Upgrade to windows 10 from windows 7

[psyxologos]

Hi everyone. I just build a new system here ar PCS in order to replace my 10 year old system, again build here in PCS. It has developed a fault where during gameplay (nothing too demanding, the fault happens even during world of tanks gameplay) the screen goes black (the computer keeps working normally, I just lose picture) and the GPU fan starts spinning like crazy. So I am thinking of finding a GPU what will work in my system and use the computer so my children can do homework etc. One thing I want to do is update the system to windows 10. Is it true that I can upgrade to Windows 10 for free since I am currently using a genuine copy of Windows 7? The alternative is to buy a key online, either from Microsoft or perhaps from an authorised reseller that sells retail licences. Any advice on the GPU I can look at, and on whether I can upgrade to windows q0 for free coming from windows 7?

Here is my old system:
InWIN MANA-136 BLACK GAMING CASE
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3820 (3.6GHz) 10MB Cache
ASUS® SABERTOOTH X79: SOCKET 2011, R.O.G
16GB KINGSTON HYPERX GENESIS QUAD-DDR3 1600MHz X.M.P(4 x 4GB KIT)
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 670 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
120GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
12x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
CORSAIR 850W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX850 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE
INTEL CERTIFIED LIQUID CPU COOLER FOR SOCKET LG2011
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD

Many thanks!

 

[Martinr36]

you can no longer upgrade from 7, the only upgrade path now is 10 to 11

 

[psyxologos]

you can no longer upgrade from 7, the only upgrade path now is 10 to 11

Thank you. So I guess I need to look at finding a vendor selling retail licence to windows 10. Any suggestions on that? Also, any suggestions on whether it is worth replacing my GPU on the old system and what with?

 

[TonyCarter]

Thank you. So I guess I need to look at finding a vendor selling retail licence to windows 10. Any suggestions on that? Also, any suggestions on whether it is worth replacing my GPU on the old system and what with?

If it's not for gaming and just for driving a monitor, then it's probably simplest to replace the failing/failed GPU (if that is the issue).

Not sure you can still buy a new GT670, and a current x70 level card would be £400, but I think you can probably make do with an older, slightly lower level card to get the same performance. Something like an Nvidia GTX1650 or AMD 6500XT for £140 (AMD is better value at that price).

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[psyxologos]

If it's not for gaming and just for driving a monitor, then it's probably simplest to replace the failing/failed GPU (if that is the issue).

Not sure you can still buy a new GT670, and a current x70 level card would be £400, but I think you can probably make do with an older, slightly lower level card to get the same performance. Something like an Nvidia GTX1650 or AMD 6500XT for £140 (AMD is better value at that price).

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Buy from Scan - MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 D6 VENTUS XS OC V3 4GB GDDR6 Card, 896 Core, 1620MHz Boost

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-VENTUS-Gaming-Graphics/dp/B0CJFTXTN5/

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Thank you for the response. I say it is the GPU that is failing as it only does this on gaming, and the PC sounds as if it continues running normally. I can hear the game sounds etch, no problem. Just the screen loses signal and the GPU fan starts spinning like crazy. I do not know what else it could be. I tried using the card on a different slot on the motherboard and the same problem is replicated, which led me to believe it was the issue. I will have a look at these cards you mention. I take it they are compatible with my set up, right? thanks again!

 

[TonyCarter]

They’re relatively low power draw compared to your GTX670 (about 100W) and will run on your PCIe 3.0 slot (the 1650 is pcie3, the 6500XT is pcie4 but backward compatible), so can’t see a problem running them.

You will probably have to DDU uninstall the current drivers to ensure nothing’s left over from the old driver.

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