How to setup a new Gaming PC – FAST!
|Got a new gaming PC? Let’s get it setup!
First, of course, get it out of the box. Take the side panel off with the two thumb screws on the back and remove any packaging inside. Sometimes you’ll find accessories in here too so have a check around. It’s also worth checking that everything is plugged in and screwed in tight – especially your 8 pin CPU power connector(s) at the top left, the 24 pin on the centre right, 6 or 8 pin PCIe power connectors on your GPU, and your CPU cooler is screwed down tightly.
Stick the side panel back on, and peel any plastic left on the case.
Next is plugging it in, this one is for power in, this is where you plug your monitor into – NOT THE TOP ONE unless you don’t have a GPU in your system, and this is where you plug in your mouse and keyboard, ethernet if you are using it, sometimes WiFi antennas, and audio out. Remember to flick the switch on the power supply!
Plug your display cable into your monitor – and power to the monitor too – then hit the power button. It’s a good idea to spam the delete key to get into the BIOS and make sure things like XMP are enabled and your OS drive is selected as the primary. You can also take note of what BIOS version your board is running, and the name of your board, then hit F10 and ENTER to save and reboot.
Let it boot into your OS, likely Windows, and it’s worth checking your motherboard manufacturer’s website to see if there is a new BIOS version available. If you were to update it, you need a USB stick connected with the new file at its root, load back into the BIOS and use the updater tool. This will almost certainly reset any changes and settings saved so only do this if you are confident you know what settings you’ve got already.
It’s also worth checking your graphics driver version. If you aren’t sure, press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open Task Manager, hit “More details”, then “Performance”, and click your GPU at the bottom of the list. It should either be an “NVIDIA” card or an “AMD” one. Google either company’s name and the word “drivers”, then select the card you have, download and install.
That’s it! You can use a website like Ninite to download and install a whole load of programs all in one go, including Steam for games.