They advised me against changing from Intel to AMD unless I reinstalled Windows...
They advised me against changing from Intel to AMD unless I reinstalled Windows...
I strongly disagree. My analysis involved comparing to similar hardware, and the results stayed within acceptable limits. I also tested in-game benchmarks which showed performance very close to comparable systems. The only noticeable difference is a roughly 2% drop, which could be due to an outdated W10 setup—upgraded from a W7 version. Essentially, what you’re describing is an older W10 installation compared to a brand-new Windows install. In this scenario, the performance decline isn’t caused by driver problems or system switches, but rather by Windows not running at its best, even on the older setup. That said, performance issues are possible and depend on various factors.
This isn't news. Windows will boot no matter how many hardware changes you do. Heck I once had three M.2 drives in a RAID 0 array with Windows installed. I took the 3 drives and put them in a completely different system and re-created the RAID array and it booted right up. And yeah you can keep using it and you probably won't have any problems. Just like there are people who have no problems with a PC that is swarming with a decades worth of dust bunnies inside. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't clean it out once in a while.