Guidance for major hardware/OS update on 2012 Z68 Gigabyte Rig

[JDLiver]

Disclaimer: This post was originally formatted for speak-not-the-name.  I have read over it several times to scrub anything related to those-who-should-not-be-mentioned, but I am sorry in advance if I have missed any.  I understand the rules of this forum, and I am trying to comply as best as possible.

 

Hey folks! Hopefully I am posting in the proper place, but let me know if not. I have a build from early 2012 that I have maintained and added to over the years. Every so often, I decide it's time to update the OS and potentially the hardware, but it always feels like I am starting from scratch. My goals at this point are to update the hardware and bring the BIOS up to its latest version (UEFI) to use Clover-UEFI for smoother OS updates.

TL;DR at the bottom. 

Current Specs:
GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (F9)

Intel Core i3-2125 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Corsaid CX-M Series 650W PSU

Seagate Desktop HDD ST1000DM003 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z Black SECC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pioneer 24x DVDRW OEM

1TB External Backup Drive (Backups via TimeMachine)

Desired Hardware Upgrades:
Processor Replacement
Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W CM8063701211600 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

RAM Replacement
G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) - Possibly 32 GB, give me feedback.


Add SSD to migrate OS and other apps to
WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive - WDS100T2B0A

I want to speed this rig up significantly and keep it viable regarding hardware for a few more years at least. I don't do any major processing with this rig other than some gaming, but I would like the potential to be able to stream or produce video content. If you see areas that are excessive, let me know. I'm looking for feedback.

Problems:
The sequence of upgrades is significant I think, and this is where I'm really looking for input. RAM looks like it could happen at any point, so I won't worry about when I upgrade it unless I hear otherwise.

I know the processor upgrade requires (F10) of the firmware for the MOBO (Sandy-Bridge -> Ivy-Bridge). I am assuming it means (F10) or higher, and I hope so since I plan to go one step further to the U1C(UEFI BIOS) version. This leads to one of my biggest questions: Will I break my legacy boot process when I move to the UEFI BIOS? In my head, yes, this breaks the boot process until I correct the settings in the UEFI setup, but in my head it is still broken because the UEFI setup is looking for something other than a MBR which I assume I am using since I am on a BIOS version of MOBO firmware and using Clover-Legacy.

For the SSD addition, I imagine myself installing the drive, running a recovery disc or partition, and restoring the system from TimeMachine backup to the SSD. Any gotchas here that I am missing? Do I need to reinstall Clover at this point or have an alternative way to boot into the system?

It looks like I could knock out the RAM and SSD at the same time with little to worry about. The processor requires a firmware upgrade to the MOBO, and I want to do it last since I am aiming for a UEFI version of the firmware to support Clover-UEFI.

Clover-UEFI:
There are plenty of guides on how to implement this, so I am just looking for some clarification: having UEFI firmware and using Clover-UEFI will enable me to run OS updates from the App Store with no major problems, right? Aside from reparing audio and reinstalling NVIDIA drivers (btw, NVIDIA drivers for Mojave when?!), the updates will be relatively smooth is what my understanding is.

TL;DR
I plan to make major hardware updates and get on a path to smooth OS updates via the app store. Here is the plan in my head:

1. Install SSD and restore system from backup.
   • Will I need to reinstall Clover or another tool to boot into my system?
2. Install RAM.
   • 32GB vs 16GB, I want viable hardware requirements met for a few to several more years.
   • Also, I'm upping speeds from 1333 to 2133, any concerns here? MOBO supports it.
3. Update MOBO Firmware to UC1.
   • Will I break my legacy boot process when I move to the UEFI BIOS?
   • What steps do I need to take to repair booting assuming it breaks?
   • Am I better off treating things as a fresh install from Snow Leopard and restoring from backup?
4. Install new Processor.
   • Is this new CPU enough to manage some video editing?
   • With all of these hardware changes, do I need to worry about DSDT's or other Kexts that got my system off the ground?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited April 25, 2019 by Allan
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