running or not running with AHCI before, that your mainboard matches that setting or you'll receive a BSOD until you make the correct change. (I recommend AHCI enabled, and there's a simple registry change to make that happen if it's not already.).

Good for going with a higher quality board, most boards you can just plugin and go, install the right drivers and be done...but get rid of the brand-specific programs and drivers if possible. Have a USB flash drive loaded with the new MB drivers (and BIOS so you can flash it to the newest one should it not have it...refer to the newest BIOS and do a quick search to see whether or not it caused widespread issues or improvements. That way if you need NIC, WiFi, or any other specific drivers you're ready to go. If you don't have a USB flash drive and can burn a CD, that'll work too in most cases.

I had to search for a S1156 board for a friend...I tried talking him into 1150, because he could've sold the CPU he got for free, to pay for newer haswell-based CPU and part of an H85 mainboard. Instead he now has an expensive, used, Asus 1156 board from fleabay. It works, but not as well. 1155 was a good platform though, still is relevant performance-wise too, and there's still a lot of parts out there for it. I wouldn't worry too much being on 1155 for now if I were you, at least in my area I can find TONS of 1155 parts.

 

[TonyB]

OK so do i need to mess with chipset drivers i did upgrade them from intel on this curent board i have installed now so not sure maybe they will work with new one. if i need to remove them do i just go to device manager and remove anything that says chipset?, also how do i tell if i'm running in AHCI?? went and got all the latest drivers for the board and there on a USB jump drive. Also what are the chances of my heat sink stock intel one working on the new board?

Also here is the board i wound up getting can't beat it for the price i got.

http://us.msi.com/product/mb/Z77AG45.html#hero-overview

 

[Schmuckley]

I just plugged in and installed drivers for whatever was lacking..
usually just LAN or audio.

If it's an 1155 board..the chances are 100% your heatsink will work

 

[TonyB]

almost ready to do this just waiting on my motherboard post to get here and i'm good as gold i had a quick question and i did not see a reason to make a new thread, would this software driver fusion from http://treexy.com/ work to remove chipset drivers i figured i would clean up my drivers a bit i mean i have t he latest ones directly from intel on this old board, the newest they had but not sure if they would be ok and i figured i would remove the old ones if i could before i did this swap. I mean wors t comes to worst it don't work and i need to reinstall but hey, MS assures me i should be ok as there is only one maker for chipset drivers for intel.

 

[jaggerwild]

I wouldn't trust that motherboard further than I could kick it with a 45-lb tied to it.
It's probably better than the one you're running for options,maybe notsomuch on sturdiness.
the G43 MSI model looks OK..maybe.
Are you overclocking? Why do you need a z77 board?

Shows what you know, MSI makes some good boards and the customer service is very good!

 

[Jetster]

almost ready to do this just waiting on my motherboard post to get here and i'm good as gold i had a quick question and i did not see a reason to make a new thread, would this software driver fusion from http://treexy.com/ work to remove chipset drivers i figured i would clean up my drivers a bit i mean i have t he latest ones directly from intel on this old board, the newest they had but not sure if they would be ok and i figured i would remove the old ones if i could before i did this swap. I mean wors t comes to worst it don't work and i need to reinstall but hey, MS assures me i should be ok as there is only one maker for chipset drivers for intel.

NO, dont use it. Just use the manufacture drivers from there web site. They should be the same as Intels. Also good luck fitting that board in the case. Dell tends to use proprietary connections but maybe not

 

[TonyB]

i have aftermarket case my dell mobo is already in a aftermarket case, so i will be ok there, so your saying just overwrite the once that are there with the once from the MSI mainboard site?

 

[Jetster]

i have aftermarket case my dell mobo is already in a aftermarket case, so i will be ok there, so your saying just overwrite the once that are there with the once from the MSI mainboard site?

Yes, Windows will place a native driver and just get the latest from the manufacture's site as well as all the other one's

 

[TonyB]

oh ok cross my fingers it works if not a reinstall of the os will