Getting a whole new (better) PC is also considered an upgrade, although it's really an improved replacement. Just like buying a better car is an upgrade from your previous old banger 😀.

Please don't use two different contexts for the word upgrade.
It's an upgrade in your life, not in the computer, because you cannot upgrade your computer by installing a new computer onto it, and cannot upgrade your old car by installing a new car into it. So my question remains...

Maybe sometimes people look at the upgrading somewhat superficially, "as long as it keeps the same case its them same computer right?! " wrong.

It seems you have a strict view on this already, so why bother to ask? I don't think you can find a general rule for this as people view it differently.
It's not much different to how software makers can't decide between update or upgrade (or beta vs final version 😉).

I might view it as you do but then, why bother with how others see it?

Dominus wrote:

It seems you have a strict view on this already, so why bother to ask? I don't think you can find a general rule for this as people view it differently.
It's not much different to how software makers can't decide between update or upgrade (or beta vs final version 😉).

I might view it as you do but then, why bother with how others see it?

Well, yes I have my opinion on this,but that is not a reason to not be curious about what others think.

Actually this is not really about the meaning of the word Upgrade you know, you just keep mixing concepts.

All I want to know is: when you make upgrades in a particular PC, by installing some add-on cards, isn't a new motherboard a whole new PC?

An upgrade is when a noticeable benefit is seen from the replacement of parts or full computer.

and continuity of using existing programs/games/softwares, otherwise i would considered it as 'totaly new'.

This sounds like the Theseus paradox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

Actually this is not really about the meaning of the word Upgrade you know, you just keep mixing concepts.

No, you just don't like our answers since it doesn't fit with what you think is the correct one. That's not being curios, that seems more like being bored and looking for a fight.

I like Jorpho's answer.

Filosofia wrote:

isn't a new motherboard a whole new PC?

Microsoft see it that way when it comes to Windows licenses.

Upgrading an existing machine with better components will be classed as upgraded. Getting a completely new and superior machine can be classed as an upgrade, or you could just call it a replacement (although it's not a direct replacement as it's different/better).

The word upgrade can be approached or used differently by people, and i don't think either way is wrong to be honest.

I suppose someone could change their motherboard while still using the same processor and ram. I don't see what would be accomplished by this, though. It sounds more like a lateral move. Maybe they have have more hdd connections or more expansion slots but the system will still run the same as before.

Jorpho wrote:

This sounds like the Theseus paradox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

That is fine for wood and such but we're talking about chipsets 😉
The paradox is a very interesting subject for another time though.

Anyway, GXL750 stated there are two situations you can consider as upgrade, one relates to the replacement of parts of a computer, the other to the full computer.

Well, when you replace the full computer, you replace it with another one, so here you have it.
I'm only interested in the first situation, when you upgrade the same computer, and not ending up replacing it for another 😁

PowerPie5000 wrote:

Filosofia wrote:

isn't a new motherboard a whole new PC?

(...)The word upgrade can be approached or used differently by people, and i don't think either way is wrong to be honest.

I agree, the word upgrade is being used differently by people in this thread too 🤣

You can upgrade A computer,
You can upgrade FROM a computer (to another one).

Do you feel swapping the motherboard means you are improving the same PC? I feel like I'm building a complete new system.

SKARDAVNELNATE wrote:

I suppose someone could change their motherboard while still using the same processor and ram. I don't see what would be accomplished by this, though. It sounds more like a lateral move. Maybe they have have more hdd connections or more expansion slots but the system will still run the same as before.

If you change your motherboard for the same exact model, that does not qualify as an upgrade.

If you do it for a different model then the computer is not the same anymore...

There is quite a difference between upgrading a computer and upgrading to a different computer. I think what you're looking for is what degree of difference the motherboard makes in determining if it is more one than the other.

Example:
I like to use the IstarUSA T5PF-SA docking bay on my systems. Normally I can can insert a drive, use it, run Safely Remove Hardware, and take it out. One system won't recognize the drives in the same way. Instead I have to shutdown, insert a drive, boot up, use it, shutdown, and take it out.

Fixing this would mean another motherboard with a different chip set and better drive handling. Leaving everything else the same, I'm not sure where that change would fall between a "new build" and "improvement to an existing one". The component and work to swap it are both significant yet the actual change in performance is minor.

Yes , that is it! That is what I'm trying to figure out.

My opinion is that you can do pretty much to a computer, changing ram sticks, hard disks, optical drives, graphics, video, power supply, the weirdest and useless add-on cards you can find and if so, you are doing an upgrade (or downgrade) on the same computer, but if you change the motherboard you end up with another computer.
Thus changing a motherboard in a PC is not a modification in the same PC, rather the beginning of a new one.

The paradox is fine if you can think beyond the little differences between wood and chips (after all you can make chips out of wood 😀)

To really answer your question, you have to define what your computer is. Is it really just your motherboard? Or case and motherboard? I find it hard to define it just by that. Hence the paradox

Filosofia wrote:

If you do it for a different model then the computer is not the same anymore...

The computer wouldn't be the same no matter what component you change... It would just be similar to what it used to be.

I agree the motherboard would be the biggest upgrade as it's pretty much the computers 'central nervous system' so to speak. Everything plugs into the motherboard and data is sent through the motherboard between components etc...

Let's see. I keep a tech log for my various PC builds, noting hardware/software/configuration/tweaks and dated service entries. Generally I change to a new log when I either change the OS or graphic card of a machine, since those 2 parts have the greatest impact on what is essentially a gaming machine for me. I refer to builds mostly in terms of OS/GPU. Changes in other components, even motherboard/cpu, I maintain the same log.

Now I can't really argue that just changing the GPU creates a new machine, but I find it convenient to refer to it as one. For legacy rigs this is especially true. Swapping a Voodoo 2 for a Voodoo 5 is not an upgrade, but the creation of a new legacy platform.

Example: I call my current rig the W7/5770CF meaning it's Windows 7 with a pair of HD 5770 video cards. It's had many parts replaced over time, even the motherboard, and as soon as my new FX-8350 arrives, the cpu too - same tech log throughout. But when I eventually pick up a HD 7970 video card the rig will be called W7/7970 and I'll start a fresh log..