My question is, will my motherboard be compatible with the processor I have detailed below? You can find my motherboard’s information below as well. I also have my computer’s specs just in case. I am also getting a new graphics card but don’t know the details yet. If that’s important I will add that information in as well. Since I am getting a new processor, will I have to update my drives as well? I know updating my drives is more of a software question, but I still think it’s nice to ask about in one spot, but I will ask about it in software if necessary. I’m pretty sure the BIOS doesn’t need to be updated. I hope this is the case because updating the BIOS is kind of risky.

Intel Core i7-7700k 4.2 GHz
Quad Core 8 Thread CPU Processor LGA 1151
741866262606

Device name: DESKTOP-31GNT73
Processor: Intel(R) Core™ i5-7600K CPU @ 3.80GHz 3.79 GHz
Installed RAM: 8.00 GB
Device ID: CD6964AC-B575-4CC2-AA4B-629A336237E7
Product ID: 00326-01857-36252-AAOEM
System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
DirectX Version: 12
Windows Version: Windows 10

BIOS and Motherboard Information
NVIDIA Information
NVIDIA Information 2

It’s unclear why you want to upgrade from an i5 to an i7 and also upgrade the GPU, but if this is for gaming, other components could become your new bottleneck.

The Intel Core i7-7700k is compatible with the MSI Z270-A Pro, you do not have to do anything other than replace it and boot the OS.

Why is this risky?

8GB of system ram is almost the bare minimum these days too.

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I heard from others that updating the BIOS could be risky, that’s all. And yes it is for gaming. Thank you very much for this information.

BIOS updates are not risky, but if you have a power outage during one, they might be, most modern systems these days have dual BIOS to protect against this.

Your motherboard unfortunately, does not support this. But you likely wont need an update anyway.

Are you looking to upgrade for a specific reason, is one game not smooth or are you looking for 10-20 fps gain?

I ask because the money you spend trying to improve your setup, may not be cost effective. You seem to be only running 1080p anyway, so other than fps, you might not get much of a boost. and with 8GB ram, this might be your next issue.

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It would be nice if we knew something about how long you’ve been in IT and what your background is - adding something to your profile will help us understand your skillset and be able to give you advice accordingly.

I get the feeling you are fairly young.

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I got told that updating the bios was risky, this was 20+yrs ago, but never listened and have updated the bios way too often without an issue. Then again the person that told me was one of those who thought they knew everything and i think that thought pattern has stuck with time. Shame as like you have stated in the case of a power cut then there are no issues to a bios update.

8gb? If gaming i would run at least double that, even my laptop with a Ryzen 5 has 32gb. Overkill but the thing just goes.