PERFORMANCE TWEAKS

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THERE ARE JUST a few performance options left to tweak in the BIOS. One of these steps can be ignored, but if you are a perfectionist, getting these last two things done will set your mind at ease, and ensure everything is running as it should be. Head back into the BIOS by smashing the Delete key on restart/startup. First, we’ll enable the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) settings, a pre-set list of specifications that your memory can and will run at, that are typically higher than the JEDEC standard. This means you can transfer more data to and from your memory faster for better performance in memory-intensive applications, such as archiving/zipping, and any photography or editing work you may do. For our Gigabyte board, enter the “Advanced Frequency Settings” option in the main menu, then go down to the “Extreme Memory Profile” menu, press Enter, and choose “Profile 1.” This enables the correct timings and frequency for your memory.

You might also want to take a look at fan curves while you’re here. You can control these with in-desktop apps, but we always find that BIOS configuration works best, and works from startup. For our motherboard, those settings are found at the bottom of the main BIOS menu. Have a tinker, and find a setup that works for you. That’s all there is to it. Then hit F10, save, and exit, and there you have it—one fully working, ready-to-go system.