Installation protocol

Whether you’re building a brand new rig or refreshing an old one with a clean build of Windows, you’ll find our invaluable installation guide will leave your system running as smooth as silk.

TIP 1 Update the BIOS

BIOS updates used to be a daunting, leading to bricked motherboards and dead CPUs. Now, it’s really beneficial, and we recommend you update your BIOS whenever a new one launches. Go to your motherboard manufacturer’s website, find the page for your model and head to the support section. Go to ‘driver downloads’ and search for the BIOS subsection. Download the latest version. Extract this file on to a 4GB USB stick that’s been formatted to the FAT32 filesystem, then plug it into the back of your motherboard, head into the BIOS and find the update BIOS tool in the advanced menus. Select the USB stick, find the file, and load it — your motherboard takes care of the rest.

TIP 2 Fan curves

While you’re in the BIOS, take a look at tweaking the fan curves. If you’re plugging all your fans into PWM headers, setting a quieter fan curve can reduce noise and make your PC experience far more enjoyable. It varies from board to board, but we recommend you set a low curve (35% power) all the way up until you hit about 60°C, at which point, you can start ramping up those curves.

TIP 3 Installing Windows via USB

Installing a fresh copy of Windows 10 is fairly simple nowadays, especially if you’ve kept your digital key, or your Windows 10 licence is linked to your Microsoft account. Head to bit.ly/ Win10MediaKit, download the Media Creation Tool and Create Installation Media on to an 8GB USB stick. Plug the USB stick into the back of your system, go into the BIOS boot order, and boot from the USB stick. From there on out, follow the prompts. You’re asked to sign into your Microsoft account during the installation process; you can do this now, or create a local account and deal with it later. Once logged in and on the desktop, you can type Activation into the Start menu, and either log in to your Microsoft account to verify your new install, or insert your Windows code — and you’re done. If you have access to the internet, now is a good time to install any updates.

TIP 4 Installation procedure

What’s next? Chipset. Head back to your motherboard manufacturer’s website, head to support and driver downloads, and download the latest chipset driver for your rig. Once you’ve got that, download any additional drivers or utilities you may need. For a lightweight build, all you really need is the LAN and audio drivers. Install the chipset first, then hit Restart. Now you can install the rest. Next, grab your graphics drivers. By default, Windows installs an older driver variant through Windows Update. Head to geforce.com/drivers or support.amd.com/en-us/ download, and download the latest driver for your card.

TIP 5 Ninite

Finally, it’s time to install any programs you need. Ninite ( ninite.com) is our go-to tool for the quick installation of essential apps. Choose what programs you want, and install directly to your C drive. Ninite only installs to C, so if you want to keep Steam on a separate drive, pass on that, and install it separately. Once done, you’ll be good to go.

“Installing a fresh copy of Windows 10 is fairly simple nowadays, especially if you’ve kept your digital key, or your Windows 10 licence is linked to your Microsoft account.”