OS reinstall after CPU upgrade?

Question

If I'm upgrading from an Athlon X2 AM2+ cpu to an X4 Phenom AM2+ CPU, do i need to reinstall my operating system? (I'm running Windows Server Standard 2008 x64)

Answer 1

I seriously doubt it. I would be prepared to install the OS, just in case.

Even if the machine boots, you may see significant performance hits - I've seen cases where the machine should have been faster from a new CPU, but just orders of magnitude slower.

That said, code has improved in Windows 2008 - you may be able to skip it. Do a backup, prepare to reinstall. See how the OS goes after the new installation, and then decide if you want to reinstall.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

You should be able to simply swap out the CPUs and it will install the drivers on boot (if not a repair from the install CD should fix it). You might need to re-active windows though, depending on if Windows thinks it was a 'significant' hardware change.

Answer 3

Most likely not.

Answer 4

I don't think you will have to re-install.
You may have to re-activate though (this depends what license of Windows Server 2008 you are using).