Is It Possible to Upgrade My Intel i7-3770 to an 8th Gen Processor?

Thinking about making the leap from an Intel i7-3770 to something from the 8th Gen lineup? It’s not as simple as swapping a few parts. Let me give you the lowdown.

First thing you gotta know, your old i7-3770 is comfortably sitting in an LGA 1155 socket. The 8th Gen beauties, however, won’t fit in there—they need an LGA 1151 socket with a 300-series chipset motherboard. So yeah, straight-out swapping isn’t gonna cut it—you’ll need a new motherboard for starters.

Another hiccup? RAM. The i7-3770 makes do with DDR3 RAM. But for an 8th Gen CPU, DDR4 RAM has to be invited to the party. If you’re thinking upgrade, you’ll be looking at new RAM too; they go hand in hand.

Now here’s the kicker: Before you get too deep into this upgrade business, check on your other components to see if they can hang with the new setup. Power supply and cooling systems need to be up to snuff for maintaining everything’s cool and composed.

Honestly, with the swapping headache of motherboard and RAM, maybe building a new rig or sticking closer to your current generation is the way to go. Weigh the pros and cons of upgrading—you don’t want to be stuck with a pretty price tag for not much gain.

If you’re still game for an upgrade, here’s the game plan:

• Score a 300-series chipset motherboard.
• Snag some DDR4 RAM that plays nice with the new board.
• Make sure your trusty power supply and cooling crew are game for the new challenge.
• Hit up Intel’s official guidance or hop into some community forums for more dirt.

Check out some handy references while you’re at it:

• Intel’s Processor Compatibility Guide
• Tom’s Hardware Forum

Whatever you decide, ping your motherboard manufacturer for the nitty-gritty on compatibility—it’s all about making sure you’re covered.