Switching out a new motherboard ONLY

[E equals MC2]

I just got a new motherboard + CPU barebones combo. I want to switch everything to it - ie everything stays the same on the old PC.

Do I need to format / reinstall my PC for optimal speed? Is it mandatory or preferred?

 

[Psymon]

You may not 'need' to (I don't know what your setup is) but it is highly recommended.

This is because you should always properly set up your BIOS before installing Windows to make it perform better overall.

Also, you will have different motherboard drivers and etc. that you have to deal with, and it can be more of a pain to have to remove old drivers and put new ones on.

So, I'd recommend it, but it's up to you. Reformatting isn't that bad, and if you've been using your system for a long time it could help anyways.