How important is a fresh install of Windows when upgrading motherboard/CPU?

I’m upgrading my motherboard and CPU (also switching from amd to intel).

I’m reading people recommend a fresh install of Windows, or you might run into issues. Problem is, I can’t find my Windows 10 installation usb drive/product key.

Is there a way I can get around this? Would prefer not to drop money on W10 again.

You can try and see if it works, if it works, no need to reinstall. You can just use the Windows 10 media creation tool on a spare usb drive if you need to reinstall.

Here is how to tie your Windows license to your Microsoft account.

You can make a new installation USB drive here.

This is perfect, thanks guys!

Just out of curiosity, what CPU model are you upgrading from, and what are you replacing it with?

@PfizersaurusRex:

Fx 8350 with i5 8400. Of course I welcome feedback if you think that’s a weak upgrade. Currently have a 1070 and gaming at 1440p. Hoping to see a performance bump with the CPU upgrade.

big upgrade on the way, the single core performance difference is enormous